Free The Boyfriend of the Month Club by Maria Geraci

territory. Although . . . there was one thing that Sarah might not forgive. But Grace didn’t want to think about that, because . . . what was the point? It was over. Sarah was getting a divorce from Craig and that’s what mattered. Soon, Sarah would be free to find someone else. Someone who loved her the way she deserved to be loved.
    “You’re right. I’m feeling much better now.” She stood and followed Charlie back into the kitchen.
    Grace watched as her brother opened the fridge and began to attack the leftovers they’d put away only an hour ago. Charlie might be insensitive on occasion, but he was her brother, and deep down he was a good guy. Six months from now he might be in Miami and their Sunday family get-togethers would be a thing of the past. And no matter what Penny said about not quitting her job, if Butch were to play his cards right, Grace could see Penny sitting behind Butch on the backseat of his bike with a big grin on her face as the two of them rode off into the sunset.
    She’d still have Sarah, of course. And Ellen, and Mami, and Pop, and Abuela. But life wouldn’t be the same without Charlie and Penny around.

5
    Dr. Joe
    Monday morning, exactly one minute after eight, Grace was on the phone with her dentist. A pert, female voice that Grace didn’t recognize answered. “Sunshine Smiles, how may I help you?”
    “Is Tanya there?”
    “Tanya no longer works at the front desk. I’m Melanie, the new receptionist.”
    Tanya didn’t work at Sunshine Smiles anymore? Tanya had worked for Dr. Fred ever since Grace could remember. “What happened to Tanya?”
    “Ma’am, I have two other calls on hold. How can I help you?”
    “Oh, well . . . the strangest thing happened to me the other night.” Grace couldn’t help but chuckle.
    “Ma’am, do you need to make an appointment?”
    “Um, yes. Preferably today. Maybe even this morning if you could work me in. I’m Grace O’Bryan. I’ve been a patient at Sunshine Smiles forever.”
    “I’m afraid we only see dental emergencies on a same-day basis. What sort of problem are you having?”
    “I chipped my tooth.”
    “Are you in pain?”
    “Does emotional pain count?” Grace laughed, fully expecting Melanie to laugh along with her. “You’ll never believe—”
    “No, ma’am, I’m afraid emotional pain doesn’t count.”
    Grace instantly sobered. Okay, so Melanie wasn’t interested in her funny story. Point taken. Melanie at Sunshine Smiles was a very busy person. Grace suddenly felt like one of those clueless women who went on and on without ever getting to the point.
    “Are you having any trouble eating or swallowing? Any active bleeding?”
    “Bleeding? No, of course not.”
    “We can see you a week from tomorrow. How about ten a.m.?”
    “Don’t you have anything sooner?”
    “I’m sorry, but we’re totally booked. If the chipped tooth isn’t causing you any pain or difficulty, then it’s more of a cosmetic problem.”
    Cosmetic problem? Was Melanie insinuating that Grace was vain?
    “Now that you mention it, I have had some pain. Yes, it’s causing me terrible pain. Horrible, horrible pain. I’m in agony,” Grace said.
    There was a pause. “I see. Can you hold please?”
    “Sure.”
    Grace tried not to feel guilty. It was just a teeny weeny itsy bitsy lie. In fact, it was so insignificant that if she still went to Confession, she would never dream of wasting Father Donnelly’s time on it. Maybe a chipped tooth wasn’t a life-or-death issue, but she hadn’t lied when she said it was causing her emotional pain. She hadn’t fully smiled since Saturday night. Didn’t Melanie realize how hard it was to laugh with your mouth closed? So maybe it was more of a cosmetic issue than a true dental emergency, but Tanya would have understood and gotten her in right away. Tanya would have laughed at Grace’s little joke. Apparently this Melanie was humorless. How could Dr. Fred have hired her?
    Melanie came back on the