Adaline (The Wallflower Series Book 3) (8 page)

With a raised brow, she turned to her friend but before Lucille could say anything they were interrupted by the presence of a tall young man. Relatively thin and gangly, he reached over after gathering Lucille’s attention to give her a warm hug. With ruffled dark brown hair and a set of piercing blue eyes, Adaline could admit objectively that the man was quite attractive even though she tended to prefer men less on the thin side.

The man signed to Lucille how long it had been since they had seen one another before his eyes settled on the strange woman standing next to Lucille. With a sheepish grin,

“
I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.”

Adaline simply shrugged, waiting for Lucille to make introductions.

“This is Adaline. She is a new teacher. And Adaline this is my friend Murphy.”

They shook hands in greeting, exchanging pleasantries. Lucille went on,
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your class Murphy. I just saw you and wanted to come over and say hello.”

“It’s no problem, Lucille. I have them partnered up to practice.”
Murphy turned a sly smile in Adaline’s direction.
“I volunteer and teach sign language courses to parents who have deaf children on the weekends. And I would love to have some extra help if you guys are free. They’ve been stuck in classrooms for the most part but I thought with such great weather, it would be great to have our class in the park. The children seem to be enjoying it.”

Needless to say, Adaline was impressed to find that he volunteered his time to such an important cause. She could definitely relate to all the deaf children who were unable to communicate with their parents because of the language barrier. Even working at the school, she was always shocked to find that some parents took no interest in learning for the sake of their children. It was quite a lonely experience for those students at home, and she was at least grateful there were after-school programs to continue the social and personal development they were missing at home. For their part, teachers and administrators strongly encouraged parents to learn ASL along with their children. But some apparently would never understand. It truly baffled Adaline; how could you not want to communicate with your kid in the way they felt most comfortable?

“That’s so amazing, Murphy!”
she exclaimed.
“We would love to help, wouldn’t we, Lucille?”

Lucille nodded in affirmation. And so they joined Murphy as he regained the parents’ attention after they tried for several minutes to have a conversation completely in ASL. Introducing both Lucille and Adaline, he used slow and precise gestures so that they would understand his directions for the next activity. While most parents were accompanied by their children, some were by themselves practicing the language. Adaline watched with a smile on her face as the young ones sometimes interrupted to correct their parents.

After the session had ended and Murphy was in the process of saying goodbye to all the parents and their kids, Adaline was once again impressed by his dedication to the cause. Even while using simple ASL for their understanding, he personalized every farewell with his students, encouraging them to continue their studies and noting their progress. When everyone was on their way, he turned to both her and Lucille with a wide grin, his blue eyes sparkling in the bright sunlight.

“Thank you guys so much for that! I always like introducing parents to more people in the ASL community.”

The three of them ended up making their way out of the park and to a nearby restaurant. Despite the fact that they were sitting in a public place, Adaline felt that she was where she belonged and with it, there was a wave of euphoria. She was cementing a promising friendship with Lucille and the potential for a new one with Murphy, a young man she found fascinating in his dedication to service work for the ASL community. She couldn’t help but think of how things had been so drastically different only weeks before. And, as if resurfaced by her thoughts, she felt her phone vibrate gently in her purse. Excusing herself, she looked down to see her Uncle’s icon appear on her phone.

Unfortunately, he was the only one in her family who continued to make an attempt to contact her. That didn’t surprise Adaline at all. She never expected a phone call or text from Carla as they were not friends and cared little for each other as cousins. And her relationship with her aunt had always been tremulous as well. Though there had been moments she discovered the more maternal side of Victoria, those times had usually been far and few between. In fact, Victoria still seemed upset about her move, continually instilling within her a fear of failure.

“Uncle!” she greeted with excitedly.

“Adaline, I just wanted to check on you. How are things? How’s work?”

She laughed at the look of stark curiosity on his face on the small screen of the phone. In their conversations, he was always interested in how she was using her experiences of acclimating to the cochlear implant in helping her students. She spent the next few minutes catching him up. It pleased her to know that the distance between them had actually brought them closer instead of farther apart.

