“Believe it or not, I understand,” Reese said. “All I ever wanted was to dance professionally. I couldn’t imagine there would ever be a time when I didn’t want that. But we evolve. The people we meet along the way change us.”
“But I don’t want to change. That’s the whole problem. This role in Prague is next-level stuff. It could change everything for me. I can’t give it up.”
“It’s not like she’s asking you to,” Reese said.
Roan nodded. “Maybe give her the opportunity to tell you what she wants. What she’s willing to give up to be with you.”
He thought about that for a moment. “We promised each other that this was just supposed to be fun. Nothing serious.”
“That’s an almost guaranteed way to fall madly in love,” Reese said. “They say the heart has a mind of its own.” She was quiet for a moment. “Mauve hasn’t been the same since she got back from that trip. She’s either smiling into her phone or looking a little sad. I’ve been worried, but now I’m not.”
“Why?” Jason asked, surprised.
“Because you two are going to figure it out,” Reese said. “You’re two of my favorite people in the world, and I want you to be happy. Just trust yourself a little.”
“And love yourself a little more,” Roan said. “I know, it sounds cliché, but it’s true. You’re too hard on yourself. Always have been. Give yourself a little grace, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
Jason then told them about Ollie and their plan to help him learn “Frosty the Snowman” in sign language.
“What a wonderful thing to do,” Reese said.
“I figure it’s a way to give back,” Jason said. “And in honor of my speech therapist.”
“He had the biggest crush on her,” Roan said. “Linda.”
“She changed my life. I’m hoping to give a little of that back to Ollie.”
“See, right there,” Reese said. “You’re a good person. And you’ll make a great family man.”
He had no idea how she could sound so confident, but he didn’t press any further. For now, he would focus on helping Ollie and pray that everything else would work itself out. If they were meant to be, surely it was possible. Right?
Mary had senta video with a recording of her signing the song and instructions for how to break it down for Ollie. She’d filmed herself signing the song straight through, slow and clear, then signed it again at tempo.
The song broke into verses more cleanly than he’d expected. “Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul.” You could do that as five distinct moves—FROSTY, SNOWMAN, JOLLY, HAPPY, SOUL—or you could smooth it into three if the kid had the stamina, folding jolly-happy into a single brushed-up expression on the chest. He wrote both versions down and decided he’d let Ollie choose. Six-year-olds were better than adults at picking the version that felt right in their bodies.
He made notes on tempo. The recorded version of “Frosty” that Mrs. Jones was using ran just over two minutes. He clocked Mary’s signed version and found they matched almost perfectly, which meant Ollie wouldn’t have to rush or stall. Good. The song wanted to be the song.
He watched Mary’s face again. Eyebrows up on questions. Mouth round on “jolly.” A little head-tilt on “happy soul”. Her whole face narrating what her hands said. He’d tell Ollie the same thing Mary had told him when they’d worked together: Your hands are the words. Your face is how the words feel.
At two-thirty he closed the laptop, went downstairs, pulled on his coat, and drove to pick up Mauve, feeling a little like a kid at Christmas.
Mauve wasin her office when he arrived, coming out to the lobby to greet him. “Hi. Thanks for coming.”
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to feel like a good person.”
She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “You are a good person.”
“I spent the morning learning the song. Mary’s video was pure gold,” Jason said, ignoring her compliment.
“Come into my office. Do you want tea?” Mauve asked.
“No, I’m fine for now. Is it weird I feel nervous?”
“Yes, it’s completely weird. You’re a famous actor. No reason to feel nervous about helping a sweet little boy.”
“I just don’t want to hurt him or make him feel bad.”
