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“What did I do to receive this unexpected surprise?”
I hadn’t given him my home address so he could pop in all willy-nilly when the mood struck. This was my personal space, but I tried to keep my tone in check.
“Well, the thing is, when I went to get my coffee and danish, the lady at the bakery doubled up the order, and since I was passing by, I figured I’d drop one off with you.”
Likelystory. I was on the edge of town, Sylvia’s Bakery was on Main Street in the downtown core. He actually would’ve had to backtrack to come past my place, but still, the sentiment was sweet. Probably ordered double. Maybe. Or maybe Libby was working. That girl was always up to something.
Stepping on the scattered sawdust and shavings, I made my way over to him.“Thank you. That’s very kind to think of me.”
The smile stretching across his face was a mile wide. He read the labels on the side ofthe takeaway cups. “Do you prefer a Chai Latte or a Mochaccino?”
“I’d love the Chai, please. I like a little spice.”
“Do you?” A charming laugh rolled out as he handed me the tea.
Slightly embarrassed that he read more into my words than I had intended, I shook my head and ran down a list of possible topics to deflect to.
“Okay, I have to ask. How do you know sign language?”
He straightened to his full height. “My cousin is completely deaf and has been all his life. It was just something I grew up knowing.”
“Wow, that’s really neat. Not many people in this town know ASL. Vera can hear, but it’s awful, at least according to the audiologist. It’s more like hearing someone scream underwater unless she’s wearing her hearing aid, but that can only do so much.”
“Has she hadhearing loss long?”
“She was diagnosed a few years back. Within the next couple of years though, she’ll be completely deaf.” A silent world I couldn’t possibly imagine.
“That’s got to be rough. For the both of you.”
Since we needed a clear space to set the bag and tray down, I quickly grabbed a cloth and dusted off a corner of the makeshift desk I’d propped up. “We’re managing though. My work helps to pay those bills.”
He set the items down and smoothed out a napkin before pulling out the two danishes.Both were chocolate, and with the slight sheen on the dark chocolate, they were still warm. My saliva glands fired up, and I hadn’t even had a bite yet.
“Have you started the mural pieces yet?” He pressed the drink to his lips.
I took a dainty nibble andsighed. It was heavenly. Even with Libby’s discount, I didn’t order these often, so this was a real treat.
“I haven’t yet.” I pointed to the corner where the long boards were set up in a haphazard order. “But I have all the pieces. I should be able to start soon though. Once school is back in, I’ll have more uninterrupted time to work. Until then, I’ve been making the cutouts for the booth pieces. Want to see?”
“Yes, please.” He took a quick sip and set his mochaccino on the edge of the napkin after wiping his lips. His full, perfectly rose-coloured lips.
Good lord,I needed help.
Over in the area I’d designated as the David zone, since I had a myriad of pieces on the go, I stacked together the layers to give him a rough idea. Once I had them all cut, I needed to carve and add in the details, but at least he could get a sense of what was being worked on.
“You like?”
“Very much.” His eyes danced across the one piece I held tightly in my grip, scanning the area until he met my eyes. “I can see the beauty within.”
I knew it wasn’t directed at me personally, but to the artwork, however, it made my heart rate jump a notch and my breath caught in my throat.
Swallowing to wet my dry as a desert mouth, I whispered,“Thank you.”
I turned away and setthe boards on the table, pointing out where I’d planned on adding depth and designs to morph the plain wood into something beautiful.
As I lifted one of the layers, it slipped out of my hand, and both David and I caught it at the same time.
“Thanks.” Hishand cradled mine, all warm and soft, unlike my rough and calloused hands. Thank goodness he was only touching the top.