When Adaline finally returned to the table, she found Murphy staring at her, his eyes settled on her person rather intensely. When their eyes met, he shyly looked away. Adaline could notice a slight flush upon his cheeks but before she could fully evaluate the moment, her attention was reverted back to Lucille.

“So…the guest list is going to be a bit longer than I told you before,” Teagan revealed with a guilty grin on her face as she looked at Adaline.

Adaline, in the middle of organizing all the food on the counter, wasn’t surprised at all by the news. Even though she was pregnant, Sasha would have even had trouble eating the gratuitous amount of food before her. There was a mountain of it!

“I sort of figured that out,” Adaline mumbled.

“But it’s a good thing because now you can get to know even more people in the area. You’ll finally get to meet my boyfriend, Carter and a few other friends.” Looking slyly at Adaline’s reaction, she added as if as an afterthought, “Oh, and Dominic said he’ll try to stop by as well. Free food always gets the guys to come over. Plus, he and Carter were college buds.”

Adaline paused only slightly in her movements. Choosing not to respond, she merely nodded her head and added, “I invited my friend Lucille as well. She’s a really great person. She’s not like me though so I may have to translate.”

Disappointed in the lack of response but excited that Adaline felt comfortable enough to invite her own friends, Teagan gave her a wide grin. “That’s great! I’ll make sure she feels right at home!”

Within the hour, they received their first knock on the door. With her large baby bump leading the way, Sasha waddled into their home with Dmitri behind her. Smelling all the produce and snacks laid out in the kitchen, she gave both Teagan and Adaline a quick hug before marching away. Dmitri smiled at both of the hosts with an apologetic smile but they were already used to the pregnant woman’s gluttonous appetite. Quickly following behind his wife, Dmitri stripped the pastry she had taken a hold of and switched it with an apple. Adaline and Teagan watched on as Sasha sent him a dirty glare. With her small stature, it was quite amusing to see the two of them face-off. Eventually, Dmitri’s sternness won out however and Sasha, dejectedly, went to the living room whilst taking a bite of the fruit. What she didn’t see though, was the clear look of relief that passed over Dmitri’s handsome features once she turned away.

Teagan and Adaline giggled at the exchange. Once again, Adaline was in awe of the relationship Sasha had with her husband. She probably didn’t know it, but she could have Dmitri eat out of the palm of her hand. What made it work though was that she never asked for that.

In the few moments the comical expression had crossed Dmitri’s features, Adaline had been reminded of Dominic. And once he again came to the forefront of her mind, she realized her body had a mix of both excitement and trepidation at seeing him again.

That time didn’t come for a while however. Pretty soon, the loft was bustling with conversation and laughter. Before Lucille’s arrival, Adaline had gotten the chance to meet all the people Teagan had mentioned offhandedly. Carter, the handsome Black man, was quite the gentleman. After introductions were made, he surprised her by signing a few words.

“You know sign language?” she gasped in awe.

Sheepishly, he shook his head. “I only know a few words here and there. One of my clients happened to use a translator, and I was able to pick up a few things. Teagan has showed me a lot since you moved in with her though.” His dark eyes strayed to the redhead standing by his side grinning with adoration up at him. Adaline could clearly see him return Teagan’s feelings in the moment that passed between them. “She’s been really excited to learn the language from you.”

Teagan leaned up and gave him a soft peck on the lips as if to confirm his statement. “Yup, Carter is always asking me to teach him a new sentence or two. Too bad it’s like the blind leading the blind.”

“In this case, the deaf,” Adaline supplied smartly.

Both Teagan and Carter’s eyes widened in surprise at her retort but after seeing the smirk on her face, they laughed.

“I like you,” Carter laughed out loud.

Adaline felt her cheeks flush at the compliment. She was usually not one for social gatherings with a lot of the people. Especially since it was sometimes hard to follow the conversation. But with these people, she felt included more than she ever had before.

