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When Mandy’s stomach growled, she motioned to it and Zoe smiled. “I’m starving like I haven’t eaten in a month. I need food. You should come eat with us. I’d love if you did.”
Zoe’s eyes flicked to Nate’s and he winked. He could tell she was nervous but nodded anyway.
He’d indulge in a victory dance when he got home.
Chapter Four
Zoe gathered her things, slung her laptop bag over her shoulder, shut off her desk light, and allowed herself to be tugged impatiently to the first floor by Mandy. His daughter kept up a steady stream of chatter through the library, looking back so Zoe could read her lips.
They followed her through the library as she checked all the exits and turned off lights. After locking up and engaging the alarm, she turned to them with a shy smile.
She signed, “I need to put my things in my car.” Zoe walked to a little Smart Car and opened the hatch to place her bag inside. Nate could tell she liked things neat and organized. Her vehicle was pristine.
“Iloveyour car and the name suits you, Zoe! It matches your brain.”
The three of them stepped up on the sidewalk. “Thank you, Mandy. I like to think of my brain as my very best feature. As lovely as you are, your brain is your best feature, too.”
“I want mine to be like yours when I’m grown.”
They signed in sync, “Read lots of books.”
It was incredible to see the way his daughter acted around a woman like Zoe. Almost as if Mandy had been hiding many aspects of her own personality for years and Nate was only now seeing them.
Their signed conversation flew back and forth. Mandy spoke quietly but Zoe didn’t speak at all. In the few blocks between the library and the diner, the two held an in-depth conversation about Jane Austen’s influence on modern literature and film.
Zoe was animated, lit from the inside out. Nate knew it was the ease of being able to communicate with someone else completely. He imagined her time in Cedarton must have been incredibly lonely.
It wouldn’t be anymore.
While their literary conversation was outside his own interests or personal knowledge, their passion about the topic made his heart pound. As he held the door of the family-owned diner, they passed him looking relaxed and happy.
Nate feltincredible.
The owner waved to them and came over to say hello when they were settled in a booth. Out of habit, he and Mandy chose one side together so Zoe could see them clearly.
She blinked several times and looked down at her lap. Nate watched her inhale deeply before raising her face. She signed, “It feels very different to be with people who understand.”
Mandy grinned. “My grandmother and aunt were born deaf. Dad taught me sign from…” She looked up at him and laughed. “Well, birth, I guess. We go visit them often but it’s easy for me to get slower when I haven’t seen them much.” Tilting her head, she said cheerfully, “Grandma couldn’t believe I hadn’t gotten sluggish the last time we drove to Boulder. I told her all about you.”
Zoe’s eyes were huge in her face and Nate was shocked as well. The librarian signed, “You did?”
“Oh, yeah. Grandma is the best. She asked me a thousand questions about the town. She wanted to know if they’d gotten any better about services for the deaf.” Mandy rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”
“Other than a few older people with gradual deafness, I’m the only non-hearing person in Cedarton.” She gave a small shrug. “It doesn’t make sense to use city resources for one person. It’s been okay. I like it here.”
The owner approached with a smile. Vicki Geyser was an older woman who lost her husband to cancer the year before.
She immediately put her hand on Zoe’s shoulder and said, “Thank you for telling me about that book, Zoe. It helped more than I dreamed possible. You read people so well.”
Zoe’s blush pinked her cheeks prettily. Nate wondered at the communication barriers she must experience daily. Especially because she didn’t speak herself.
“Mandy, you’ve gotten so dang pretty! You look just like your daddy.”
“Thanks, Miss Vicki. That’s a great compliment.”
Both Nate and Mandy could tell Zoe was shocked they continued to sign when speaking to a hearing person.
Vicki smiled at the delicate librarian. “You want your usual, honey?” Zoe nodded.
