Their server came over to see if they needed anything else. Luke shook his head and asked for the check. They’d used up a good chunk of time in this little slice of fifties heaven, but there was still an hour and a half before Stray Bullets opened its doors. Maybe they could drive into Nevada or Arizona, find a park on the river, eat ice cream.

A few quarters remained on the counter in front of Luke. He pushed one over to Kitty.

“Choose a song.”

“I don’t really know this music.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s all good.”

Kitty shrugged, slotted the quarter in, and chose “Whispering Bells” by the Del-Vikings. The music started—a foot-tapper, for sure, with its irresistible bass line and bubblegum lyrics, but Luke wasn’t quite ready to check out of Heartbreak Hotel.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” he said, “even if I find Lisa.”

“What do you mean?”

“A relationship that’s good fifty percent of the time isn’t actually good at all.” Luke scratched his stubbly jaw, one eyebrow raised. “I’d like to think we could rediscover the things that made us fall in love to begin with, and rebuild from there, but I just don’t know.”

Kitty nodded. “One day at a time.”

“I’ve been lost for so long. Confused. Suicidal.” Luke covered his eyes for a moment, as if ashamed, then ran his hand down his face. “But what I’ve come to realize—really, since meeting you—is that I’m not ready to give up, not on anything.”

Kitty’s eyes sparked from within, as close to vibrant as she’d looked these past few days. She leaned forward, looped a strand of hair behind one ear, and said, “Your seat belt.”

“Huh?”

Their server returned with the check. Thirteen bucks even. Luke handed the kid a twenty and waved him off. Seven dollars was too handsome a tip for someone who could barely raise a smile, but maybe his generosity would be rewarded later.

“When I pulled you out of your car,” Kitty continued once the server was out of earshot, “I had to unclip your seat belt. Maybe it was muscle memory, but I like to believe it was more than that—that a voice inside was trying to tell you that you still had something worth living for.”

“Oh.” Luke’s face warmed with a combined expression of gratitude, fondness, and hope. “That’s . . . actually kind of reassuring.”

She angled her head sweetly. That spark was still in her eyes.

“Maybe I’m not such a fuckup,” he said.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Kitty said. She found a grin. It was small and it trembled, but it was lovely.

Luke placed both hands over his heart, feigning woe. “Come on,” he said, and winked. “Let’s blow this hot dog stand.”

“Yeah.”