I felt helpless when I looked to Nina, and I was taken aback to see an expression of exasperation on her face instead of concern for Beau. It looked like she was annoyed with him.

“Did . . . take . . . ?”

The last word Nina said to Beau involved a lot of syllables, so there was no way was I going to be able to figure out what she was saying.

Beau shook his head when he opened his eyes again, but there was an undeniably soft look on his face when he said, “Thanks for . . .” to Nina.

She gave him a tiny smile while she rolled her eyes in response and nudged Beau with her shoulder.

It wasn’t until Beau was off in the bathroom and Nina and I were sitting back down at our table that I realized the hot feeling working its way through me was jealousy. Beau never looked at me the way he’d just looked at Nina, but I had no idea why that should bother me.

“What’s wrong with Beau?” I blurted out.

Nina wiped her mouth with a napkin after taking a sip of her mocha before she answered my question. “Beau . . . okay,” she said. “He’s . . .”

She put her hand up to her temple and made a flapping gesture, the sign for stubborn—also conveniently the sign for donkey.

“Beau’s stubborn,” I said with a frown, and Nina nodded.

What was that supposed to mean? What did Beau being stubborn have to do with anything?

“What do you mean by that?” I said when a minute had passed, and Nina still hadn’t elaborated.

HE SHOULD TELL YOU, was her careful reply in sign language.

Well, that sure cleared things up.

“And are you two . . . um . . .” I went sinking down in my chair, trying not to cover my face with my hands out of embarrassment. “I mean, you and Beau . . . ?”

Nina arched one eyebrow as she reached for her mocha again, and she gave this kind of sly smile I’d never seen from her before. I had the feeling Nina knew exactly what was floating across my brain at the moment.

“Me . . . Beau? No . . .” She shook her head. “We’re . . . friends. Nothing there . . .”

PROMISE, she added in sign, and I believed her.

Nina leaned forward with interest, a curious expression taking over her face. Instantly I dreaded what she was about to say.

“Now you . . . Beau . . . ?”

I was blissfully saved from answering by Beau’s return from the restroom. I gave him the once-over as inconspicuously as I could, and it was a relief he didn’t seem to be in as much pain as a few minutes ago. He had a look of discomfort as he sat down, stretching his right leg out in front of him at an awkward angle. Not so much a cool guy thing this time; he had to be in pain.