“Loaded her coat pockets with big rocks and walked into a river. Sank to the bottom and she drowned. Over and out. I figure kids are like that. Get pregnant, you might as well fill your pockets with stones.”

The waitress appeared with my white wine, which was mercifully bad, a bonus under the circumstances, since I considered this work and I didn’t want to drink too much.

Anna caught the waitress’s attention. “We’ll run a tab.”

“Sure thing.”

Anna propped her chin on one hand, giving me the big blue eyes. “Is Santa Teresa expensive? I mean, for someone like me who rents?”

“Actually, it is. A lot of people opt for Colgate just north of us or Winterset to the south.”

“So how much for a studio, something small like that?”

“Six hundred a month.”

“For a studio? You’re shittin’ me.”

I shrugged. “That’s the going rate.”

“Are you, like, in the snooty part of town?”

“I’m down by the beach.”

“Six hundred bucks a month is a lot of money. How much do you make?”

“Enough. Are you thinking about a move?”

“Well, I sure don’t want to hang out in a town like this. Spend the rest of my life in Bakersfield? Get serious. I’m twenty-six years old. I got a dead-end job and I bunk in with the dog in my sister’s spare room. No bathroom back there, so I have to trek all the way down the hall. Two hundred a month and I help around the house. She makes out big time on that deal, I’m telling you.”

“I can see why you’d want a change.”

“If I could ever catch a break. You know what gets me? Even if I want to move to, like, Santa Teresa or someplace nice? I don’t know a soul and I wouldn’t have a place to stay while I was looking for work. First and last month’s rent? Forget about it. There’s no way.”

“Maybe you should save some cash.”

“On my salary? Good luck,” she said. She laid the big blue eyes on me. “I don’t suppose you know anyone who’d put me up.”

“Not off hand.”

“It’d just be temporary and I could pay some. Not a lot, but I’d be happy to pitch in.”

“If I hear of anything, I’ll let you know.”

I was hoping we’d exhausted the subject, but she had simply paused to sip her drink.

“So what time do you head for home?”

“I’m not sure. Depends on when I get up. Early.”

“Because I was thinking I could snag a ride. As long as you’re going anyway, I could keep you company.”

“What about work? Aren’t you supposed to give two weeks’ notice?”

“I make minimum wage. What do I owe them?”

“Seems like a courtesy,” I said.