Page 29 of Champagne Nights

Chapter Twelve

Ethan

I felt comfortable with her, and to be honest, I had no idea why I asked her to come with me to pick up the cake and go for a walk. A few hours ago, I was ready to leave the party unnoticed, without a trace, so she’d never know I was there. But now, a part of me was happy that I didn’t because I enjoyed her company.

“Shall we take our walk now?” I asked.

“Yes. Don’t forget the cake.” She smiled.

“You wait here, and I’ll run in and grab it and give it to Harry.”

When I walked back inside the bakery, Thaddeus handed me the box, and I brought it outside to the limo.

“Aubrey and I are going to take a walk around SoHo for a bit.” I handed him the cake.

He glared at me for a moment as he took it from my hands.

“Just call me when you’re ready to leave,” he spoke.

Walking back to the table, I lightly placed my hand on Aubrey’s shoulder.

“Are you ready?”

“I am.” She got up from her seat and took hold of my elbow.

I grabbed her hand and wrapped it around my arm, bringing her to my side.

“Will this work?” I asked.

The corners of her mouth gave way to a small, beautiful smile. “Yes. This will work, but I’m also going to use my cane if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course it is. Why would you even ask?”

“Because people tend to feel uncomfortable. I actually had a man once tell me not to use my cane when we were on a date because he didn’t want people to know that I was blind.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“No. I’m not.”

“I sure hope you never saw him again after that.”

“I didn’t. But I did make sure to trip him a couple of times with my cane before telling him never to call me again.”

I chuckled. “Good for you.”

The feeling that resided inside me as her arm was wrapped around mine was something I hadn’t felt in years. Something I never allowed myself to feel. I never would have walked like this if she wasn’t blind and needed assistance. I didn’t do this. I didn’t go on walks, and I certainly didn’t let women wrap their arms around me, not even in the bedroom. I was drawn to her for some reason. I tried to stay away and was successful until I saw her tonight. What is it they say? Out of sight, out of mind? She might have been out of my sight, but she certainly was never out of my mind.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how do you get around?”

“Since I don’t have a fancy car with a fancy driver,” she smiled, “I take a cab, the subway, or I walk, just like all the other people in New York. I also use my iPhone for almost everything, even my clothes. I used to tag each color a different way, but now I use an app, and all I have to do is swish my phone overwhat I’m thinking about wearing, and it tells me the color. It’s so much easier.” She laughed.

“I bet it is.”

“I do have apps for almost everything. I use the GPS like it’s my eyes, and I use an app that tells me what’s around me, like the locations of ATMs, shops, and restaurants. Technology has come so far in helping those who can’t see that sometimes I fear people will become too dependent on it, and then what happens if something goes wrong and we can’t access that technology? That’s why I still use what I’ve learned as well. No matter what happens, you can never lose that.”

As we were walking, Aubrey’s phone went off.

“It’s my apartment building. Why would they be calling?”

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