“Thank you, sir. Let us know if we can get you anything else.” His smile lit up his face.

He must have given him a big tip, Roxie thought, to get a smile like that. One more mark in his favor. Whatever was she doing, keeping score? She took her sleeve of French fries and nestled her drink in the drink holder on the console. “Thanks but no ketchup,” she answered in response to his questioning look.

“Good, then more for me.” He handed her a napkin and straw. “A Cherry Coke. Do you think I’ll like it as much as I used to?”

“Don’t know. Last one I tried was pretty sweet.” She stabbed her straw in the slash in the lid and watched as he took a swallow. He blinked and made a face.

“You’re right! Sweet it is.” This time he sipped. “But drinkable.”

“The fries must have just come out of the fryer. They are good.”

“I like mine hot too. You realize how many things we have in common?” He dangled a ketchup-laden fry over his open mouth and sighed in delight. “I never order fries anymore. That’s one thing about getting older. My eating habits have had to change a bit.”

“So, on a scale of one to ten, ten being high, what did you think of the movie?” She savored another fry.

“Hmm. Ten high. I’d say, oh, a seven point five, no, make that an eight. I’m glad I saw it; there’s something about the big screen rather than on the TV at home, no matter what size the screen is. And you?”

She nodded while chewing on another fry. “I’m not sure how many movies I’ve given a ten to, but not a lot, so usually my high is nine. That would put this one about seven. Really good but not ‘fantastic, superb, I want to see it again and tell all my friends.’”

“Now that’s a really good definition. Can you repeat that, please? I should write it down.”

“A cold drink and hot fries. What more can one ask for?” and she wasn’t being completely facetious.

“In life in general?”

“No, for a trip to the drive-in.” She didn’t finish verbalizing her thought. With a good-looking guy who has a good sense of humor and is a pleasure to be around.

He set his drink back in the holder. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“On Saturday, Loren and I are going garage sale-ing, then I have a date with a prospective buyer to tour possible houses.”

“I see. And Sunday?”

“Church first, then I’m not sure. I was thinking of going out to see Ginny.”

“How is she doing?”

Roxie shrugged. “About as well as can be expected, I guess. Trying to adjust. Amalia spent much of the last couple of weeks out there with her, since her kids other than Sam went back home. Come to think of it, almost a month has passed since Fred died.” Just saying the words caused a grab in her throat.