"James,", John welcomed gleefully, and a bald man stood up and hugged him, while Jenny hugged a Latina lady around her age. Allen figured they had to be James and Jia Will. She dragged her eyes away from them to a beautiful girl who bore a spot-on resemblance to Jia Will. She seemed really happy to see Allen as she waved at her. Allen smiled back, regarding and turning her attention to a little boy dressed in a suit, seated next to her, who looked really uninterested, and Allen felt him. After all, what would a kid like about a dinner where nothing that he considered fun happened?

Her eyes...