Her uniform glittered and clinked as she put it away. Modeltainer, thought Mary Ann, maybe a dancer. The pretty face and barely clothed body of some nautical-themed pageantry or other. A reminder that things could always be worse.

“I can tell you, if I won that kind of money, I wouldn’t need any help,” Gabrielle said.

Mary Ann bit the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, I could use a jackpot too.” She forced a smile.

“Maybe you should start playing the slots.”

“I should get better shifts, is what I should do.”

Gabrielle, now fully dressed, adjusted the straps of her tray. “Oh, you’ll get there soon.” She sized Mary Ann up with a full-on NYC-model-agency stare. “You’re Friday-night-tables material all right. But come to a meeting sometime.”