Chapter 9
Jade
I dropped down from the ladder, stepping off to the side and leaning against the tree, wiping sweat off my brow. When Cat jumped out at me with a hello, I just turned and gave her a dry smile.
“Hello, yourself,” I said. She pouted, hands on her hips, the brown paper bag she was holding bouncing off her thigh.
“That’s a boring reaction.”
“Cat, you’re deaf. You can’t sneak up on me. You literally have no idea how loud you are.”
“Dammit. I thought I was pulling it off this time.” She handed me the bag, her face brightening. “Care package.”
“Thanks.” I took the bag, stepping off to the side and dropping down on the park bench. Today’s work was trimming the trees along the lower levels of the park, checking their health, and I always forgot how annoying it was to clean up from pruning a tree. I was definitely due a break.
Cat shed her big fleece jacket and draped it down on the grass to sit across from me, big boots and tiny shorts with her knees into her chest, colorful knee tattoos matching up together when she pressed them into herself like that.
The wind blew cold through the lush green of the park around us, but with how much I’d been overheating climbing up and down dealing with this tree, I was glad for the breeze.
Never one to be left out of a snack, Cat opened a second, smaller bag, taking out a jelly donut—her personal vice, she called them—and she took a bite, talking through a mouthful. “So, what do you think?” she said, and I set the bag down on my lap to sign while I responded.
“I like trees better when they’re not shedding in my hair.”
She covered up a laugh. “I mean, what do you think of Alyssa?” She wasn’t signing as much while she spoke, which was a concerningly good sign.
She did it mostly to coach other people to sign with her, a response to being overlooked that was automatic enough she’d do it even with me, who knew the most sign of anyone outside Cat around here.
If she wasn’t doing it, she was in a good mood and feeling good about herself, which I was happy about, but… I think I knew why she was.
“You two,” I said, “have been scheming something together.”
She put a hand to her chest. “You think I would scheme?”
“I think you would scheme.”
“Jade. How could you?” She laughed. “We’ve just been chatting! She’s really cool. I like her.”
“Mm.” I opened the bag, took a bite of the sandwich she’d brought me, and it was a natural lull in the conversation—couldn’t sign with sandwich in my hands, and she couldn’t lipread if I talked with a mouthful of bread.
Conversations with food always had this easy pace where either of us could just go a minute without a word and we were both comfortable with it.
Gave me time to think, let my mind drift back to Alyssa.
After the confessional over the phone, we hadn’t seen each other yesterday, but we’d kept in touch—I’d had work, and she’d gotten invited to a hike together with Linda, Charlie, Daniela and Abby.
I’d enjoyed it more than I would have expected to when I finished packaging up and shipping off boxes for candle orders and got back home, to where she’d sent me photos from the hike.
I’d worked on the roads and the park around here for years now, and I’d gotten used to it, but seeing it through Alyssa’s eyes made it feel new again, exciting.
Her being chatty wasn’t half-bad. All I had to do was ask her another follow-up question every now and then, and she’d take off leading the conversation, enthusing about every boring little detail of a hike that clearly wasn’t boring at all in her eyes.
I ended up sending her some pictures of my finished candles, with an offhand this was my hike for the day, and she’d gushed about them and asked a million questions about candle making.
We hadn’t texted this morning—I’d thought about it, looking at our chat log, but in the end, I didn’t go through with it.
It wasn’t like we were… friends, necessarily.
She’d texted first yesterday, to talk about the hike, and without her initiating it, I felt like I couldn’t message her without a specific reason.
“She’s nice,” I said finally. “I had a feeling you two would get along. You’re both chatty.”
“So, what? You don’t get along with her?”
I shrugged. “I like talking to her. Is that the confession you were after?”
She grinned. “I knew it. God, I’m so glad. It’s nice seeing you coming to life again a little.”
“Coming to life? I don’t remember dying to begin with.”
“You’ve been… distant,” she said, her voice getting lower as the wind rustled in the trees around us. “Like you’re not really a part of things anymore. But now look at you,” she laughed, brightening up. “Making a friend.”
So she’d picked up on it… I guess it made sense. She’d always been perceptive. I sighed, kicking my foot up over my knee. “I didn’t say anything about making friends.”
“Oh, come on,” she laughed. “She clearly likes you, and you clearly like her.”
