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And, well, that made sense. He wondered if Wren felt the same at his work since, from what Percy had observed, he was the only one who had the implants. Wren had opened up a little about his situation, and Percy knew the surgery hadn’t been his choice. It hadn’t been for either brother. Wren was just the one whose procedure had been successful.
“I’m not trying to be an arse. Or ignorant. This is new for me too, and I’m not looking for an excuse to slack off with sign,” Percy told her. “The only thing that frustrates me is how much time I wasted learning the wrong one.”
“I don’t think having a background in BSL is wasted time,” Penny said.
Percy opened his mouth, then shut it again. He supposed she wasn’t wrong. “Lila was my priority though.”
“Yeah, and her cool Uncle Percy can show her a bit of a new language.”
Percy’s cheeks warmed at the thought that he could teach her anything. He’d never been particularly interested in kids—most definitely never wanted them, and he hadn’t much cared about being an uncle until Penny said she was ready to start her journey.
And even then, the idea had been completely abstract until Penny first sent the photo of the big-eyed little girl. And somehow, across all those miles, he’d fallen in love with the idea of having her in his life.
Before Percy could say anything, he heard the sound of tiny feet on the floor. Lila burst past him and threw herself at Penny, who laughed and swept her up, sitting her on the edge of the counter. Percy watched in fascination as Lila’s small hands moved—enthusiastic and slightly stuttered with all the enthusiasm of a child.
He watched his sister nod, then lift her hands in reply, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that would ever be him. He was old. He was tired. If he let himself be still for even a moment, he found himself tumbling back into his past, stuck and afraid that he’d never be able to escape it.
How was he supposed to be better for Penny and Lila?
He shook himself out of his thoughts when he saw Lila waving at him, and he approached with some caution. She grinned at him, missing a single tooth on the bottom, her cheeks round and plump with her smile.
She signed, and he only understood when she pointed at him.
“Spend the night,” Penny interpreted.
Percy let out a soft sigh and hated that he didn’t have the signs to explain to her that while he’d be there as often as he could, he still hadn’t quite figured out how to slow down with his job. ‘Sorry,’ he signed back, rubbing his fist in a circle over his chest. ‘Tomorrow-see-you.’
Lila huffed and turned back to Penny, who presumably explained it in a way that a six-year-old would understand. Lila pouted, then held her arms out to him, and Percy swept her up almost on instinct. He caught the look on Penny’s face, and she seemed…maybe not pleased, but less irritated than she had been before.
“I’m trying,” he murmured.
Penny looked at him, then nodded, tapping her fingers on her temple. ‘I know.’
Percy didn’t regret his ASL classes happened in the early afternoon. It gave him a good excuse to take a proper lunch instead of working straight through. It kept him occupied so he didn’t have to think much, and it gave him a sense of accomplishment, even though he was starting to feel somewhat defeated.
In class was great, but every time he was with Penny and Lila, he felt a hundred miles behind them both. It was fine when he was signing with people on his own level in class, but the moment he was outside of that, it was a stark reminder that he had years to go.
Rubbing his face, he shut his laptop, then wandered out to find coffee when he heard a timid voice behind him. “Sir?”
Percy turned to find one of the interns—a young woman from the university who had just been brought on to assist in the graphic design department. She was very short, and she very much looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but dressed in business casual and stuck inside the office.
And Percy couldn’t blame her, really. It had been a damn long time since he’d allowed himself to feel any interest in anything besides work, but he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to want to be anywhere else but stuck behind a desk.
He tried for a friendly smile, but he wasn’t sure he was successful from the way she took a step back. “How can I help you?”
“Sir. Um. Mr. James. Sorry to bother you.”
“You’re not bothering me,” he assured her. “And you are Miss…?”
“Oh! God, of course you don’t—I’m Alicia Reyes. You can just call me Alicia though.”
“And you’re welcome to call me Percy.”
She looked like she’d rather die than actually use his given name, but she squared her shoulders anyway. “So, uh…I was walking by your office half an hour ago. Your door was open.”
He frowned. “It was, yes. You could have come in if you needed something.”
“No,” Alicia said in a rush. “No, just…” She licked her lips, then lifted her hands to sign, ‘You’re learning ASL?’
