“No intrusion at all.” Priya waved her short, manicured nails in the air, the soft rose color blending nicely with her warm bronze complexion. Carli rarely painted her nails. It could be distracting if she was signing with someone.
Carli finished her rice bowl as the two doctors conversed about the young patient they’d shared who had broken his arm. Even though she had a degree in business and was working on her Masters, too often she felt stupid next to these highly educated physicians.
“Well, I’ll let you get on with your day.” Priya picked up her tray.
“It was great chatting with you again.” Blake’s gaze roamed over the Indian beauty. Next to Priya, Carli felt plain. Dark, silky hair surrounded the woman’s exotic face, and the small diamond that winked on the side of her nose added to her appeal. Was Blake interested in her? And why should it bother her if he was? They were decidedly more suited to each other.
“I’ll be done in a minute, if you don’t mind waiting.” He took a drink of his water, and Carli observed as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, moving the knot in his tie. This one had pumpkins all over it.
Lifting the tie, he grinned. “All the kids today wanted to tell me what they were wearing for their Halloween costume next week.”
“Will you be at the big party the children’s unit has?”
“Of course. The staff is still trying to figure out a theme. Any ideas?”
Movie star, superhero, Prince Charming. Something glamorous obviously. “How about a clown?”
“I’d thought of that,” he said, “but there are some kids who are afraid of clowns. We didn’t want anything too scary. There are a few young ones in the unit.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Blake took his last bite and stood. After depositing their trash in the receptacle, they headed off down the hall.
“I’m parked in the lot around the corner. Thought it might be easier to get onto the highway from there.”
Of course. That parking garage was the most expensive one in the area. On the rare occasion she took her car to work, she used a lot almost a mile away because it was cheaper. They walked in silence until they got to his car, a silver Mercedes sedan.What did you expect? Your twelve-year-old Ford?
“My roommate’s name is Mercedes,” she said as he pressed his key fob and opened the door for her. Such a gentleman. “Says it’s where she was conceived.”
The leather seat molded around her bottom and legs, and she sighed at the luxury of it. The door closing behind her startled her. Blake got in, and the engine roared to life. His gaze focused her way. Oh. Had he said something, and she’d been too distracted by the comfort of the seats and the sound of the engine?
“Excuse me.”
“I asked about your roommate.” Shaking his head, he said, “Never mind. Where are we going, so I can program the GPS?”
Buckling her seat belt, she gave him the address, still fuming at the brush off. Not that she wasn’t used to people refusing to repeat themselves. It happened far too frequently. It was one of the reasons she made sure to focus fully on everyone she communicated with. Being dismissed as too inconsequential to talk to was infuriating. When she’d gotten the CIs, she’d figured that wouldn’t ever happen again. Boy, had she been wrong.
“Thank you for coming tonight. I know Annie was a bit anxious about going. This is all new to her, but she wants to do what’s best for Parker.”
Blake faced forward as he spoke, and Carli leaned closer.Too close.His woodsy aftershave wafted in her direction, causing a reaction in her stomach.
“I’m happy to do it.” Reaching into her purse, she fiddled with the small remote for her processors that she kept on her key chain.
“What’s that?” His head tilted toward her bag.
“The remote control for my implants.” Typically, she hated to let anyone see it, but since he, or more importantly, his brother and sister-in-law were considering CIs, he should be aware of everything to do with them. “I can adjust the balance, so the volume is lower near the window but higher for your side.”
His brows knit together. “Do you want me to speak louder?”
No, please. Just what she needed was someone shouting when she’d amplified the sound on that ear. “No, it’s fine now.”
“How long have you had cochlear implants?”
“A little over ten years.”
“Ten years?” He took his eyes off the road for a split second, then turned back, his jaw tight. “I figured it had been longer. Your speech is very good.”
“Because I worked hard with an SLP and wanted to sound ‘normal’.” Had she put enough inflection into that word? It was something she still struggled with.