“You know what the problem is,” I said gruffly. Her expression softened.
“I know it’s complicated. But you said you’d try. That you’d make an effort to get back in with everybody, connect with the community…”
“I know…” I raked my hand back through my hair, and I took a bite of sandwich again, letting my mind work in circles.
I guess looking at it objectively, it had been working out—Cat was making fast friends with Alyssa, and Alyssa was clearly popular with the rest of the group already.
If me going along with it made things work out better, then it wouldn’t make sense not to.
I’d just hate to get attached before I had to leave this place. But maybe it was nicer to leave on a positive note.
“Thanks for the sandwich, by the way,” I said. “It’s good.”
She grinned. “You can’t change the subject with flattery, you con artist.”
“I’m a con artist, am I?” I took out a small bag of chips, too—she really had gone the whole nine yards. Guess she was in a good mood. “Well, this con artist owes you one.”
“I know you neglect yourself when you’re up in your feelings. Just doing what friends do. Do you have plans tonight?”
I quirked a smile. “Is this you inviting me somewhere Alyssa is going to be?”
She laughed. “Not this time. Apparently they’re doing a potluck at the Birdhouse. I was just thinking… you should probably go.”
God, I’d used to love going to the potlucks.
Mostly to mooch off of Daniela’s cooking.
This time, though, I didn’t really need that in my life—a bunch of people who didn’t want me around, trying to decide whether to ignore my food or to eat it politely and say nothing.
“I still have some orders to catch up on,” I lied. “I’ll have to miss this one.”
She frowned. “You said you’d go to the last event there, and all you did was give Alyssa my number.”
“I’m not saying I won’t go in the future. Just… tonight’s not a good night.” I took a handful of chips, eating them moodily, and Cat furrowed her brow at me before she broke out into a smile.
“That’s fine,” she said. “But if you wouldn’t mind, I’d really appreciate if you could bring something from me. You can just drop it off.”
She was getting me to go anyway. She wasn’t remotely subtle. And yet… I couldn’t say no when I owed her a favor for the sandwich.
Outplayed once again. Now who was the con artist here?
“Sure thing,” I said. “I’d be happy to.”
She beamed. “Say hi to Alyssa for me.”
“Will do.”
∞∞∞
Cat went all out, as it happened. She wasn’t too much of a cook, but she was a prolific baker, and there usually wasn’t a potluck or community meal without some of Cat’s cupcakes or rolls in attendance.
This time, though, she’d prepared a whole tray of cupcakes, a roll cake, a massive dish of trifle, and of course, some of her homemade jelly donuts.
I complained good-naturedly the whole time I hauled the things out to my car, and she gave me a hug and told me you’re the very best, and I couldn’t get in any more complaints about the massive haul, because—again—the girl was hugging me. I’d let her have this one.
The sky was dark with gray clouds threatening rain once I got to the parking lot next to the Birdhouse, and I took a minute just to check my phone, gathering myself before I went to haul in a truckload of sugar, but I probably should have hurried, because in the time I dawdled, a car I recognized pulled in, Daniela’s yellow Mini Cooper.
She parked perpendicular to my spot, and I tried to hold still in the car in hopes everyone would go on ignoring me, but the passenger door opened to where Alyssa stepped out in an annoyingly cute baby-blue dress, part of her hair braided, makeup done nicely with smoky eyes that locked on me and lit up.
She waved, and I slouched. What were the odds of both of us showing up the same amount of late?
I opened the door, turning to kick my feet out the door and lean on the frame as she came over to me, a cautious smile on her face. “Hey, you,” she said. “You didn’t mention you were coming around.”
“Am I not allowed to?” I said, trying to be prickly. Didn’t work. Alyssa just laughed.
“That’s right. It’s me, the fun police. Can I see your permit for fun and games?”
I laughed despite myself. “Or what, you’re going to slap me on the other side this time?”
“Ah.” She slumped. “Low blow. But I’ll give you this one.”
“I’m not sticking around,” I said, lightening up a little. “Just came to drop off a couple things from Cat.”
Her face fell. “You’re not staying at all? I’d love it if you joined us for just a little.”
“I…” I raked my hair back. My first instinct was to lie like I had to Cat, but… I’d already entrusted Alyssa with more than I was saying for other people. I guess she could know. “I’m not comfortable hanging out with everyone in a setting like this.”