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“Oh, you’re here! We didn’t hear the car” Robert appeared, his dress shirt sharply pressed and cufflinks shining Jason was glad he’d worn his best slacks and button-up shirt, although he’d rebelliously considered sweatpants and flip-flops His father said, “Yourtouches on some carrot roulades and caramelized onion tartlets Come in, come in”

Robert ushered theie’s shoulder He rubbed his palie, we squeezed some fresh juice for you Do you like juice?”

She looked to Jason before nodding mutely

“Great!” Robert said too loudly “Jason, are you a beer man? Wine? Spirits?”

In the surrealness of his father offering hiht a bottle of wine, which hat grown-ups did when they went to so Beer, I guess?”

“Beer it is Stella okay?”

“Uh-huh”

Ti But he didn’t kno toroom, where hisie’s taste buds Shelly wore a knee-length floral dress, her golden hair done up in a fancy swirl

After uncoie’s favorite subjects at school, theyroom The beef and roasted potatoes filled Jason’s nose, a hint of rose back bittersweet memories

Shelly passed a china dish to Jason “Your favorite kind of potatoes Rearden this year”

Nodding, Jason spooned a bit of everything onto Maggie’s plate His ie, Tiht The chandelier over the table was different than Jason ren

They ate quietly for a fewthe food a little too zealously, even though it really was delicious Maggie picked at her plate, eating little bites Jason had always tried his best to etables, but rarely anything as fancy as this The tenderloin rapped with a strip of perfectly crisp bacon

His mother sliced neatly into her irlfriend?”

Ugh Just the conversation he wanted to have “No I haven’t had time to date”

“Oh” Her se at the, uh, factory?” She said factory the way she would dirty sock while pinching it between two fingers and asking whose it was