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much!”
    Jennifer tried to return the hug, but this woman was quite spindly. It was like trying to grab a bundle of sticks. She settled on a shoulder pat. “You’re welcome. What are you two doing here?” She tried not to sound too suspicious.
    “Oh, I’m an eye specialist. Some of my patients are here tonight. I saw your father’s name as the architect—but I didn’t realize we’d see you here tonight! This is delicious!”
    Jennifer looked at Skip, who appeared ready to swallow his own tongue. “Skip’s told you we’re friends, then?”
    “But of course!” Withdrawing from the hug, Tavia bared her teeth in an oversized smile. “He talks about you all the time. I keep telling him we must have you over for dinner some evening, but he never follows up!” Now her voice sunk to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think he’s afraid you’ll say no if he asks you out.”
    “Yeah. Huh. I’d, er, love to come over sometime. So, um, my being friends with your nephew doesn’t bother you?”
    “Why should it?” Tavia made the very idea sound like the most preposterous notion anyone had ever offered. “I’ll tell you what. Later this week, I’ll give you a call. We’ll try to set a dinner date for next week, or the week after?”
    There was no chance to respond, because Jonathan walked up. Next to him were two people—an elderly man and a teenaged boy. Not just any boy—the new angel face from her geometry class!
    For the second time today, Jennifer found herself staring at him. He stared right back.
    “Everything all right here?” Jonathan asked tentatively.
    “Of course!” Tavia clapped her hands. “You’re Jonathan Scales, right? I’m Tavia Saltin, Skip’s aunt…”
    “Nice to meet you. This is Martin Stowe.” He bowed to the elderly man, who looked at least seventy. Martin’s shoulders were hunched and his frail hands held a white cane. “He and his grandson are new in town. He has severe glaucoma and will likely use our new center’s services. His grandson, Gerry, goes to Winoka High. Maybe you’ve met him, ace?”
    Jennifer couldn’t quite speak. Those crystal blue eyes! That fluffy blond hair! So beautiful!
    She felt Skip’s elbow dig into her side. “Well, Mr. Scales, you know, Jennifer and I have actually been spending a lot of time together. You know, talking about the Halloween dance and all. I’m not sure she’d notice…”
    “I’ve seen him,” she blurted out. Skip’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Geometry class, right? I’m Jennifer.”
    There were handshakes all around. Martin Stowe held his hand out and turned his blind eyes slightly as different hands shook it. Jennifer was fairly certain she was going to faint, what with beautiful Gerry and irritated Skip and spindly Aunt Tavia and blind Martin and everything else coming together all at once.
    In a bit of small talk for which Jennifer, Skip, and Gerry just sort of looked at their shoes, each other, and each other’s shoes, Martin revealed that they had just moved to Winoka two weeks ago, a few months after Gerry’s parents died in a horrible accident abroad. Austria, or Switzerland, or maybe Hungary—Jennifer forgot the place quickly. What was the difference? And was that too mean a thought to even think? After all, Gerry was an orphan, and—
    “Well, I hear them serving desserts now,” Martin said, breaking her concentration. He was right: The servers were setting down new china. “Better get back to our seats.”
    The Stowes said their good-byes, and so did the Scales. Tavia hugged Jennifer again before she would let either of them leave. As they walked back, her father whispered.
    “His aunt Tavia, eh? Does she know who we are?”
    “I have no idea,” she murmured back.
     
    It didn’t seem right to bring it up with Skip the next day—after all, talking to him about it might raise more questions in his head. All he and his aunt knew was that Otto had kidnapped Jennifer and Jonathan, knocked Skip