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"Of course" The words sounded strained, as if she was having trouble speaking

He exhaled, worried now that she hadn’t taken the neell

"It’s fine, Sa toreleased?" he asked, in order to keep her on the line

"I … I don’t know yet Soon, I suppose"

Maybe he’d just space out his visitsforward "I’ll stop by the rehab center soreat"

They said their good-byes and Sam slipped his phone back into his pocket He set his half-eaten sandwich aside and, deep in thought, he leaned forward If Rocco was going to worry about anyone getting hurt in this relationship, or non-relationship, or whatever the hell was happening between him and Beth, his friend should be h the rest of the day and noticed his creent out of their way to give hinized hisout the last of his paperwork, Sam headed ho House He hadn’t been by his favorite watering hole since Beth’s accident

He found parking on the street and Al, the bartender, raised his hand when he saw Sam

"Hey, where you been?"

"Around" Sa for conversation

Al didn’t bother to ask hih customer that the bartender already knew Within a couplein his hand He looked up at the big-screen television above the bar and listened to the co the previous weekend’s preseason football games Sam liked football about as much as he did beer, and normally what the pros had to say riveted his attention

Not so this evening Again and again, Sahts went back to Beth in that care facility, listening to her iPod Before he’d left, Beth had told hie’ He didn’t remember the composer’s name, but apparently it was one of those classical coh that was unfair, seeing that he had never heard it

Cherise slid onto the stool next to hi you," she said and slid her ar around the tavern and liked to think he had feelings for her Sanored her "Not in the nore her

"I can make it better, you know I can"

Sam shook his head, and despite himself, he smiled "Not this time"

"You sure?"

"Positive" The contrast between her and Beth was night and day Beth was clean and fresh like springti, her appeal htened He’d been away from Beth for less than twenty-four hours and already heforward to her smile

Cherise slid off the stool and rested her chin on the curve of his shoulder "You callto He knehat he needed and that was to see Beth

Cherise drifted over to the pool table and started up a conversation with another of the regulars

The thought of Beth sitting in the convalescent center alone, putting on a brave front, twisted his gut He didn’t knohere this relationship was going, but he was deterht to be worried Sa Beth on when he had no intention of getting roet emotionally attached to him If necessary, he’d talk to Nichole hi and he saw that it was Nichole He didn’t answer Having her jawing at his it went to voicerateful

A minute later, Nichole sent hie for several seconds before he typed back Proble more irritated by the moment

What kind of proble