“And that pint glass,” Sunshine piped up.
Oh, here we go.
Nope, this wasn’t happening. I was taking control of this before my sign language class became a history lesson instead.
“Anyway… As I was saying, you’re all actually doing really well. Despite Vienna’s constant interruptions. Right, show me what you’ve learnt.”
I had gone over a lot this lesson. Most of them knew the basics. They knew hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, yes, and no. But that was about it. I had gone over how to ask Bee if she wanted a drink, if she was hungry, how was her day, and how are you? Now was their time to show me they had actually absorbed what I had said.
“You first, Dante,” I said, finally meeting his eye for the first time this morning.
“You’re”, Dante signed. “Annoying.”
I raised my eyebrow at him and ran my tongue over my teeth.
“Cute. So you do know sign language, and just chose not to use it. Says a lot.”
“Or perhaps you just chose to think the worst, as you usually do, and didn’t give me a chance to explain properly.”
“Or, you just didn’t bother giving me the full story, as per usual, and expected me to read between the lines,” I said, my voice as pleasant as I could make it.
“Oh, sheet,” I heard Vienna mutter in the background, but I was too focused on Dante to pay any attention to what he was up to.
“Or maybe you’re just a hard ass who doesn’t like to let other people talk. Was that clear enough, or should I sign it for you?”
“I knew her being nice was all an act! It’s happening, it’s happening!” I could see him jumping up and down in my peripheral.
“She’s gonna blow,” I heard Greg hiss, his voice sounding slightly panicked.
“This is my favourite part,” Vienna laughed, grabbing Greg’s cut with his meaty fists and shaking him before running to hidebehind a chair. I snapped my head round to look, seeing Vienna almost giddy with glee, and Greg run for the door.
“What? What’s happening?” Pivot muttered.
“Get down, boy!” Doc snapped.
“You’re being ridiculous.” Pivot said, rolling his eyes at them all.
“You think I’m a hard ass?” I said, ignoring the idiots behind me.
“I think you’re stubbornanda hardass,” Dante smirked back.
If I had to see that goddamn smirk one more time, I was going to staple his stupid lips shut.
“Yeah? Well, I think you’re a neglectful father who has spent more time learning sign language in the last few hours, just to piss me off, than he has learning sign to communicate with his daughter in the past eighteen months.”
“Pivot, seriously man, get the fuck down,” Vienna snapped as Dante glared at me.
“Truth hurt?” I signed to Dante, a smug grin on my lips. I saw Jenna whispering to the old ladies, and all of them throwing concerned glances my way.
“None of us would be in this situation at all if it wasn’t for you. We wouldn’t need sign language had you not decided to mess with Bee’s feelings and fuck off without her.”
His words hit me like a bullet, but I’d be damned if I let him see that. So, instead, I called on the familiar mask I had once donned, and looked at him with scorn.
“Rachel, sweetheart, why don’t you come over here and sit with us for a bit?” Imogen tried to intervene. No doubt Jenna had told them all about the contract and they were just trying to help prevent me from losing my temper.
I was never in any danger of that.
“Your attempts to hurt me are weak, Dante. You’re losing your touch. Bee is traumatised from the aftermath of your actions, and your club and—”
