She shook her head with a sad look. “I don’t want you to just not have any friends because of me.”
“Never was one for friends,” I said.
“Jade,” she said out loud, putting a hand on my arm. “C’mon. Please, just for me? Make an effort with her.”
I raked my hand back through my hair. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been rude with her. But what’s done is done. I’m not going to mess with your chat.”
“She wants to talk to you.”
I paused. “She—does?” Unless she was angry at me and wanted to have it out with me, I doubted it. I also realized I’d said it out loud, andshe doeswasn’t an easy sentence to lipread, and Cat beamed.
“I have no idea what you just said, so I’ll assume it wasyay okay let’s go.”
“I think you know it wasn’t that,” I said, switching back to sign. “Why does she want to talk to me?”
“Because she’s friendly!” She softened, meeting my gaze, lowering her voice to something serious. “Jade, I mean it. I think this could be helpful. For you, and for me, and for her, too.Kind of like… building bridges. Just because I’m not friends with Drew anymore doesn’t mean we should all avoid everything with everyone.”
“I… I guess, but…”
“Please?”
Dammit, she was right. I wasn’t about to tell her how seriously I was thinking of leaving Paxton Ridge—what had been a cautious musing had turned into a cold, serious sense of resolution today, and I’d been going around the town seeing it from an outsider’s perspective, like I was already gone. But even without that, if I wanted Cat to have a chance to rebuild bridges with everyone, the least I could do was try to make things all right with Alyssa. Her showing up really was perfectly timed for this.
“Okay,” I signed, at last. “I’ll talk. Just a little bit. Just to be friendly.”
She hugged me. “Thank you so much. I’m sure you’ll like her!”
I hugged her back. She squeezed me.
“What’s that?” she said. “You said you’re going to be best friends with her forever? Oh, that’s great! I’m so happy.”
I gave a knowing eyeroll to the barista, who was finishing up my drink, and he chuckled along with, knowing the drill full well. I couldn’t sign for Cat when she was hugging me. And she was no stranger to taking the opportunity to say something she knew I would argue with when she hugged me.
But I got my drink, and I went with Cat, walking stiffly to where Alyssa gave me a polite smile, standing up slowly from the rustic wooden table by the windows. “Hi,” she said, her hands held defensively at her stomach, body language tense. “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“Likewise. Cat likes to invite random people to the same thing without telling them about each other.”
She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. “Yeah? I guess in a way it’s like I’m a real resident of the town, then. Like my initiation rites. I mean, not that I’m getting initiated or being a serious resident, I’m just… staying in Daniela’s basement.” She winced when she said Daniela’s name. Guess she really had heard every detail of the drama. She rushed to speak over it. “Sorry, I’m just running my mouth,” she said. “Do you want me to leave you to it? I mean, I don’t want to get in the way of your friend time.”
“Hey. None of that,” Cat said. “I caught you saying that! You’re not leaving after ten minutes of me. I’ll take it as a grave offense!”
“No, it’s not that,” Alyssa said with an awkward laugh, clearly trying to defuse the tension and struggling. “Just, um…”
I decided, finally, to release her from the suffering. “You’re allowed to say Daniela’s name,” I said, and she winced so hard she looked like she’d shrivel up into herself and disappear.
“Sorry, I just get nervous and then I talk a lot when I do.”
“I know you’re friends with Daniela,” I said. “I’m not angry that you are. And I’m not kicking you out, either. Cat would never let me hear the end of it if I did.”
She watched as I signed the keywords while I spoke, her posture relaxing a little, looking between me and Cat, before she softened into a smile, sinking back into her seat. “Well… okay,” she said. “I just don’t want to annoy you. I mean, Jesus, I already slapped you in the face and everything.”
I smirked despite myself. “It’s a very pretty ring.”
“Oh, Jesus, I’m even still wearing it today. It’s like autopilot.” She covered it up, like it was a weapon. Apparently was, in the right hands. She was genuinely embarrassed about it, blushing bright pink. Kind of cute.
I hated pretty girls. Basic human psychology, halo effect and everything, made it hard to be annoyed with someone aspretty as she was. Whatever. I turned to Cat, signing as I spoke. “She was just talking about slapping me in the face with her ring.”
Cat laughed, a big bright sound, as she put a hand near Alyssa’s on the table. “Don’t worry, she was totally blasé about it yesterday anyway. I think she’s hoping it scars.”
