“Buy you a drink, miss?” His accent caught her attention, as did his fine features and pleasant smile.

“Well, that depends,” she said, offering a smile of her own. “Are you trying to get a young woman drunk to take advantage of her, or are you the English gentleman your accent implies?”

He laughed. It was a good laugh, she decided. He bowed to her. “Always the gentleman.”

It was her turn to laugh, now. An aspiring actress, she could appreciate a good round of theatrics. She motioned for him to take the chair beside her.

They talked long into the night. Mostly about her – her upbringing, her life, her dreams and desires.

He spoke very little about himself. He was originally from London, and had very recently arrived in America.

At the end of the evening, he asked if he could meet her again the next night. “I would love to,” she told him. “By the way, I never introduced myself. I’m Elizabeth. Elizabeth Short. Friends call me Beth.”

“Beth.” He kissed the back of her hand. “People just call me Jack.”