He asked again how long she’d been signing. She smiled politely and said, “Quite some time now.” Her eyes held a quiet apology, like she knew he deserved more but couldn’t offer it. Lena did not seem shy, but reticent. Though his instinct told him to stop prying, he was curious about her.
Margot didn’t notice the tension. She studied Lena with open fondness, fingers asking questions Evan couldn’t follow. Lena answered each gently, warmly, as if speaking to someone she genuinely liked. Evan felt vaguely jealous of the effortless connection between them that he, as her son, sometimes struggled to create.