Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Ellie
I took the elevator to the fourteenth floor and inserted my key into the lock. With a smile, I put my bags down on the kitchen counter and began putting my groceries away. My belly was fluttering as I couldn’t stop thinking about Henry. He was such a nice guy and a gentleman for paying for my groceries and giving me a ride home. I knew getting in a car with a stranger was risky, but I didn’t sense anything shady about him. In fact, I’d never felt more comfortable around someone I didn’t know in my entire life. There was a familiarity about him as if we’d met before. I knew we hadn’t, but my connection with him was overpowering. Maybe it was because he knew sign language and could communicate with me, not to mention the fact that he was sinfully sexy.
He stood about six foot two with dark brown hair cut short on the sides, a medium-length top that swept to the side, piercing blue eyes, and a sexy five o’clock shadow that framed his masculine square jawline. The dark gray suit he wore was perfectly tailored to his muscular body. He was overall the most handsome man I’d ever had the pleasure of meeting.
As I put away the last of my groceries, my phone lit up with a text message from my mom.
“Are you home?”
“Yeah. I just got back from the store.”
“I’m on my way up.”
“Okay. See you in a minute.”
I walked over to the door and unlocked it. My mom lived one floor below me. After my father suddenly and without warning passed away from a massive heart attack five years ago, we sold our house in Glen Oaks and rented an apartment so my mom would be closer to her new job. It was hard at first adjusting to an apartment lifestyle, but the only thing that mattered was we were together. We’d always been such a close and tight-knit family, and when my father died, it was unbearable. My mom swore she’d never move on or date another man again, but then she met James. They’d been dating for about a year, and seeing her happy again was good. He was a good man, and he even learned signed language to communicate with me.
“Hi, honey,” my mom signed with a smile when she walked through the door.
“Hi, Mom,” I spoke as I kissed her cheek.
“I stopped at the herbal store on the way home from work and picked up your favorite tea.”
“Thank you. I’m going to make some right now. Do you want a cup?”
“Sure. But I can’t stay too long. James is picking me up at seven for dinner. What’s going on with you?” She grinned. “You seem different today.”
I filled the kettle with water, placed it back on its base, and pressed the tea button.
“I met this guy at the grocery store,” I spoke and signed simultaneously. “He paid for my groceries and gave me a ride home.”
“Eleanor Katherine Scott. Do you know how dangerous that is? Have I taught you nothing?”
“Relax, Mom. He’s a really nice guy, and he’s so handsome.”
“It’s those nice ones you must watch out for, Ellie. And why did he pay for your groceries?”
I picked up my wallet from the counter.
“I left this here.”
I looked over at the tea kettle, and the red light appeared, indicating the water was heated. Taking two cups from the cabinet, I placed a tea bag in each and filled them with water.
“How did the two of you meet?”
“I was picking out some apples, and they all began falling. When I looked over, he was standing there trying to help me stop them. My cart was blocking the aisle, and of course, I didn’t hear him say excuse me, so he moved my cart and hit the edge of the display. He was saying many things very fast, so I had to tell him I was deaf. And guess what?” My face beamed with excitement.
“What?”
“He started signing.”
“Really?” She cocked her head.
“Yeah, and he’s really good at it. He was behind me in line and saw I didn’t have my wallet, so he offered to pay. Then, when we left the store, he offered me a ride home in his limousine.”
Her brows instantly furrowed at me.
“He has a limo?”
“And a driver.” I smiled. “We’re meeting for lunch tomorrow, and I’m going to pay him back for the food.”
“Why didn’t you pay him back today since he drove you home?”
“I was going to, but he insisted we have lunch tomorrow.”
“What’s his name?”
“Henry.”
“How old is this Henry guy?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Maybe a couple years older than me?” I bit down on my bottom lip.
“Why and how does he know sign language?”
“I don’t know, Mom. The drive was short, and I didn’t ask him. I’ll ask at lunch tomorrow. Can you please stop asking a million questions?”
“You know I always look out for my baby girl.”
“I know.” I reached over and placed my hand on hers.
“I just don’t want you getting hurt by another guy,” she signed. “Anyway, thanks for the tea, but I have to go and get ready.” She kissed my forehead. “Come by tomorrow night when I get home from work. I want to hear everything about this Henry guy.”
“I will.” I smiled as I hugged her.
After I made some pasta, I took my plate to the table and turned on my computer to do some work. The website I was working on was due in a couple of days, and I was almost finished with it. I kept glancing over at my phone as it sat on the table. Henry had told me to text him with a time for lunch. Was it too soon to text him? It had only been a couple of hours since he drove me home. What if he was busy and I interrupted him? Besides, I didn’t want to seem too eager.
My experience with guys had never been very good. The last relationship I was in lasted four months. I always fell for the ones who could hear; many people had told me over the years that hearing/non-hearing relationships never worked out or lasted. I refused to believe that because people were just ignorant. I knew there was a selfless, remarkable man out there for me who would love me despite my deafness. I used to take it personally when things with guys never worked out. But now that I was twenty-seven years old, I grew not to bother with men who weren’t willing to try or complained too much.
I’d finally finished the website and emailed my client. Shutting down my laptop for the night, I grabbed my phone and started the water for a bath. As I sat in the hot peach-scented bubbly water, I picked up my phone, took a deep breath, and sent Henry a text message.
“Hi. It’s Ellie. Tomorrow at noon would work for lunch. Is that a good time for you?”
My message went through as an iMessage. Thank God he had an iPhone. I nervously stared at the screen for the three dots to appear. When they didn’t, I set my phone on the edge of the bathtub and sunk further under the hot, bubbly water. About ten minutes later, my phone lit up, and a text message appeared from him. Instantly, my belly started to flutter. Opening his message, I sat there and read it while the corners of my mouth curved upward.
“Hi, Ellie. Noon is perfect. I’ll send Christian to pick you up first before picking me up at the office. Is there anywhere special you’d like to go?”
“Anywhere is fine. I like just about any type of food.”
“There’s this great Mexican place a few blocks over from my office. It’s called Queso Cantina.”
“I love that place. Sounds good.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Henry.”
Just as I went to set my phone down, a text message came through from my best friend, Joni.
“Girl, I haven’t heard from you in a while. Let’s do lunch tomorrow.”
“I just texted you the other day, lol. I wish I could, but I have lunch plans with Henry.”
“First of all, the other day is too long, and second, who the hell is Henry?”
“A guy I met at the grocery store. Too much to text about him.”
“Okay. Then you’re coming to dinner at my place tomorrow. Be here at six-thirty. I want to hear everything about this Henry guy.”
“I’ll be there. Tell Pete I said hi.”
“I will, sweetie. See you tomorrow.”
Joni and Pete were two of my best friends. Like me, they were also deaf. We met in college, clicked right away, and have been best friends ever since. She worked as a teacher for deaf children, and Pete was an accountant. Pete and I dated once, and after that date, we decided we were better off as good friends. It wasn’t long after meeting Joni in one of my classes that I knew she’d be perfect for him.