TJ took a gulp of his wine. “Gretchen.”

“Who?” I set my glass on the table and stared at him. I knew. Of course I knew, after our conversation last week, what I’d told him about my week in Key West with the Baumgartners and the year that followed. Still, I acted surprised. I was surprised, really. How had he found her?

TJ began talking fast. “It wasn’t hard at all, Ronnie. You could have kept in touch yourself if you wanted to. The Baumgartners still live in the same house, and Gretchen is still their nanny. Well, I imagine it’s more like cook and housekeeper and stuff like that, now that the kids are teenagers. I just called the number in the phone book and asked for Gretchen. It was easy.” Easy. So the Baumgartners lived about twenty miles away from us, in the same house? I tried to imagine them, Doc and Mrs. B. And Janie and Henry, all grown up! My mind refused to wrap around the idea.

TJ took another gulp of wine. “Well, it’s kind of funny how it all fell into place. Mrs. Baumgartner was thrilled to hear from me, and wanted to know all about how you were doing. Apparently, they’re going on their annual trip to Key West over the holidays next week. I think that must be same the trip they took when-”

“You talked to Gretchen?” I stood, taking my glass to the sink.

TJ continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “-when you went with them, the one you told me about? Yeah, I talked to Gretchen. She insisted on seeing you, wanted to call you, talk to you, but I thought… well, I thought it would be better to meet face to face.”

I poured the rest of my wine down the sink, rinsing the glass and setting it on the counter next to the hamster cage. “You thought I’d chicken out and not meet her at all, didn’t you?’”

“Maybe.” He poured himself another glass of wine.

I turned to him, crossing my arms over my chest. “So you just decided to invite her to dinner without talking to me?”