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She saw Karen hug Glory as another woman walked up holding a baby in her arms.
“Hi there… thanks for joining us. I’m Harley and this is Samantha,” she said easily. “C’mon with me. Those two are thick as thieves, and once you get Emily with them, then…”
“Hey Kare-Bear!” some guy hollered, causing Karen to laugh as she waved.
“Hi Firefly… Hello, fellas…”
“Kare-Bear?” Mary asked softly, looking at Harley and feeling herself smile as this group literally welcomed her with open arms. She was being introduced to people left and right as they walked up to join the others.
“Dixie, Romeo… this is Mary, Karen’s neighbor.”
“Hey! Welcome! I’m so happy to meet you…” the woman with the red, springy curled hair said easily as the man stuck out a hand, shaking politely.
“And this is Marisol and Toby,” Harley continued, before pointing towards the other throng of men in the distance, talking. “If you see the big guy with blondish hair? That’s Valkyrie – Marisol’s husband. Mari… meet Mary!”
Marisol laughed and drew her into a hug despite the baby in her arms, smiling at her.
“Welcome… and just ignore half of them,” she smiled indulgently as the baby hiccupped sweetly.
That wasn’t what Mary expected her to say, and couldn’t help the small nervous laugh that escaped her.
“This is Delilah and her son Luke… Luke, how old are you buddy?”
“This many,” he said, holding up three fingers happily and smiling proudly.
“Oh my,” Mary said dramatically, enchanted by the little boy wearing a bright blue cowboy hat. “That’s a big number, young man.”
“I’m a big boy – and that’s my baby sister.”
“So, you are…” Mary agreed and heard several soft, knowing laughs from the others nearby.
“If you see the other cowboy hat in the distance,” Delilah smiled happily, “That’s my husband, Cody. He also goes by Armadillo – and this is our little angel.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“And this is Sophie with her son, Ben,” Harley continued, moving down the line quickly. “Her husband isn’t here tonight. He’s overseas in Afghanistan right now – and my husband is the grill master this evening. Jackson? Wave hello, honey…”
The man standing at the grill dutifully waved with a spatula in his hand, causing Mary to laugh. These people were seemingly so nice, so outgoing and kind, that it was wonderful to see such friendships between them.
“Alright,” Harley smiled. “And moving right along… we’ve got several others. Guys, raise a hand as I holler your name,” Harley called out. “We’ve got Firefly, Melody, Betsy…”
Mary saw a little girl in the woman’s arms, wave happily – and Mary waved back.
“…. Valkyrie, Armadillo, Ghost, Houdini, Alpo, and you already know Glory, right? Thanks, fellas – and if you want a burger, just grab a plate. There are beers and sodas in the cooler…”
Mary hesitated, her mind freezing as she recognized the call sign, and suddenly felt trapped. Several of them were looking at her curiously, a few were smiling, and one…
One person was looking as shocked as she was.
Ghost.
“Is there a restroom nearby,” Mary whispered, suddenly feeling very cornered and slightly ill. She had never intended to meet her pen pal so abruptly, and thankfully Harley hadn’t announced who she was, but that man was looking at her as if he knew already what was going on.
“Yeah, it’s inside. Here, I’ll show you. If you need something, help yourself to anything in the medicine cabinet,” Harley said concerned, walking her towards the building. “We keep it stocked with all sorts of stuff and…”
Harley’s voice was drowned out as Mary’s pulse hammered in her ears.
Ghost… was Jax – and he was here.
