Jewel leaned against the hot metal wall and popped the cap off the glass Coke bottle with the bent metal edge of the siding. She handed him the black and white prints of Veronica Lake in a small paper bag.
He took the photos out and then slid them back in the bag. “Thanks.” Jim tipped his hat up and squinted into the sun. “I talked to the girls at the table after you left. They said that you don’t say much, but they knew that you were engaged. Your guy’s ship went down in the South Pacific.”
She tried to calm her shaking hands and clenched the Coke bottle tight. “That’s what happened. I just don’t want people to think I want sympathy.”
“I’m engaged too—a sweet girl back in Virginia.” He pulled a wrinkled leather wallet out and flipped it open to the girl’s photo.
Jewel took the wallet and inspected the wallet-sized print. “She’s a brunette. I was expecting a blonde.”
