Chapter Twelve
E van sighed as he stared out the window at the house next door.
The one where Mercedes stayed. Last night, they’d said good night and knew they’d see each other the next day.
If he could even face her today after that weird half kiss thing.
Well, her lips had connected fully with his, but it hadn’t lasted long.
Definitely not long enough for him. The sweet taste he’d gotten, no matter how small, had whet his appetite for more. Had she liked it?
Who was he kidding? She’d reacted to him saving the little boys. That was all. He didn’t want a woman who only wanted him due to a case of hero worship. Especially since he was no hero.
In the kitchen, he found his grandparents already at the table, drinking coffee.
“Want a cup?” his Pops asked, holding up a mug.
“No, thanks. I’m not a coffee drinker.”
His Gram walked to the fridge and pulled out a liter of Mountain Dew. “I remembered, even if your grandfather didn’t. Are you still drinking this?”
Evan threw her a wide smile. “You are the best, Gram. Exactly the way to start my day.”
She poured him a large glass and tossed in a few ice cubes. He’d even take it warm if that was the only way he could get his caffeine. Fresh, homemade muffins sat in a basket in the middle of the table. Glancing at this grandmother first, he reached for one.
She tossed her head. “Of course you may have one. I didn’t make that many so your grandfather and I could get fat.”
When he bit into it, apple and cinnamon flavors burst over his taste buds. So good. Thanks. He didn’t even stop chewing to show his appreciation.
Once he’d devoured two of the muffins and an entire glass of Mountain Dew, he asked how his grandparents had been.
“We’re wonderful and so happy to see you,” Gram said. “It’ll be good to see the whole family today. Especially Carli and Blake. They’ve been so busy with the wedding planning. They said they were coming to the anniversary party, correct?”
“Yes. Blake even switched with someone, so he isn’t on call today.”
Gram nodded and toddled back to the counter to rinse out her coffee mug. Pops tipped his head at Evan.
“How’s the job going? What do they have you working on?” Pops had been essential in getting him the experience he’d needed to get the job on the road construction crew.
“Typical stuff. Skid steer, dump truck, bulldozer mostly. Depends on which road we’re working on.”
“Have you thought of taking the test for level two? It gets you into some of the larger equipment and leadership positions.”
Evan rolled his eyes but gave a small grin to lessen the effect. “I’ve skimmed through the book, but there’s a bit that I can’t work out. All that math stuff for measurement makes my brain melt down. Odds are they won’t see me as the guy for a management position. Not with my hearing loss.”
Pops scowled. “Do they look at you like you can’t understand things? You’re extremely talented with the equipment. I know, because I taught you to use much of it myself.”
Evan shrugged. “A few of the other workers stare at me, especially when I use my voice, but my boss is a pretty cool guy and seems to think I’m doing great.”
“Good. I might be able to help you with that measurement stuff. Did you bring your book with you?”
Evan shook his head. “No. This is supposed to be a party weekend with lots of fun and food.”
Pops peeked at his watch, and his face grew serious. “I’ve got my book around here somewhere. Let me grab it, and we can take a look. My edition might be out of date, but I bet much of the information still applies.”
Evan didn’t have anything else to do during the morning, and the party didn’t start until this afternoon. Might as well spend it with Pops. He wasn’t sure how many of the math problems he’d be able to accomplish, but he always loved spending time with his grandfather.
Pops returned a few minutes later, a ragged, dog-eared copy of the Level Two book in his hands. “Found it. Come on out back with me. We can do some hands-on instruction. I always learned better by doing. You can’t get a real hang of things simply by reading.”
Evan followed him out and watched as Pops set up some sticks around the backyard.
For the next hour or so, they measured perimeters and areas and talked about how each piece of equipment would be used to dig up the space or move the dirt from one place to another.
He had to admit, with his grandfather showing him with real-life scenarios, it didn’t seem quite as difficult.
However, the biggest problem would be taking the written test.
As Pops flipped through the old manual, Evan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. After pulling it out, he swiped to see a text from Mercedes.
—Are you around to help my dad and Jonas set up the tent? It’s huge and they didn’t realize they’d need extra hands.—
He smiled. —You don’t have hands to help?—
—Do you want food at the party? If so, we need to concentrate on that.—
—Be right over.—
He shoved the phone back in his pocket and signed to his grandfather. “They need help setting up the tent. Thanks for all the practice.”
“Did it help?”
“It did. Makes the math part a little less scary. I never had a problem with the number part of math; it was the written parts that always tripped me up. I appreciate the time.”
His Pops nodded, and Evan dashed next door where Pierre and Jonas, Mercedes’ brother, stared at a huge piece of fabric on the ground.
“Need some help?”
“Evan.” Jonas stalked over and shook hands.
“Good to see you again. We’d love some help.
” Fortunately, the man faced him and spoke clearly.
Jonas had grown up here and had spent plenty of time with the Jameson kids.
He hadn’t immersed himself in ASL like Mercedes had, but he’d picked up enough to get by.
Kids didn’t always need lots of words to have fun, plus Brian was the same age as Jonas and was usually around to interpret.
Pierre came over and greeted Evan and signed, “Thank you.” Then, he indicated the deflated tent and grimaced.
“I’ve done a tent like this a few times before. It’s definitely a four-man job. Let me get my Pops.” When Evan swiveled to leave, his grandfather was already standing there, ready to help.
Evan gave simple instructions and pointed where each of them needed to stand, hold, and lift. It took some doing, but they finally hammered in the last stake that pulled the fabric taut. All four men stood back, arms crossed, looking pleased with themselves.
