Read Crazy About the Baumgartners for Free Online Page B

the DVD player,” Janie reminded him. “And I’ve got the whole
set of Lord of the Rings.”
    “Oh
all right,” he grumbled. “Are you done eating? Can we watch yet?”
    “Gretchen,
do you want to watch?” Janie asked, digging the portable DVD player out of her
bag and starting to crawl into the tent.
    “Sure,
let me just put out the fire.” It was one of those fire pits you could buy at
Costco or Sam’s Club. Doc had set it up for us and had loaded it with wood
around dusk, lighting it for us. We’d roasted hotdogs while the adults inside
ate steak. Not that I cared. Hot dogs and S’mores were fine by me and the kids
definitely preferred them.
    I
walked up the hill toward the house, carrying the empty pitcher that had
contained lemonade when the night began. Now I used the faucet out back to fill
it with water. I heard Mrs. B laughing, a bright, infectious sound. I hesitated
at the back of the house, listening. I could hear them talking, the two women.
    I’d
met Danielle and her “husbands” the day before, when they had taken the
Baumgartners out to dinner—although they only introduced Mason, the big
guy with the sandy crew cut, as her actual husband. The other one, Nico, a dark
haired, dark eyed Italian with an accent to die for, was introduced as their
friend. But I knew the truth. I would have known it, even if I hadn’t overheard
Mrs. B and Doc talking about their relationship. I could tell, the way they
talked to each other, the familiar way they touched each other. I suppose I
might have dismissed it as just a European over-friendliness if I hadn’t known.
But I did know. They were all lovers.
    Tonight,
though, it was just Danielle—they called her Dani—who had shown up
for dinner with Doc and Mrs. B. The Baumgartners had been anticipating this
visit for a month and of course, I knew why. I’d heard them talking about Dani,
their former lover, and I knew they both hoped to rekindle things with
her—if just for the night. I wondered if Dani’s “husbands” knew about
their plan, but I wasn’t in any position to ask.
    “Oh
my God, Dani, those two men!” Mrs. B exclaimed. “I mean, I knew Mason was a
good-looking guy. But Nico too? You are one lucky woman.”
    Dani
gave a throaty laugh. “Tell me about it.”
    “What’s
it like, having two men at your beck and call?”
    “Well,
I don’t know if they’re at my beck and call…” Dani replied. “But having two
men? It’s pretty fantastic.”
    “I
just bet it is.” Mrs. B sighed dreamily. “Don’t tell Doc I asked you. He doesn’t
lean that way, but if he thought I wanted it, I think he just might give it a
try. For me.”
    I
moved a little closer, changing the angle of my view. I could see them now as
well as hear them, but I was pretty sure they couldn’t see my out in the darkness.
    “Mason
didn’t lean that way either. At least, I didn’t know he did.” Dani chuckled.
“But Mason and Nico are… well, they spend plenty of time together.”
    “Where
are they tonight?” Mrs. B asked.
    “Oh,
Mason wanted to take Nico to a Detroit Tigers game. Nico is fascinated with
baseball. It’s a boys’ night out.”
    “Sounds
like fun.” Mrs. B took a sip of her wine. “Doc should be back any time. I
thought I’d bought two bottles of wine. I’ve been so busy lately, sometimes I
think I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached.”
    “You
all seem to be doing well,” Dani said. “Your children have gotten so big!
They’re beautiful. So well-behaved.”
    “Thank
you. We’re good,” Mrs. B agreed. “We miss you, of course.”
    There
was something in her tone they both seemed to understand. Something passed
between them with just a smile.
    “What
about Gretchen?” Dani asked.
    “Gretchen?”
    “Yes,
your nanny. You aren’t…?” Dani shrugged. “I mean, the way she looks at you, I
thought…”
    “Oh
my God, no,” Mrs. B exclaimed. “She’s so young. We tried a younger woman a
while ago. It didn’t work out