Hey TG!! It's a shame you missed this last update because it has been getting better actually. I need to be careful not to let myself become too optimistic and instead remain distant. I agree 100% with your assessment of being "distant without blatently snubbing her". Right now, I try not to be overly friendly when I talk to her, but I do try to make the convo pleasant. I let her contact me without going out of my way to accommodate her.

I think the main reason for the change is that she knows for sure now that I am ready to move on if I need to and actually I am (slowly) moving in that direction ever since I had gotten some more substantial indications that her friendship with OM is suspect (that's when I changed course).

Update of the last few days:
Tuesday evening: I am doing my grocery shopping (before I get the boys on Wed night) and get a txt from W saying that one of the boys had to pull a card today. I was just trying to finish up checking out, so I was gonna wait until I got out of the store to respond. 10min later W calls: Did you get my text? me: Yeah, just got it but I am at the store and need to check out. Was gonna call you later. She tells me about what happened at school and then that they went out to eat. I tell her that I wouldn't have done that if one of them is in trouble. She agrees. Then she tells me about her new cats and a bunch of other stuff, making conversation.

Wednesday evening: We both meet at the boys school for a meeting with the boys teacher and the principal to discuss the behavior of the boys. She calls me "her best friend", and "an excellent photographer" when she describes me to the teacher and principal. When we leave, she asks me my advice on how to repair some painting. Then I go home with the boys. 30 min later, she calls. Says I wanted to call you while I was in the car, but my phone was dead and it was at home charging, so I am calling you now, I wanted to know what you thought about our meeting with the principal and the teacher? (in my head: You are calling me for that??? This is the most obvious excuse for calling!) I act like everything's normal and tell her what I think. Then she goes off on talking (actually mostly complaining) about the other people that she is organizing this festival with. Then she's asking me what to do with my photographs that were in her shop (that is now closed). That she wants to buy one of them from me for her place. Then she says that the lady that is taking over the shop wants to tear out the bar that I built in there. That she tried to convince her not to, but to no avail. That she wants to keep the countertop that I built, since it it looks so nice, that it's such a shame to tear it out, but that lady is going completely gung ho redecorating. She then says how she is SOOO relieved not to have that place anymore. Then she asks me when I go overseas for a month for work. I tell her and then she tells me that she can take care of the house, "because she will probably end up staying at my house" (in my head: her apartment lease is up right while I am gone, so what's THAT all about??).

During this 30 min phone call, I am just staying cool, not getting emotional one way or the other.

Today: Actually, no phone call today...

This course seems to lead in a different direction (quite the opposite of "I made an appt with a lawyer to draw up paperwork" when I changed the course), so keeping this for a little bit... see where this goes...