Murray was counting his blessings.
He knew it was traditional to wait for Thanksgiving to count your blessings. But he'd never been much for tradition.
He grinned to himself, tongue held between his teeth as he carefully typed the last line of code. That was it - simple, elegant, and everything he'd imagined. And totally non-traditional.
Sitting back in his chair, Murray pressed a button and watched the code disappear, replaced by the state of the art graphics of his newest game. He considered himself modest, but even modesty couldn't prevent him counting his greatest blessing: his brain.
It had given him his computer skills, allowed him to create this newest game, the one he intended to finance the retirement fund. He'd learned a lot of lessons since the Bozzer and the Brickbats fiasco, that was for sure.
That was something else he was thankful for. He'd learned so much, in the end, from that mess, and gained a whole new life.
Murray smiled to himself, muttering under his breath. "A boatful of beautiful ladies next door. A pier full of friends. The sea at my fingertips. My family. My home. The agency."
"Murray!" Cody's voice floated down from the deck. "Your steak's done! Hurry up, buddy!"
"Yeah, Boz, beer's getting warm." Nick popped his head in the door, a bowl of salad in his hand. "C'mon, man."
"Coming, Nick." Murray stood up, grinning, and finished under his breath. "And the best non-traditional family a guy ever had."
