Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
T he comfortable feeling had returned and Mercedes was so glad.
When her ex, Callum, had shown up and started in with his arrogant conceit, making fun of Evan and the sign language he needed to communicate, her good mood had disintegrated.
It got even worse when Evan had begun putting himself down.
The man had so many things going for him, but he always copped an attitude when someone hearing behaved badly.
And Callum had been a twat. She’d never tell Evan exactly what he said, even though she’d told him she was interpreting his words.
But she made sure to let Callum know there would be no reconciliation between them.
She’d broken up with him for a reason, and that reason hadn’t changed. He was still a jerk.
Now, she sat opposite Evan in a tiny, rented rowboat on the Charles River not far from Boston Common.
As he rowed, his arm muscles bunched and released, and she couldn’t look away.
When they’d paid to rent it, she made a half-hearted offer to row.
He’d pulled his strong man pose again—Lord, she loved the muscles he exposed when he did that—and said he was capable of getting the boat through the river.
I think I like you rowing us around. You can’t use your hands to sign to me and mouth off with ridiculous things.
He made a face at her and paused the rowing to sign, Maybe I should sing to you. His mouth opened and a few deep notes of a song she didn’t recognize warbled out.
She flinched like she’d been struck, and he stopped singing. Not great, huh?
Not much worse than me, I suppose. She laughed.
I doubt it. I’ll bet your voice is as smooth as melted butter. Not that I know what melted butter sounds like, but I read the description somewhere once and liked it. Plus, I like adding butter to my food, so a melted butter voice seems like it should sound delicious.
She chuckled at the babbling conversation of his hands.
“Row,” she ordered and pointed to the river.
He picked up the oars and stroked them through the water while she enjoyed the sight of him doing it.
This day was getting better. The cool breeze ruffled her curls and lifted the hem of her skirt.
Evan winked as she held it down. She could tell he wanted to make a smart comment but couldn’t due to oars in his hands.
They cruised through the river for about an hour, then returned the boat. It was just about time to meet Carli and Blake at their place. He owned a gorgeous condo in the Back Bay with a balcony view of the Charles River.
The engaged couple was waiting for them outside when they arrived.
“Good day?” Carli asked in ASL.
“Great day,” both she and Evan responded at the same time, then laughed.
“I bought some steaks and am ready to pop them on the grill,” Blake said. “You’re hungry, I hope. Carli made a bunch of side dishes.”
Evan smiled widely. “I’m always hungry for steak, if someone else is cooking it.”
“Thank you so much.” Mercedes gave her friend a hug. “I feel terrible we didn’t bring anything to share.”
“You brought yourself. That’s all we wanted.”
Evan narrowed his eyes at his sister. “Even me? I figured I was only invited because of Mercedes.”
Carli’s mouth twitched into a grin. “True, but we’ll put up with you. Blake likes having another guy around in case Mercedes and I start talking about the wedding plans.”
Evan tipped his chin at Blake who nodded. “Good idea.”
Once in the condo, Blake got the grill going outside on the balcony. They all joined him and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.
“How’s the roommate situation going?” Blake asked once he’d put the steaks on.
Mercedes glanced at Evan, and they both shrugged. “So far so good.”
Carli laughed. “I’m surprised you haven’t killed him yet with how much of a slob he is. Thank God he shared a room with Brian and not me.”
“Not yet, though there are times I get very close.” She winked at him. He could be a slob but thankfully managed to keep it under control.
Evan’s eyes glimmered with mischief. “At least I don’t hang my underwear on the shower rod for all to see.”
“All?” Mercedes glared at him. “You mean the two of us. Maybe you don’t hang your shorts everywhere, but you do leave your facial hair in the sink when you shave.”
Carly scrubbed her fingers over her brother’s cheek. “Wait. You actually shave?”
Evan pushed her hand away. “Every now and then. Can’t let it get too heavy, especially in the summer.”
Blake flipped the steaks, then signaled for Carli. “Want to get the side dishes out and on the table?”
“I can do that. Mercedes, why don’t you help me? We can talk about wedding stuff away from the men.”
