“I understand. We’ll play it by ear and fit some lessons in when we can.”
He stood and she did, also.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, thanks for the shoulder. It was perfect. Keep me in mind if you have any of those pies leftover after the holiday. I sure wouldn’t mind a piece at lunch.”
“You mean you mother’s cook doesn’t make pies?”
His mouth twisted. “She does, but they’re usually too fancy and frilly. I’m assuming your pies are the good old-fashioned ones like apple and pumpkin.”
“You’d guess right. If my family doesn’t finish them off, I’ll see if I can put aside a slice and bring it in next week.”
“You’re an angel. Thanks again, Carli.”
When he leaned in to hug her, she stiffened at first, then enjoyed the embrace. Too soon he drew away.
“This year, I know one thing I’ll be thankful for.”
Smirking, she said, “Pie?”
“You.”
Chapter seven
“Imust be getting old,” Blake’s former college roommate, Wade DiBurro, said. “This music is too loud. I can’t hear myself think.”
“That’s probably a good thing. You thinking has been dangerous in the past.”
Wade made a face at him, then tipped his beer glass up. Blake took a sip of his own draught but a smaller one. Getting too buzzed was never a good idea. He might have done it too often during college, but now, even when he wasn’t on call, he felt like not being in control was an irresponsible thing.
“Although, I suppose we can’t complain about the music. We can at least hear it. That crew over there must come here for half price Happy Hour.”
Turning his head, he located the group Wade was talking about. Some sat and some stood around a few high tops, and their hands flew through the air. Sign Language. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had enough lessons to be able to read much of what they said.
“Must be weird not being able to talk.” Wade snickered as he polished off his beer and signaled to the waitress for another. Since his friend was a big tipper, the woman showed up immediately with a new one.
The comment struck him, and he frowned. “They are talking. It’s just not the same language as you and me. They understand each other perfectly.” Is this what people would think about Parker when he grew up?
As he said this, he spotted a head of golden-red curls. Carli? It had to be her. Okay, that was stupid. There were probably plenty of strawberry-blonde deaf women in the world. But in the Boston area…?
Wade waved away Blake’s comment, and he shrugged it off. The man had already downed half a dozen beers and was more than halfway to drunk. Good thing he used Uber. Blake, on the other hand, had driven here, so he’d been milking his second draught for the past hour.
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Blake asked his friend. “Has Tanya got everything hammered out already?”
“Of course, she does. Her mom, too.”
As Wade went on a rant about the exorbitant amounts of money his fiancée and future mother-in-law were spending for this Valentine’s Day weekend extravaganza, Blake checked out the group of people signing. The one with the curly reddish hair finally spun, and his breath caught in his throat. ItwasCarli, and the smile on her face was larger than he’d ever seen. It lit up her face and made his heart race until it was thumping loudly in his chest. Wow, she was gorgeous.
Her hands danced in front of her and her facial expressions were animated and lively. In their lessons, she’d mentioned that body language and facial expression were all part of the signs he was learning, but he hadn’t quite believed her. Her body language clearly communicated that she was having a blast.
Something inside him wanted to be right there next to her, enjoying her presence as much as the people around her were, especially the guy who kept tugging her to his shoulder and messing with her hair. Even though Carli looked annoyed with him, it was obvious she cared about this man. Who was he? When he’d asked, she said she didn’t have a boyfriend. That didn’t mean she didn’t have some guys she dated on occasion.
Only a few days ago, they’d been close and touching. Maybe he hadn’t been hanging all over her, but he had pulled her to his shoulder for a few minutes, and they’d held hands. It had definitely helped him get his emotions under control where his patient was concerned. Her comfort had been honest and appreciated.
“Sorry, dude, but that was Tanya.” Wade stuck his phone back in his pocket. He hadn’t even seen his friend answer it. “She needs me to come over. Not sure for what, since she was blubbering too hard. Something about her mom. That’s easy to believe.”
“No worries. I should head home, anyway. I’m on call tomorrow.”
