She shrugged. “I don’t know that I can comment on how much he’s hearing, but I’d take a guess that he’s hearing more than he had. And that’s new to him.”
Harrison seemed to have lost some of his grouchiness from earlier and was chatting to his son. Parker stared intently at his father, his face beaming.
“I’m glad you’re here, Carli. I appreciate your support. It hasn’t been easy on any of us, especially Harrison and Annie.”
“It’s my job as an advocate.” The pink in her cheeks belied her casual shrug.
“You’ve done much more than the typical advocate, I think.” He took her hand and held it at his side, squeezing it. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
The smile she had on her face gave him hope that any thoughts he had toward her would be welcome. Maybe it was time to dive back into the dating pool. Or at least dip his toes in the water.
Chapter five
“I’m heading out now, Rhonda.” Carli turned her computer off and grabbed her purse. Rhonda came in at three and did the night shift.
Joy was halfway out of the office when she plopped her coat and purse on her chair and scrambled toward the door. “Dr. Wentworth, it’s so nice to see you again. I was just leaving, but I’d be happy to stay and help you with whatever you need.”
Blake? What was he doing here? She didn’t recall seeing any pediatric cases today, and to her own embarrassment, she’d checked.
“Thanks, uh…”
“Joy. I’m Joy.” The woman was obviously hoping Blake would see her as a way to gethisjoy.
“Thanks, Joy.” He glanced past her. “But I’m looking for Carli. It’s a personal matter.”
“Your nephew?” she whimpered, her full lips in a pout. “I’m so sorry about him.”
What the heck was she sorry about? She made it sound like he’d been handed a death sentence. Why did people think being deaf was the worst thing in the world?
Blake gave a halfhearted, “thanks,” as he walked toward her.
“Hi, Blake. What can I do for you?” Picking up her coat, she shrugged into it.
“I have a question. Do you have a minute?”
Carli glanced at her watch. If she didn’t leave in the next ten minutes, she’d miss the commuter rail home and would have to stand outside for at least a half hour until the next one.
“Sure.” Being with Blake was worth thirty minutes of cold, right?
“I’ll walk you out,” he said and placed his hand on her back. Not that she needed guidance in where to go, but she kind of liked the old-fashioned gesture. Even better, it got Joy’s panties in a twist, although she shouldn’t be getting any pleasure from that. She was a co-worker after all.
Nothing was said until they reached the main hallway. Blake steered her toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the central conservatory.
“I wanted to ask a favor.”
“Okay.” Did it really matter what it was? Spending time in Blake’s presence had usually been enjoyable. If it had anything to do with being near him, most likely she’d say yes.
“Annie has gone to a few of the Baby Sign classes, and she really likes them so far.”
“I’m glad. Hopefully, Parker will get something out of them, too. How are the hearing aids working?”
“Depends on who you talk to. Annie thinks he’s responding better to their voices and sounds around the house. Harrison still wants the implants in as soon as possible.”
“He doesn’t see any change?”
“He says he doesn’t, but I’ve watched him playing with the baby, and he gets a huge grin on his face when Parker’s eyes light up at his voice.”
