Vince continued.—You’ll get a little bump in pay for mentoring the new guy.His name is Jake.You’ve been here long enough that you’ve got potential to make even more.I’d like to see you advance further.Maybe even supervise some of the jobs.—
That couldn’t be right.He wanted him to become a supervisor?That was even more money.Would the guys even listen to him?
—I’ll think about it and start looking at the Level Two book again.Thanks for the opportunity.—
Vince stuck his hand out, and they shook.“Have a good night.”
Evan nodded, then punched out before he got in his truck.On the drive home, he had a lot to think about.The fact his boss thought he’d be a good supervisor thrilled him, but it also made him anxious.Was it something he could do?He definitely knew the equipment and how the projects ran.He rarely needed any directions other than the initial job for the day.There were a few things he’d like to see in the way of organization when starting a project, and he wondered if Vince would let him have a say in that.
When he got home, he marched straight to his room, kicked his boots into the closet, stripped down to his boxer briefs, then wrapped a towel around his waist.He dug through his dresser drawer for another pair of briefs and some shorts.He’d been embarrassed a few times when Mercedes had caught him coming out of the bathroom in only his underwear, so he always brought something a little more substantial in with him now.
The cool water felt amazing after the heat of the day mixed with all the dust and dirt.He couldn’t stay in here too long, though.Tonight, his mom wanted everyone over for dinner.
He dressed quickly in the shorts and hustled down the hall to pull on a clean t-shirt.A few minutes later, he entered the living room where Mercedes sat on the couch reading.Always reading.
“Are you ready to go?”
She glanced up and smiled.That smile did something to him.Even more now that they’d kind of kissed.Gracefully, she rose from the couch and placed the book on the end table.She did everything gracefully, and he loved watching her.He was really getting in too deep here.Yet when they left the apartment and she slipped in front of him, he took the opportunity to inhale her fragrance.Closed his eyes and savored it.Thank God no one was around to see what a ridiculous whipped puppy he was.
“Your parents’ party last weekend was wonderful, Mercedes,” his mother signed once they’d arrived.“It was so sweet of you to invite us.”
Mercedes’ eyes crinkled, and her lips turned up in laughter.“You’ve known my parents longer than I have.They were thrilled to have all of you there.”
“Even Evan?”Brian teased.“Oh, that’s right.He was the big hero of the weekend.Of course they’d want him there.”
Evan sneered at his brother and threw him a not-so-nice sign under the table.Mom shook her head.“Enough, boys.What’s going on at work, everyone?”
Brian shared some stories about the people at work and how easily they messed up the simplest of tech.Which, of course, made Brian’s job of fixing the tech necessary.
Blake mentioned he was on the committee to plan the Halloween party at the children’s ward again this year.“We’ve got to come up with a theme for the staff to dress up as.”
“What did you do last year?”Deanna asked.
Carli grinned and pulled out her phone.“They did characters fromToy Story.Blake was Sheriff Woody.”She scrolled and found a picture of them.
“Prettiest Bo Peep ever.” Blake stared at his bride-to-be with such a besotted expression Evan was almost embarrassed to see it.Better than not having strong enough feelings.
“We’ve got a new Deaf guy on the job,” Evan piped in.“Recent hire.My boss asked me to be his mentor and show him how it’s done.”
Brian looked about ready to bust out another joking put down, but their mom gave him the stink eye, and he backed off.Good.Evan could certainly handle being razzed, but lately some of the digs had hit too close to home.
“It even comes with a little boost in pay.I like that part.Plus, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to at work.”
Mercedes frowned.“The other guys don’t talk to you?”
“They do some, but no one’s bothered to learn any ASL, so it’s mostly me trying to read their lips, which isn’t the easiest thing to do with the huge beards some of the guys have.”
They all laughed, knowing too much facial hair could impact lip reading.
Deanna waved her hand.“I’ve got a video I want all of you to see.Remember my student whose uncle is stationed overseas?The platoon sent a recent video where they’re all trying their best to sign to the kids.We’ve been teaching them for over a year now with videos back and forth.At first, it was at the army base but a few months ago, they went overseas on deployment.”
Once the meal was finished, Deanna pulled out her laptop and set it up on the coffee table in the living room.Everyone gathered on the seat or the arms of the couch.Evan leaned over the back of the furniture right where Mercedes sat.He tickled her neck with his finger, and she swatted it away until he did it a few times.
The third time, she twisted when she realized it was him and not a fly.“You’re a pest.Stop it so I can see the video.”
It took all his control not to touch her again.The video came on, and a group of men in green fatigues sat around what looked like a tent.
“Hey there, kids, and Miss Jameson.Thanks for the last lesson.We’ve been studying hard,” one of the men signed and several in the background signed greetings.
