"You don't drink?" That was a slight disappointment -- mostly a surprise -- but Reno managed to maintain his smile. "Well, that does cut out some a' the places, where the food seems t' taste better the less sober you are."

Then again, for those places, the food is hardly the priority. The alcohol was where the money was.

"There's a couple real good places, though. Not even all that expensive." He paused and ventured, "Maybe I could take you out sometime?"