“Never would have gotten that done without you.” Jonas stuck his finger in Evan’s direction.
He shrugged, hating the limelight even for a small thing. “Means I get a second piece of the cake, right?”
Jonas and Pierre laughed. “Absolutely.”
“Anything else you need help with?” he asked, hoping Mercedes would come out and say hi. He was completely ridiculous with his need to be with her. How had he managed before they moved in together?
Pierre smirked and jerked a thumb toward the truck in the driveway. “Chairs and tables. We can get them if you have other things to do.”
“No problem,” Pops signed.
As they marched toward the truck, Evan dug his elbow into Jonas’ side. “That’s two pieces of cake and an extra hamburger.”
Jonas elbowed him back. “You got it.”
The tables and chairs were set up quickly with four of them working. Once done, Pierre waved them away, saying, “Enjoy a little time before the party. Thank you again.”
Evan and Pops spent the next hour chatting about his job and going over a few things in the Heavy Equipment book.
When his parents showed up with Deanna and Brian, they all headed over with their food contributions and small presents for the anniversary couple.
He hadn’t even known what to get them, but his roommate was a godsend and picked up something from them both.
Did you miss me and all my charm? he signed as soon as he got close to Mercedes.
She played along by clasping her hands to her heart. “Terribly so. I cried all night long.”
She rolled her eyes, then greeted his family.
Carli and Blake were just pulling in, so Mercedes jogged off to say hello and most likely ask a few questions about the wedding.
She’d attempted to get his opinion on some of the plans, but he played the deaf card and claimed he hadn’t heard anything.
It wasn’t far from the truth. Wedding details were not his thing.
He was happy to see his sister married to her true love, but he didn’t want to be included in any plans, other than showing up in his tuxedo and walking Mercedes down the aisle. As a bridesmaid.
The party filled up quickly, and Evan soon shrunk back into his toned-down personality.
He felt uncomfortable around hearing people, especially ones he didn’t know.
These were mostly friends of Pierre and Lisette.
None of them had any reason to be conversant in ASL.
Whenever he had to engage with hearing people, it sucked the energy right out of his body.
He’d rather hang out with those who spoke his language.
As he watched Mercedes chat with her father and mother, he attempted to read her lips. For the life of him, though, he couldn’t understand a single word.
A tap on his shoulder had him glancing at Jonas. “Unless you know French, you won’t figure it out.”
Relief hit him hard. “French. I thought I was losing my lip reading ability.”
Jonas gave the universal sign for “food” and cocked his thumb over his shoulder. Evan followed him to the laden table and grabbed a plate. This was the best reason for a party. Lots of food.
He settled at one of the tables with his parents and siblings as they ate. More conversation about the wedding passed between his mother, Deanna, and the bride-to-be. The men tried valiantly to stay out of the chatter. The food was excellent, even though Mercedes’ mom hadn’t made most of it.
As they were finishing up their meal, Mercedes skipped over and waved her hands. “You know you’re sitting at the same table as a hero.”
The others signed question marks and peered around. Evan frowned at her and shook his head. We don’t need any stories. Thanks.
“Too bad.” Mercedes wrinkled her nose, looking far too adorable. “I think everyone should know what you did yesterday.”
Brian grinned. “Did it involve the cops? Maybe we don’t mention that in front of the parents.”
He glared at his older brother. He may not have always been the straightest arrow, but he’d never done anything illegal.
“No,” she continued and Evan plopped his head in his hands.
“Last night, after a lovely meal of fried clams, we walked along the marina. There was some construction going on and a family with several small boys were watching. Evan could tell something was wrong with the bucket of the loader and raced off to grab the boys and move them out of the way. Literally seconds before the bucket lock popped and dropped a ton of concrete and debris where the kids had been standing.”
All eyes turned to him, and he gritted his teeth. He hated when he was the center of attention. Mercedes knew this. And it wasn’t only his family that had been told the story, she’d obviously voiced it as well. Everyone in earshot had heard her, too.
The amount of people who expressed surprise and thanks was overwhelming. He waved them all off. “This is an anniversary party. The attention needs to be on the happy couple. Congratulations, Lisette and Pierre on thirty years of marriage.” He held up his empty beer bottle in a toast.
He honestly didn’t care if any of the hearing people didn’t understand his voice or signs, he wanted the focus elsewhere.
Fortunately, many people lifted glasses toward the celebrating couple, and he had the opportunity to slip away with the excuse of disposing of his plate.
He’d grabbed a few others at the table for good measure.
Mercedes found him near the house, picking through a cooler for a bottle of beer. “I’m sorry. Are you mad at me?”
She looked so sad; he couldn’t be upset. He rolled his eyes and made a face at her. “No, however, it’s supposed to be your parents’ party and not all about me.”
“I know, but what you did yesterday was amazing. More people than just me need to understand how incredible you are. I’m so proud of what you did by saving those little boys, and I think it’s really cool that you’re my friend and roommate.
I wanted to brag about it. You don’t seem to mind bragging with your Deaf friends. ”
He lifted one shoulder. “Are you calling me conceited?” A little light teasing was needed to shift the mood.
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Maybe just confident in yourself.”
Sure, with his Deaf friends who knew him. “I don’t know most of these people. I’m sure they don’t care what I’ve done.”
“I’m still proud of you.” She jumped into his arms and hugged him. Automatically, his arms closed around her and held tight. He loved holding her. And she thought he was incredible. Aside from the embarrassment of her story about him, it was turning into a pretty good day.