Evan looked at Blake. “Thank God. Do you have to listen to her discuss it all the time?”
Mercedes didn’t see Blake’s answers because they headed to the kitchen. They spent the next ten minutes putting dishes and utensils on the table, filling glasses with iced tea, and pulling a variety of salads from the fridge.
“Is it really going okay with my brother? You don’t have to sugarcoat it.”
Mercedes stuck a serving spoon in a bowl of orzo salad. “It really is. He may not be anywhere as neat as you, but he makes an attempt, and if he forgets, I simply remind him and he takes care of his mess.”
“Good,” she signed, then added salt and pepper to the table. “I was kind of surprised when you suggested he move in, but he seems a lot happier than when he was living with Adam.”
Frowning, Mercedes said, “I was never very fond of Adam. I can’t lie. I found him to be rude at times.”
Carli nodded. “I agree but never said anything because he and Evan are friends. Not as good now as when they were younger, but I put up with him for Evan’s sake. Has Adam been around much?”
“Not at all. Haven’t seen him once, except DNO, and I don’t think Evan has mentioned him since he’s moved in. I’m not complaining.”
Blake strode in with a huge plate of steaks, Evan closing the slider behind them. They all settled into the chairs in the dining room and passed the bowls around until all plates were full. They began to eat and stayed quiet for a few minutes.
“Got any big plans for the last few weeks of summer?” Blake asked once he’d made a huge dent in his food.
“Our students will be coming back this week, so I need to make sure all the new books have been labeled and shelved correctly.”
“Aside from work,” Evan signed, “I’m playing ball two nights a week and on Saturdays. Practice, then games.”
Mercedes got excited. “Did you know Evan is a great baseball player? I watched a few games. He’s excellent.”
Carli smiled. “Yes, he’s always been good. He played all through high school. The varsity team actually won the state championship one year.”
Evan’s face hardened. “Sure, I loved playing until we got that new coach who didn’t think deaf kids could play ball.”
“What? That’s ridiculous? What was his reasoning?” Mercedes’ temper erupted, thinking how he must have felt back then.
“I was disabled, so obviously I couldn’t be on the team. He said I wouldn’t be able to hear the other teammates yelling to throw the ball or other idiotic stuff.”
Carli patted her brother’s hand. “You had some pretty good friends who stood up for you.”
Evan’s face softened, and he grinned.
“What happened?” she asked when he didn’t share the information.
“The entire team threatened to walk out and not play if I couldn’t be on the team.”
“Wow,” Blake said, eyes wide. “That must have felt great. He let you back on the team, right?”
Evan’s lips twisted to the side. “It did feel good and we had a great year, but the coach never really warmed up to me. He was pissed that the team made him look bad, especially when I scored some of the winning runs or caught balls that ended the game in our favor.”
Mercedes stroked his arm, then gave it a quick squeeze. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“It was a long time ago.” Evan seemed to shake it off, but she had a feeling he hadn’t really let it go.
The towel landed on the bathroom floor. Evan bent to pick it up, then paused.
He’d been attempting to keep the apartment cleaner than he’d ever done with Adam.
Winning the approval of his new roommate had become high on his list of things he liked doing.
Should he keep it up, though? Something had been nagging at him since last weekend, when they’d spent the day in Boston.
He was getting in too deep. His feelings for Mercedes had grown even more since moving in with her a month ago.
Not that he was against a relationship with her, but he knew it would never happen, or last very long if he somehow managed to convince her to date him.
She was way out of his league. As much as he liked to put on an air of confidence, his sister called it cocky, he knew he wasn’t smart enough for her.
Maybe it was time to think about moving out.
Where would he go? Absolutely not back with Adam, who was still bumming space on his parents’ couch.
Leaving the towel where he’d dropped it, he put his razor away but didn’t bother wiping the whiskers from the sink.
One of her bras, a lacy pink number, hung on the towel bar above the sink.
He tore his eyes away from the sight so images of Mercedes wearing it, and nothing else, wouldn’t pop into his mind.
As he ambled down the hall to his room, he peeked into the kitchen. She was stacking dishes in the dishwasher, mumbling to herself. He assumed she was mumbling to herself, seeing as no one else was in the house.
