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and the stainless steel cutlery. Though they had better dinnerware stored in the breakfront hutch by the entrance to the kitchen, her father preferred the older plates and cutlery that had been a wedding present.
    When he married Georgia’s mother, people were still dealing with the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929. Jobs were scarce and money was tight, so few could afford to purchase dinnerware, much less the food to put on them. However, determined to get the newlyweds a present, his family had taken up a collection amongst the immediate and extended members until they had enough for a gift.
    Georgia placed the dinnerware on the table that took up most of the floor space. She added two glasses that had once served as jelly jars, to appease the little girl inside her. Though she had traded her bobby socks for stockings eight years earlier, she could not completely turn her back on everything from her youth.
    “I showed William your graduation picture.” Her father resumed his previous conversation. “Don’t know what impressed him more…the beautiful woman or your degree.”
    Certain of the direction the conversation was about to take, she did not bother to glance up. She spooned a healthy serving of chicken onto his plate.
    “I told William you’d be workin’ on the books tomorrow and suggested he stop by.”
    Georgia raised an eyebrow. Her father was going all out to impress the man. He never allowed her near his books.
    “You’ll have one of the old ledgers open on the table; make it look like you’re workin’.”
    She fought back the desire to slam the bowl onto the table. She should have known better. Her father had believed education was the key to her future, and when she walked across the stage to receive her diploma, his cheers drowned out all the others. But once she had her degree, they could not agree on how she would use it.
    Georgia had dreamed of working in the bar with her father. On the few occasions he had been short of help, he permitted her to pour drinks. She assumed once she obtained her degree, he would let her take on a more active role in the business.
    Instead of accepting her help, he acted as if anything pertaining to the bar was too complicated for her to comprehend. At times she expected him to pat her on the head before sending her off to buy a dress, get her hair done, or something equally trivial.
    “Daddy—”
    “Now hear me out, young lady. William’s got a good head on his shoulders. He knows the value of hard work. And since I know that silly stuff means a lot to young women, I’ve heard other gals commentin’ on how good he looks.”
    She dropped into the chair in front of the stove. “Not every woman’s impressed by looks.”
    “I’m glad to hear that.” He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “Won’t you give him a chance?”
    Though it had been phrased as a question, Georgia took her father’s comment as the order it was meant to be. She, however, could not resist the urge to toss in a sassy reply.
    “Is there a particular dress you want me to wear? My lavender one matches my ‘Desperately Seeking a Man’ sign.”
    “Don’t be a wiseass, young lady.” He pulled his hand back and pointed his fork at her. “You just make sure you’re downstairs tomorrow afternoon at four. You hear me?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    With a smug grin, her father dug into his food. Between swallows, he recounted a story of William that she had heard so many times she could repeat it word for word with each inflection and gesture he made during the tale.
    Georgia pushed the food around her plate with her fork as she considered Joey Santiano’s offer. Though he had not gone into details, she knew Nicholas’s objections to her working at the diner stemmed from her relationship to Celeste. He extended the determination that his sister not be around illegal activities to her. However, she did not share his concerns.
    There was a separate entrance to the