Their group soon included Sasha and Dmitri. It seemed that once dinner had been served, Sasha had been able to finally get the pastry she had been eyeing since her arrival; she ate it contentedly while joining them with a bright smile.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, it was nothing. Adaline is just very quick-witted,” Carter informed her. He leaned over and shook Dmitri’s hand before giving Sasha a warm hug. When the embrace went on longer than he liked, Dmitri cleared his throat. At the sound, Sasha, Teagan and Carter couldn’t help but to laugh once more. While all three of them were quite secure in the way their relationships had changed, it seemed Dmitri would never be willing to forget.

Adaline looked on with confusion at their response. Seeing her raised brow, Teagan gasped in shock. “Oh, geez! We never told her, Sasha.”

“Never told me what?”

The four of them all exchanged glances. “Well…”Sasha started, “before Dmitri and I got back together, I dated Carter for a bit. That’s how he and Teagan met actually. And before me, Dmitri dated Teagan.”

“And all of you are still friends?” Adaline asked with clear skepticism.

“Yeah,” all four of them replied as if it were nothing. At Adaline’s shocked silence, they couldn’t help but to laugh. In understanding, Dmitri patted her on the back gently.

“Don’t worry. I still don’t even get it sometimes.”

Eventually, Lucille arrived as well. And like a good host, one by one, Adaline introduced her friend to everyone. She was more than happy to see Lucille warmly welcomed. Though she sometimes had to act as a translator on her behalf, the younger woman was able to read lips quite well.

“I love your friends, Adaline. Everyone is so nice!”
Lucille expressed when they had a moment alone together.

“It still surprises me sometimes to be honest. I’m so used to people eventually getting very frustrated with my speech and having to watch how they speak to me. But Teagan is even trying to learn sign language to help me out! She says I should be as comfortable in here as she is. Can you believe that?”

Lucille shook her head in wonder even as she signed,
“But that’s how it should be. Teagan is right; you should feel comfortable signing in your own home.”
Looking at all the couples in the room, she hesitated slightly before finally asking,
“So…have you given any thought to Murphy? You know…I don’t want to step over my boundaries but Murphy is completely infatuated with you.”

Adaline couldn’t say she was surprised to hear the news. She and Lucille had made it a habit to spend time with Murphy and their little group had definitely grown quite comfortable with one another over the weeks. However, those times were also characterized by Murphy’s shyness around her at the oddest moments. There were still times she would catch him staring at her with a certain reverence in his gaze that confused her. There was nothing particularly special about her features. She knew she was average looking and she was fine with that. But he looked at her like…Adaline paused in her thoughts, hesitating to consider fully what Lucille’s comments supported.

“He looks at me like I’m beautiful,”
she finally got up the nerve to say.

Lucille could see the confused skepticism in Adaline’s words as she signed. Simply, she replied,
“Because you are.”

While her thoughts became overrun with ideas of seeing Murphy as more than a friend, she paused and couldn’t help but think about Dominic. If she was so beautiful, why couldn’t he see it? Why hadn’t he bothered to contact her since that night? Adaline took in a deep breath and simply smiled Lucille’s way.

As if a testament to what was holding her back, there was a commotion at the front door. Adaline turned to find Dominic entering; he was dressed fashionably in a blazer and slacks. Her breath hitched once her gaze settled on him. His hair was slicked back, revealing his beautiful dark eyes and the sexy pout to his lips. Eyes devouring him so thoroughly, it took her a moment to notice the woman standing by his side.

Tapping her lightly on the shoulder to regain her attention, Lucille asked,
“Who is that?”

Adaline merely replied that he was an old friend. But Lucille sensed from the awe-struck expression on her friend’s face that there was more to the story. So, she gave her a gentle shove as silent encouragement to go over and talk to the man.

Adaline noticeably gulped but began to walk over. Sasha was talking to the new guests when Adaline made an appearance. With them occupied, she took the moment to look over the young woman at his side. She was beautiful- that was definitely one word to describe her. Long and wavy auburn hair fell down past her shoulders, shimmering in the overhead light. She wore a classy black jumpsuit that showed off her long legs and slim figure. The outfit was topped off with stilettos and a black clutch. Together, they both looked as if they had just stepped out of a magazine. Dominic had always been quite fashionable and mindful of his physical appearance. And it seemed he had met his match.

