“He was helping me in the bathroom.” Kat reached for the solo cup with her name on it and filled it with the filtered water from the door of the fridge. “But, yes. Now I think he’s with Grace in her room, helping organize the toy bins. Elizabeth and Nico are in there, too.”
Sandra and I shared a look, but said nothing. She’d also noticed the ring on Kat’s finger. We’d all noticed at this point, but neither Dan nor Kat were ready to fully discuss the situation.
“Where is Drew?” Alex finished tying the two trash bags, addressing this question to Greg. “Is he back from the hardware store yet?”
“Yes, now he and Ashley are in Jack’s room folding the laundry.” Kat refilled her cup.
“Has anyone seen our neighbor?” Greg asked the room. “Or have you seen my phone?”
“Who? The weirdo that tricked Marie into a date?” Sandra wrinkled her nose.
I paused my work, my neck heating and my heart doing the twist and shout. I hadn’t yet told anyone about Matt and me. Everything was very new. And everyone was very busy. And it hadn’t come up.
“Professor Simmons is a weirdo?” Jack glanced between his dad and Sandra.
“Everyone in this room—you included—is a weirdo.” Greg shifted his infant daughter from one shoulder to the other. “He said something about stopping by today when I saw him yesterday morning, but I was too delirious to remember you were all coming over.”
“Well then. I’ll just go over there and un-invite him.” Sandra placed a washed drawer on a towel next to the sink.
Bracing myself, I faced the kitchen. “Don’t do that—”
“Be nice.” Alex sent his wife a look as he hefted the two trash bags over his shoulder. “He’s cool.”
Kat made a scoffing sound, crossing her arms. “I’m with Sandra. I still don’t like how he treated Marie.”
I shut the fridge. “He didn’t—”
“What did he do?” Jack’s eyes were now rounded with the interest of a nine-year-old finally allowed to take part in adult discussions.
“It’s a long story.” Greg’s voice was grumbly and tired as he scratched his chin. “Why don’t you pick a backpack? How about this Madame Curie one?”
I moved to the middle of the kitchen and summoned my courage. Why do I feel so nervous about this?
“I want Minecraft.” Jack turned his attention back to the laptop.
“Ada Lovelace, you say?” Greg closed the computer. “Minecraft wouldn’t even be possible without the mother of computer science. Take this into the other room and pick out a backpack that will make you proud twenty years from now. Go.”
Jack dutifully grabbed the computer and left the kitchen.
Twisting the rag I’d been using to clean the fridge, I gathered a deep breath and said, “Matt—Professor Simmons—and I are together.”
Sandra and Kat stiffened, their eyes swinging to me, stunned shock written all over their features.
“What?” Sandra breathed, turning off the water.
“Oh?” Alex shared a look with Greg; if I wasn’t mistaken, they were both hiding smiles. “What a surprise.”
Sandra’s gaze cut to her husband. “You knew?”
He shrugged, glancing at Greg again.
“You knew?” This came from Kat and was directed to Greg.
“Who knew what?” Dan strolled into the kitchen and walked straight to Kat, stealing her solo cup and taking a long drink.
“Marie and Matt—Fiona and Greg’s next-door neighbor, the guy at the hospital last week—are dating. They’re together.” Sandra sounded incredulous and wiped her hands on a towel with exaggerated movements.
“Oh. Yeah. I knew that.” Dan nodded. “Nico told me.”
“What?” Kat, Sandra, and I asked in unison.
“How did Nico find out?” Sandra swung her eyes to me. “Did you tell Elizabeth?”
I shook my head, but before I could answer, Dan said, “I think Drew told Nico.”
“Oh my God.” I shook my head, so confused. “How did Drew find out?”
“From Quinn,” Alex said as he strolled out of the kitchen. “Quinn told me, too.”
“Well then, who told Quinn?” Kat rubbed her forehead.
“I did.” Greg patted his daughter lightly on the bottom, soothing her.
“Then who told you?” Sandra placed her hands on her hips.
Greg kissed his daughter’s forehead. “Matt.”
“Matt told you?” I stood straighter, feeling surprised and . . . touched. “When did he tell you?” I kinda liked that he’d told Greg. It made me feel warm and fuzzy.
“Yes. Matt told me, yesterday morning after I remarked on his gleeful walk of shame.”
“Walk of shame?” Sandra’s eyes darted to me, amusement and question written all over her features.
“Yeah, he was wearing the same suit he’d been in Friday night.”
“Go, Marie!” Dan stepped forward and offered me a high five, which I returned numbly, amazed at how quickly these men shared information with each other.
And, by the way, why would any of them be interested in who I was dating? It didn’t make sense.
Greg picked a piece of lint off his jeans, looking smug. “But I knew before he told me.”
Kat glanced at me, then back to Greg. “How?”
Greg smirked at Kat, then at Sandra. “It was written all over his face last week, for anyone who was looking. Fiona called it, too.” Then to me he said, “We’ve been gossiping about you two all week.”
“You and Fiona?” I smiled, relieved that Fiona knew. I hadn’t been looking forward to telling her, not after she’d warned me away from him weeks ago.
“She’s thrilled.” Greg returned my smile with a soft one of his own, seemingly reading my mind. “She had her reservations, but seeing you two together at the hospital was all the assurance needed. We couldn’t be happier for you both.”
Standing in front of the kitchen sink, Sandra was shaking her head, her eyes unfocused. “Okay. I’m so confused. About so many things. First of all,” she pointed at me, “I need the whole story. When did this happen? I didn’t even know you liked him. And secondly,” she turned to Greg, “what is the deal with you guys and the efficiency of your man-gossip phone tree?”
Greg gave her a droll look. “Don’t be a hater, Sandra. You ladies need to learn how to communicate more effectively.”
Kat laughed, shaking her head. “This is nuts.”
“What I don’t understand is why you told Quinn to begin with.” I turned back to the fridge, allowing my face to show how perplexed I was about Matt and me being a topic of conversation.
“Are you kidding?” Greg stood and began swaying back and forth, shaking his head at me. “Marie. You saved my life last spring. You saved both Fiona and me. You organized Quinn and Janie’s entire wedding. If memory serves, you also threw a tequila bottle at those Boston guys who showed up to grab Janie a few years ago, spurring everyone into action and effectively saving every woman in this room. Of course Quinn wants to know. And Alex, and Drew, and Nico, and—”
“And me.” Dan moved to refill Kat’s solo cup, adding simply, “You’re a hero, Marie. We want to make sure this guy is good enough.”