Page 197 of Champagne Nights

Chapter Two

TWO WEEKS LATER

Henry

Since my fridge was empty, I was out of coffee, and my housekeeper, Delilah, was on vacation, I left the office early and stopped at the grocery store. I was almost finished shopping when I forgot to pick up some fresh spinach. So, I turned the cart around and headed back to the produce department. I couldn't get through between all the people in that section, a big cardboard box display filled with guacamole mix, and a cart in the middle of the aisle.

“Excuse me,” I spoke to the woman standing there looking at the apples.

“Excuse me.” I sighed as she wasn’t turning around or moving her cart.

“Excuse me,” I asked one last time. “What the fuck,” I mumbled under my breath as I placed my hands on her cart and moved it, hitting the edge of the display of apples. The top row started to tumble, causing a domino effect, and the apples started to fall to the ground.

“Oh shit,” I said.

The woman placed her hands on the tumbling apples as I placed mine next to hers out of panic to try and stop them. I was speechless when she turned her head and looked at me with her beautiful green eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I spoke as we both tried to stop more apples from falling. “Your cart was in the way, and I couldn’t get through. I was asking you to excuse me, so I moved your cart myself. Obviously, I used a little too much force.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.

She stared at me momentarily and then brought her index finger up to her ear and down to her lips. I cocked my head at her, for I knew what that meant.

“Are you deaf?” I signed.

A bright smile crossed her face.

“Yes,” she signed as she nodded her head. “You too?” She pointed at me.

“No. But I do know sign language.”

We both bent down to pick up the apples from the ground.

“I’m sorry I left my cart in the way,” she signed.

“Please. You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you read lips?” I signed.

“Yes.” she nodded as a beautiful smile graced her face.

We finished picking up the apples, and I felt compelled to introduce myself.

“My name is Henry,” I finger-spelled my name.

“Ellie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ellie,” I signed and then held out my hand to her.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Henry.” She placed her hand in mine.

She glanced over at my cart and then at me with a grin.

“You can tell a lot about a guy by the food he buys,” she signed.

“All good, I hope.”

“Yes,” she signed. “All good.”

I let out a chuckle.

“I better get going. Sorry for making the apples fall,” I spoke as I signed simultaneously.

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