“Okay,” she said, “come on in the kitchenette, and help get out the ice cubes.”
Mason laughed. “Come on, Paul, it’s a two-man job. She won’t leave you alone here in the room.”
“Do you blame me?” she asked.
Mason said, “You’re a smart kid.”
“You’d be smart, too, if you’d been through what I have,” she told him, as Mason opened the ice box, took out a tray of cubes and held them under the tap in the sink.
“That bad?” Mason asked.
“Listen,” she told him, “I’m not going to bust out and tell you the story of my life.”
“Well, we have to talk about something,” Mason pointed out.
She laughed nervously.
“How long have you had the wrist watch?” Mason asked casually.