After throwing on a light gray t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers, he went to find breakfast. Maybe if he irritated her more, she’d be grouchy with him.
That could maybe make her less attractive and easier to ignore.
Who was he kidding? The woman was stunning.
He should still dial back on the clean thing, so she wasn’t as big of a fan.
She pivoted when he walked in, and her face showed irritation. Apparently, his plan was already working.
“The faucet is leaking so much that it’s not feeding enough water to the dishwasher. I called the apartment manager, but he isn’t picking up.” How could a scowl still make her so beautiful?
“Does your manager work on weekends? Ours never answered a call if it wasn’t nine to five on a weekday. Even then, good luck getting him after four.”
“I don’t want the dishes to sit in the sink for the entire weekend. The water is barely coming out because the leak is so bad.”
He was going to suggest washing them in the bathroom sink, but she didn’t look like she’d appreciate that suggestion. He stepped to the sink and turned the handle. The water trickled out of the base of the faucet. “This is more than a loose washer. The whole faucet needs to be replaced.”
Her shoulders sagged, and he thought he saw tears in her eyes.
Why did the sight punch him in the gut? “I can fix it. All we need is a new faucet. I can get one at the hardware store down the street. Do you want to come and pick one out with me?” He shouldn’t have asked.
Should have simply told her they had to suck it up until Monday. Her tears wouldn’t let him.
“Are you sure you know how? I wouldn’t even have the first clue where to start.”
His temper flared when she questioned his knowledge, but she held such hope in her gaze that he couldn’t be upset with her. Wait. Wasn’t that the point? Get upset with her, so he wouldn’t fall any deeper?
“I’ve got the tools in my truck and nowhere else to go until my game this afternoon.”
Her smile held gratitude. “Thank you. I hate the idea of having to buy something the building manager should pay for, but I need to have water. Do you mind if I come along?”
“I asked, didn’t I? Get some shoes on, and we’ll take my truck.”
Within minutes, they’d gotten to the hardware store and were perusing faucets.
He was surprised how quickly she picked out something new, and the fact she’d chosen a simple, inexpensive one.
Of course, they were paying for it, so they wouldn’t get something too pricey.
If they were lucky, maybe the manager would reimburse them, especially since he wouldn’t have to pay for a plumber.
Trying to find the outside water shutoff was the most difficult part of the project.
Once he’d done that, pulling the old faucet out and installing the new one didn’t take more than an hour.
He’d gotten soaked with some of the liquid that had still been in the pipes, but it was a small price to pay.
“All done,” he signed. She’d supervised his entire project.
He twisted the knobs and showed her that it didn’t leak, and the water pressure was at full.
When he faced her way, she wasn’t looking at the new faucet.
Her eyes were glued to his wet t-shirt. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she desired him.
She licked her lips and sighed before raising her gaze to the sink.
Okay, maybe there was some chemistry there.
The temptation to act on his feelings, and hers, was strong, but she was too good for him.
He’d been thinking that same thing earlier.
Maybe it was time for him to get his thoughts out.
"So, I’m wondering if maybe it’s time for me to move out. You’ve put up with me long enough.”
She shook her head and frowned. “What? Why?”
Shrugging, he signed, “I’m going back to my slobby ways. I can’t guarantee I’ll remember to clean up after myself.”
“No, no, no, no. We can figure something out. You can’t leave me. Who will help pay the rent? Or fix the water for me if it breaks?”
“You can call the property manager for that,” he said.
“Like today when he didn’t answer? I don’t want to wait a week to have him fix stuff. Plus, Tasha from work would bug me to move in here. She keeps asking about you.”
He grinned. “Asking about me? Did she see a picture and fall madly in love?”
Mercedes set her hands on her hips for a second. “She saw the pictures I posted online from our trip into Boston. She said you were cute.”
“You agreed with her. Correct?”
“I think you’re quite aware of your looks.”
He grinned deeper. “You didn’t answer the question. You agreed with her that I’m cute, right?”
She pursed her lips. “In your dreams.”
He laughed when her sassy words returned. Truth was, she was in his dreams a lot.