“My mother doesn’t actually prepare the meal. Any meal. They have a cook who’ll make everything, and it’ll be perfect.”
“Perfect,” she mumbled. Of course, everything at their house would be perfect. Except poor little Parker who couldn’t hear. Would they hire someone to watch him, so he didn’t get in anyone’s hair during their perfect meal? When she had children, she wanted them with her all the time. Okay, not every second, but she wouldn’t dream of hiding them at special occasions and family meals. They needed to feel like part of the family.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get what you said.” Blake gazed at her like he was super interested in what she had to say. Yeah, deaf people missed things all the time and no one bothered to repeat. Felt crappy, didn’t it?
“Nothing important. I’ve got to get back to work.” She got to her feet and picked up her tray. “I’ll see you in radiology, Priya.” That tight smile crossed her lips again as she nodded at Blake. Couldn’t be too rude to the doctor.
After dumping the remains of her lunch, she headed for the door. A touch on her arm had her spinning around. Blake stood there, his eyes somber.
“Look, Carli, about the other day…”
“It’s fine. I see where I stand, and I promise not to cross any lines again.”
Shaking his head, he said, “No, that’s not what I meant. I wanted to apologize. I was in a foul mood because of the conversation I’d had with my brother, and I took it out on you. You’ve been nothing but generous with your time, both for Parker and Annie, and with me.”
“Apology accepted.” If only that could make everything go back to the easy rapport they’d had before. Wasn’t going to happen.
“Can we do the ASL lessons again?” Those adorable dimples almost made her say yes.
She shrugged. “We’ll see. I have a ton of work to do for my class, and the holidays are coming up. That’s always a busy time. I’ll let you know.” Best to avoid him if possible.
Reaching out, he touched her elbow. “I do appreciate what you’ve done.”
As she turned to leave, she thought about exactly whathe’ddone. Made her want to be in his presence too much. Being who they were, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Carli slung her purse over her shoulder and picked up her coat. “I’ll see you on Friday,” she called out to the few people left in the office.
“Not me,” Joy said, slipping into her own coat. “I took the day off and will be Black Friday shopping till I drop.”
From the sheer number and quality of the different outfits she arrived at work in, Carli had no doubt Joy would be doing more than her share of shopping. Too bad her own budget didn’t run to excess clothes.
After shutting down her computer and checking that she’d done everything on her list—yes, she still wrote a paper list—Carli made her way down the hall and to the atrium. Moving to the large floor-to-ceiling windows, she gazed down at the enclosed garden on the first floor, two floors below. At this time of year, few people wandered in. Even though the garden was enclosed on all sides, the top was open to the elements, allowing the cool air to come in. Workers had already decorated it for Christmas, even though it was only Thanksgiving tomorrow.
A lone figure stood facing the back windows, hands stuffed in pockets. Wavy brown hair, tall, slim, and khaki pants. Was that Blake? Possibly, but he looked different somehow. His shoulders rose and fell, then he ran his hand through his hair, causing it to become unruly. What was wrong?
As she took the stairs down to the first floor, her mind wandered to Blake and why he was in the garden. But she needed to get to her mom’s to help bake some pies and do a bunch of other food prep for tomorrow. She didn’t have time for delving into whatever was bothering him.
When she exited the fire doors, her gaze immediately glanced left to the large glass. Blake was gone. No, he was sitting on one of the benches, forearms resting on his knees, head bent.
Her feet paused without her telling them to, and her heart raced. Something was definitely wrong. Those feet drew her through the doors and into the chilly garden. She slid her coat on as she walked. It wasn’t like she’d be there long, only long enough to make sure all was fine and then she could leave. Most likely, he was simply tired from a long day.
The loud sigh from him was audible in the silent garden. All but the essential personnel were on their way home to get ready for the long holiday weekend.
Shuffling her feet—a lifelong habit that came from knowing how deaf people hated being caught by surprise—she made her way closer. His spine straightened, but his gaze never left the brightly colored lights of the decorated tree.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Blake’s head lifted, and he scrubbed a hand over his face before turning to her. A tight smile crossed his face, then he looked away. Still, she’d seen. His eyes were shiny. What the heck had happened?
Stepping closer, she touched his arm. Yes, she was still miffed at his behavior a few days ago, but that didn’t negate the pain she’d just seen.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t look fine. I’d say I’d lend you an ear, but we both know mine don’t work properly. I’ve got strong shoulders, though, and I’m willing to offer one up. Both if you need them.”
The side of his mouth quirked up slightly at her totally non-PC joke.
His head bobbed up and down as he mumbled, “Thanks,” and scooted over on the bench.