Suddenly, Adaline felt overly conscious of the jeans and t-shirt she had donned for the gathering. But brushing aside her doubts, she stepped up to them with a smile.

“There is a cannoli cheesecake! Can you believe it?” Sasha squealed excitedly. “And ice cream and…”

“Baby…baby,” Dmitri suddenly appeared behind her. He shook his head while trying to hide the grin spreading across his face. Dominic openly smiled down at his sister-in-law. “She asked where the restroom was. Not about desserts, honey.” Turning to Dominic’s guest, he answered, “Down the hall to your right.”

As she passed to follow his directions with a low-spoken ‘thank you,’ Sasha eyed her up-and-down with a hard glare. “Well, if you ask me, she
needs
to eat,” she grumbled while walking away in a huff.

“Sasha!” Dmitri chastised, following behind her.

Adaline caught Dominic’s gaze and they both laughed.

“She’s been such a spitfire ever since she got pregnant. I love it! It keeps my brother on his toes. He’s had to defuse so many situations when she’s been overheard. If you ask me, she isn’t really trying to be discrete.”

Adaline merely smiled. “How have things been?”

Now that they were no longer distracted by thoughts of Sasha and Dmitri, Adaline could tell that he seemed uncomfortable. Was it her? It seemed to confirm her thoughts that he was avoiding her.

“Things have been good.”

“W-who was that?”

“Oh, Audrey? We’ve been seeing each other for a bit. I thought we could stop by here before going out to the show tonight. I got us tickets to this concert. She’s a big fan so…” he shrugged.

“Oh,” she stated slowly. Not trusting her ability to hide the disappointment that weighed heavily on her shoulders, she signed, “
That’s good. I’m happy you came over beforehand.”

“Like Sasha said, there’s some good food here.”

Adaline felt like she had been punched in the gut. He only came for the food? Before she could respond, they were interrupted as Audrey returned.

“What the hell are you doing with your hands?” she laughed.

Dominic’s eyes stayed on Adaline as he replied stiffly, “Oh, nothing.”

Audrey rolled her eyes and turned to Adaline. Smiling in greeting, she held out her hand, “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Audrey.”

Adaline shook her hand. Her throat felt unbearably dry and she barely croaked out, “Nice to meet you too. Adaline.” Unfortunately, her accented speech came out much thicker from the effort to get over the numbness and disappointment. It shocked her own ears to hear it, bringing back the insecurities she had faced as a child in an all- hearing school.

Cementing that memory, Audrey couldn’t hold back her curiosity, “Oh…are you…” she looked between both Dominic and Adaline, “
challenged
?”

Adaline wanted the earth to open up and swallow her in that moment as the beautiful woman on Dominic’s arm referred to her as developmentally challenged. She looked to Dominic for a split second but then decided to avoid his gaze. Taking in a deep breath, she supplied succinctly,

“No, I’m not. I’m guessing you might be though.”

At the woman’s sudden gasp, Adaline turned from them and walked back to the corner where Lucille waited patiently for her. She kept her head held high as the moment continued to replay itself in her mind. How could he possibly be interested in someone like that? He, more than anyone else, should’ve known how those assumptions had haunted her for most of her life. As she walked away, Adaline came to the stunning realization that history was simply repeating itself.

It had become routine for them. While he waited for Carla to get ready for their dates, he spent the passing time sitting with her on the bench outside their big home. Despite her warning to herself not to, she began to look forward to those times. She felt stupid to be falling for the very same guy every girl in her high school swooned over. But she couldn’t help herself. He was so much more than she had thought of him. Sweet. Funny. Smart. The list could go on.

When he had asked to learn sign language she had been beyond floored. And that had been the turning point for her in developing feelings for him. No one in her life had ever shown an interest besides her parents. And he caught on so quickly! Before she knew it, they were having basic conversations. It felt like their own private language.