Holding Her Hand (The Reed Brothers 9)

Ryan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a penny. He tosses it on the counter and it bounces toward me. “For your thoughts,” he says.

I slide it back to him. “I don’t know what I think.”

He nods slowly, like he understands and agrees. But he slides the penny back toward me. “Save it. You’ll owe me a thought when you have one.”

I walk to the door with him and open it, and he walks through. But he stops in the threshold and turns back to me. “When can I see you again?”

“We have an appointment in six days.”

A corner of his mouth lifts. “You’re going to make me wait that long?” He pretends to stab himself in the chest with a knife.

I laugh. “Maybe.”

“Good night,” he says with a half-hearted wave.

He steps out of the threshold and I close the door, but I don’t walk away. I rise onto my tiptoes and look through the peephole. He stands there for a minute and then he pumps his fist in the air and grins.

It makes me laugh. I lean against the door for a moment and then I go sit on the couch, feeling like I’m walking on a cloud.

Then I remember that I forgot to give him his cap. But I don’t text him, because I don’t want him to come straight back and get it. If he did, I wouldn’t have an excuse to text him tomorrow.

Ryan

Working out with the Reeds is like working out with Thor, Loki, Captain America, Iron Man, and all their cohorts. They have a gym in their building and they invited me to use it, only I didn’t plan to use it when they were all there.

Paul, the oldest of the Reed brothers, is spotting Pete, the baby of the family, as he lifts an obscene amount of weight. Logan, the one who got a cochlear implant last year, is running on the treadmill beside Sam and Matt. They’re ribbing each other about who can go the fastest. Matt rolls his eyes at Logan and Sam and wipes his face.

“Fuck both of you assholes,” he says as he flips them both the bird. He slows his treadmill and comes to a stop.

Suddenly, Logan lifts his hand to his forehead and grins. It’s a popular game in deaf circles. If you smell a fart, you lift your hand to your forehead, kind of like the sign for “father,” and wait for someone else to smell it. It’s a way of saying I didn’t do it. Did you?

Matt covers his mouth with a towel and gags. “Who did that?” he asks in sign language when he uncovers his mouth momentarily.

I already have my hand lifted to my forehead. No way will I get blamed for that one. It’s too foul even for me.

“Sam,” they all say at once and I realize he’s the only one who doesn’t have his hand up.

He shrugs. “I couldn’t help it!”

“Find a way to help it next time,” Paul warns with a look. Sam’s face colors.

“I made quiche last night,” Sam explains.

“Well, don’t ever make that again,” Pete gripes. He shoves his shoulder.

Josh, the one in the wheelchair who is married to one of Lark’s sisters, pretends to cough into his closed fist. “So…I heard a rumor that someone had a hot date last night.” Josh just learned to sign, so his movements are halting and slow, but he’s trying.

“Funny,” I say, “I didn’t hear that rumor.” I point to my ear. Deaf humor is always funny.

“Who did you go out with?” Logan asks.

“Nobody.”

I start doing butterfly lifts so I don’t have to talk.

“He went out with Lark,” Josh says. Then he fans his face. “And I heard it got a little steamy.”

I put the weights down and glare at him.