She pivoted to face him. “Thanks, but you don’t need to. I’ll be fine. I take the train home every day.”
He tugged on her collar and smiled. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. It’ll take you, what, at least a half hour to get home?”
“Walking to and from the station, it’s more like fifty. But who’s counting? It’s still out of your way.”
“It’ll take me fifteen minutes to drive you there. And now that it’s later, there won’t even be much traffic.”
It would be great not to have to walk through the cold to get to North Station and then home. “If you don’t mind, that would be wonderful.”
As they walked to his car, he practiced some of the signs she’d taught him. He was serious about this. It was a refreshing change. In the past, she’d dated guys who wanted to learn sign language, but after a while it got old to them, and they stopped. Stopped seeing her as well. Even with the CIs, they didn’t like the fact she couldn’t hear as well in a dimly lit, noisy bar, or that she often asked them to repeat what they’d said. Most men wanted a girl to hang on their every word. She couldn’t very well do that if she couldn’t hear their words.
His Mercedes heated up quickly, as did the seats. One of the perks of an expensive car. Too bad she’d never have that. Better enjoy it now. Who knew how long it’d last?
She chatted on about some of the services she’d told Annie about as they drove. Meanwhile, she kept her eyes on his face to see if he said anything back, though she figured, if she was talking, he wouldn’t need to. Then, she wouldn’t need to worry.
When they pulled in front of her apartment, he turned on the inside light and took her hand.
“Thanks for helping me out tonight, and at the last minute, too. I really appreciate it, and it was kind of fun.”
She’d see how long that lasted. “Happy to do it. Any time. And thanks for the ride home. Definitely faster than the T.”
As she attempted to pull her hand away and reach for the door, he squeezed it.
“Do you have any men in your life?”
What was he getting at? “Men? My dad, brothers, and some friends, sure.”
His grin flashed those dimples right at her. It was like a secret weapon. “That’s not what I meant.”
“You mean a boyfriend? No, not currently.” Did he seriously ask that? Why? Her heart raced faster at the possibility.
He tightened his hand once more, then let go. “Good to know.”
As she slid out of the car, his hands lifted and signed,Bye, beautiful girl.
Carli held a squirming Parker in her lap as Annie once again attempted to insert his hearing aid into his ear.
“Make sure to twist it a bit to ensure it’s in correctly. Yes, like that.”
“Thank you for stopping by today and helping me. I’m always afraid I’ll hurt him when I try to put them in.” She adjusted the volume on the device.
“You’ll get used to it, and when he gets older, he’ll learn to do it himself.”
“Unless he gets implants, right?” Annie placed Parker on the floor, and the boy immediately crawled over to a pile of blocks and pushed them down.
“If he gets them in both ears, yes. Some people only get a CI on one side and use a hearing aid on the other. Much of it depends how much residual hearing there already is.”
“Like Parker has less hearing in his right ear, so we could get a CI in that ear and use hearing aids in the left? That would mean less surgery. I hate the idea of my baby having his skull drilled into.”
“It’s not as complicated as it used to be. In fact, it’s a fairly common procedure these days. The risks have been greatly reduced.”
“But there still are risks? Side effects? Those are what scare me.”
“Yes, there are still risks.” She didn’t want to lie to the woman. Some of the side effects could be frightening and permanent.
Parker climbed into his mother’s lap and touched her face.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you having fun with your blocks?”
