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During one of her visits, Tiffany insisted Zoe use her rental car to take her driving test. Unable to hear the instructions from the man testing her and struggling to read his lips due to his bushy mustache, she failed.
The woman who ran the tiny outpost office asked her to memorize a series of directions. She rode in the passenger seat of the rental car as Zoe went through each of them.
When she was parked, in gear, and the rental car was turned off, she looked at the woman expectantly and returned her smile.
“Congratulations, Miss Green.”
Later that same day, Tiffany drove her to the outskirts of Boulder to buy a car that was small and environmentally friendly. She knew she’d rarely, if ever, take long drives. It was perfect for in town.
In her sixth month in Cedarton, she was walking into the grocery store and smiled at a young man standing beside several cages containing cats and dogs. He was with the local no-kill animal shelter.
“Would you like to adopt a friend?”
She read his lips and removed her notebook to reply when a cat behind him, in the bottom cage, caught her eye. Walking around him, she knelt in front of the cage and stared into solemn green eyes.
Holding out her palm, the cat put its’ paw through the bars and touched her lightly. Incredibly emotional, she quickly wrote the young man a note. “I’ll take this one.”
Buying everything her new pet would need, she returned home to get him settled. The shelter didn’t have a name for him. He was battle-scarred and a little damaged from being hit by a car.
They were a perfect pair.
She named him Maximus and rushed home every day at lunch to check on him. He was usually sleeping in the sunshine, on the chair they sat in together when she wasn’t working.
Such a simple addition to her life gave Zoe more peace. She wasn’t as lonely or as prone to strange bouts of crying that came out of nowhere and could leave her off-balance the entire day.
Maximus was the ideal companion. An older, calm cat, he seemed to enjoy her simple, quiet life.
Hertrue lovewas the library where she worked.
The building was filled with endless books that never ceased to fascinate her. From the first day she stepped foot inside her new domain, Zoe embraced it with all of herself.
She adored her job and rarely left for her day off without a stack of new releases to read. Those who regularly visited the library in their town tended to be very old or very young, with a true passion about reading.
That was why, on the day everything in her life was jostled slightly out of place, Zoe was taken aback by an unusual confrontation with one of her patrons.
She didn’t hear the man talking behind her as she shelved books. Later, she realized he probably assumed she was ignoring him.
He grabbed her roughly by the upper arm and spun her around. Startled, the books in her hands fell to the floor. He was in her face, still gripping her arm, and far too close.
She was hit with a cloying wave of breath mints. One mint was refreshing, pleasant. From the vapor he emitted, it was obvious the man ate them compulsively. Probably one after another.
Unlike most men, he wasn’t much taller than Zoe. He shouted at her while trying to keep several of the small candies from flying out of his mouth. It distorted his lips and made it impossible to read them.
She tried to sign but he grabbed her other arm and shook her sharply. Biting her tongue, the shake left her disoriented and dizzy.
It seemed surreal when her arms were freed and she felt her body carefully lifted and moved. She was placed on her feet behind abrick wallof a human being who took Breath Mint by the neck.
Peering around the massive person, she read his lips. “She’s deaf. Touch her again and I’ll beat you unconscious.”
Who was he?
Zoe held her upper arms, unsure what to do or how to react to either of the males invading her calm morning.
The little man sputtered in fury. “The library shouldn’t hire someone incapable of helping patrons. Ridiculous she’s evenhere. I’ve been trying to get her attention for five minutes. Idiot.”
Her would-be protector went very still. “One more word, one more insult, and Iwillphysically hurt you. She isn’t at the customer service desk where they’re waitingbreathlesslyfor you. Being deaf doesn’t makeheran idiot. Thinking such a thing makesyouan idiot.”
The man frowned and opened his mouth to argue when the giant shook him slightly. Breath Mint pressed his thin lips together, clearly frustrated.
