“I used to love it,” she admitted as a cloud of sadness crossed her eyes, “and I’m starting to again. I like L.A., and Dallas is always fun. I hadn’t been there in a long time. I have more time to travel now.” She said it simply. She didn’t know if he knew her recent history, but she had the feeling he did, and she didn’t want to explain it to him tonight and spoil the evening with such painful subjects. “Do you travel for work?”

“Sometimes. I have a client in Paris,” he suddenly invented, in case an opportunity came to visit her at some point and he’d need an excuse to go there. “Do you miss living in the States?” he asked her, and she shook her head.

“No, not anymore. I’ve lived in Paris for fifteen years. I moved there when I got married, and it’s home now. I don’t have family here anymore.” She no longer had family in Paris either. She kept bumping into delicate subjects she wanted to avoid, but he didn’t pursue them. He was being careful too. He wanted her to have a nice time. He realized as they sat there that he hadn’t been on a date in months. He didn’t have time, nor met anyone interesting lately. He felt out of practice and so did she. She hadn’t been on a date in fifteen years. But she told herself it was just dinner with a new friend. Her wedding band was still very much in evidence as their burgers arrived and they both ate them. They were delicious, and she ate almost all of hers. He had ordered the large size and finished it off. They shared a plate of fries, and he had brought a roll of quarters, so they could play songs on the jukebox. They made their selections at the table and laughed at each other’s choices. He liked country and western, and she played hit songs from the seventies and eighties.

He talked about being in the navy, and in Iraq.

“When did you go to law school?” she asked with interest.

“After the navy,” he said, thinking of CIA training in Langley.

“I wanted to go to business school after college, but I never went. My business had already taken off by then, and I got married,” she explained.

“It sounds like you managed fine without it.” He smiled at her, and she grinned.