I gasped. “No way! Did the tooth fairy come?” I could totally see Greg pulling some crap about the tooth fairy only coming in the continental US or something.
So I was shocked when Wagner nodded enthusiastically and said, “She brought me twenty euros and wrote me a note with glitter and everything! Can you believe that?”
This was actually worse. Not only had the tooth fairy come, but now Brooke was besting me at the game.
“Wow!” I said.
“Am I taller?” He pulled away so I could inspect.
“I don’t even recognize you!” I said.
“I need new shoes too. My feet have grown.”
I nodded, and said, “We’ll get some new ones this afternoon!”
“I’m going to unpack my stuff,” Wagner said, whizzing by me into the house. The mushy time was over. On to logistics.
No doubt about it, he was his father’s child. Greg and I had butted heads constantly because I was a total mess and he was a complete neat freak. Everything had to be organized at all times.
“Hi, Gray,” Brooke said sunnily. I had never seen the woman not perfectly dressed like she was ready for a night out. Looking down at my workout clothes, I thought that maybe that’s what had happened in my marriage. Maybe I had quit caring so much. But they were such cute workout clothes.
I tried to smile, hating her and her perky, never-breastfed boobs the whole time. Before I could ruminate further, I heard footsteps behind me in the driveway.
“You must be Greg.”
Greg looked at me questioningly, then asked, “Who are you?”
Diana stuck out her hand to shake Greg’s. “I’m the new Maria.”
I burst out laughing and put my arm around her. “Greg, Brooke, this is Diana.”
She gave Brooke a once-over that would have made anyone feel extremely self-conscious. “Geez,” she said to me out of the corner of her mouth, “neither one of you can date someone age-appropriate.”
“What?” Greg said.
I elbowed Diana. “Nothing. Thanks, guys, for bringing my boy back in one piece.”
Greg squeezed Brooke’s arm. “I’ll be right there, hon.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to go to the car, obviously irritated that she was being sent away. But this was what you signed up for when you set out to marry another woman’s husband. I wanted to tell her thank you for making the tooth fairy so special, but the words got stuck in my mouth. Oh well. I was trying. For today, that was enough.
Greg looked at Diana, then back at me, and said, “I’m glad you found someone to help you, Gray. You deserve it.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Then he said, “Are you doing okay? I mean, I know this is hard for you.”
“Yeah,” I said, “not seeing Wagner was a nightmare, but I’m glad he had this opportunity.”
He nodded. “Good. But I really meant with the whole Brooke thing.”
I was feeling warm toward him for a half second until he said that. I thought Diana was going to choke beside me. I smiled tightly. “I’m a grown woman, Greg. I’m fine.”
Diana chuckled. “I’d say she’s more than fine.”
Greg looked at her questioningly again. “Okay. Well, good. Because Brooke and I want to go on a trip this fall, and we really want to take Wagner—”
“Greg, you just got back. I am dying over here and have hardly been able to function for the last three weeks without him, so maybe we could talk about this—”
“Why don’t you let me finish?”
