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"Thanks, Mary"

She drove with the n to push the hospital sht to her empty house, broken toilet, and a microwave dinnershe decided to make a detour to the beach It was after six andin Southern California offered beach weather on hts kept people fro

Mary kept a beach blanket and a sihts where she felt thein and when she analyzed her life way too closely Watching the sun set and the tide pull in reminded her of how lucky she was How rich she was for the friendships she had and the blessings she’d been given She didn’t think she used the beach for led into a thick sweater, slung her purse over her shoulder, and stepped onto the warh to hear the waves but not right on top of the water, Mary spread out her blanket and set up her chair

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but with the sun low on the horizon the air had a perfect crispness to it She closed her eyes and faced the breeze The salt air cleansed the taste of the hospital from her palate

Dakota had looked exhausted Her normally snarky comments were mild at best as the day had trailed on

Even Walt appeared worn out

The grandparents, both sets, were on fire, co to hold baby Leo and preach which family member he took after Then there was Monicathe woman was a true friend She spoke with the nurses on staff, talked with a supervisor about having a physical therapist ed Her mind turned to Glen and she purposely shook her head and stared at the setting sun The vibrant purple and pink that skirted along the blue sea helped her mind clear

In her purse, her phone buzzed

She dug it free without losing sight of the last moments of the sun "Mary Kildare"

"Most people just say hello"

Mary let her eyes close and fought the smile that attempted to cross her lips

"Most people don’t start a conversation with an insult"

Glen, with a husky sound she’d become a little too fond of, chuckled

"Hello, Mary"

She followed his lead "Hello, Glen"

There was a slight delay in the line, which made their conversation stutter "Where are you?" she asked

"Somewhere over Texas"

So he was on a plane She assu, she waited for him to speak