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only played a few times, mostly during bachelorette parties. I can’t remember ever going home with more than I had. How about you?”
    â€œI tend to win, mostly,” he said with a shrug. “But I play blackjack not slots.”
    Becca ran a finger along the drops of condensation on her glass. They’d talked about their childhoods on the drive up earlier, but she realized she’d talked a lot more than he had. Had that been a planned maneuver on his part?
    â€œYou said that you had sisters, Gavin. Older or younger?”
    He pulled out his cell phone and brought up a photo with two women and a baby. “Dixie’s three years younger than me and Shana is five years younger. Dix recently got married. She and her husband are on their honeymoon.”
    â€œAnd Shana?”
    â€œShe gets a lot of jobs through At Your Service. That’s her daughter, Emma, who’s about nine months old now.”
    â€œWere you close as children?”
    He tucked his phone back in his pocket. “Dix and I were when we were really young. Shana always marched to her own drummer. But all three of us had a kind of bond because our parents didn’t really parent. As siblings, we looked out for each other, and yet I can’t say we were close. Not like you and your brothers.”
    â€œYour parents just let you raise yourselves?” Shecouldn’t imagine that. Hers had always been there for her—then her brothers had followed suit.
    â€œSort of. On one hand, they were extremely strict. They set down rules and expected us to follow them, but then they left us alone. If we got caught doing something we shouldn’t be doing, the punishment was swift and harsh. I learned not to get caught.”
    Their lunch was served, the aroma enticing.
    â€œI always got caught,” she said with a sigh. “Always. If my parents didn’t catch me, one of my brothers did. The freedom when I went away to college was heady. I stayed up too late, waited until the day before a paper was due before I wrote it and partied a lot. But by my sophomore year I’d seen the value in moderation. To a degree, anyway.” She grinned. She had loved the college environment. “Did you go to college?”
    â€œYes. But I was a nose-to-the-grindstone student. Plus I was always working. Between jobs, scholarships and grants, I graduated debt free.”
    â€œThat’s a big accomplishment. What’s your degree in?”
    â€œBiology, with a minor in biochemistry.”
    â€œThat’s a tough curriculum.”
    He shrugged. Gavin steered the conversation to how good the food was, but Becca recognized a diversion when she heard one.
    â€œYou said you worked in a hospital before this. What did you do?”
    He had taken a bite of sandwich, so he didn’tanswer right away. “Whatever needed doing. You could find me in the lab or radiology or even the O.R.”
    An answer but not an answer, she noticed. “Are you looking for work now?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œI needed a break.”
    Short answers, no eye contact. He didn’t want to talk about it. She ate in silence for a while, and then couldn’t stand it any longer.
    â€œWhy are you working for At Your Service?” she asked as they finished up.
    â€œAs I told you, I’m between jobs, and my sister knew it. When this position came up, she thought I’d get a kick out of it. I did some acting in high school. She thought that qualified me.”
    â€œDo you live in Sacramento?”
    â€œSan Francisco.” He picked up the check the server put on the table before Becca could grab it.
    â€œYou’re commuting all the way from there?” It was an hour-and-a-half drive, too long to make twice a day.
    He stood instead of answering. “Come on. Let’s see how lucky you are.”
    He wouldn’t let her pay for the meal, but took her hand and headed up the escalator to the