Rivers Rescue (River's End #9)

by Leanne Davis

  “Right. Yeah.” Her gaze wavered. “Are you okay with that?”

  He kissed her neck again and then smiled up at her image. “Sure. Long as you’re okay with Felicity.”

  She squinted her eyes in a narrow glare. “Eye for an eye? Darren for Felicity?”

  He let her go and laughed out loud. He didn’t usually. It made her smile when he dropped his guard momentarily with her. Maybe in time, with plenty of comfort and love, she could earn his trust and security and he wouldn’t be so careful about the sounds he made. Eventually, he could start to relax and become less inhibited. “Felicity has nothing on you. So, not the same.”

  She turned, her brush in hand. “Felicity can use her hands and her magic language to get into your head in ways I can’t. That’s far more powerful than a pretty guy with a fancy car.”

  “You admit then that he’s pretty?”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s not at all my point.”

  His smile faded. “No, but he can hear and speak to you in common language, that of the spoken word. So it’s kind of the same comparison.”

  “I don’t want Darren.”

  He grinned. “Good. I don’t want Felicity.”

  “But I do have to do business with him.”

  “And I’d like to have a freaking friend who understands me… differently than you do.”

  “And that, Finn is freaking terrifying for me. To hear my boyfriend say she can understand me differently than you do?” She put air quotes around the statement since he couldn’t hear her sneer and emphasis. “If you think you feel insecure about Darren’s success and conversing with me, try competing with another person who can fully communicate completely and clearly with you like no one else can. That’s way beyond looks, a good job, and money or success. It’s core values. Lifestyles. Life-changing skills. So powerful. Sure, I’ll admit it makes me extremely uncomfortable and jealous at times and yet, of course you should go see her. I’m very happy you have a friend who so easily identifies with your experiences and you, period.”

  He stepped forward, placing his hand behind her neck, tugging her forward and kissing her lips. “You have nothing to worry about. I see your generosity and I know that you want so much more for me. I’ve never known anyone like you, Brianna.”

  She held him. “That’s been said to me before,” she smiled modestly, “but never in a positive light.”

  He laughed, out loud again. She tilted her head. She restrained the urge to comment because she did not want to draw any attention to it or make him feel self-conscious. But twice. In a ten-minute span. That was huge. If he could fully trust her, maybe he could let her hear him as he naturally was.

  “It’s positive.”

  “With you. You make me feel more visible and understood as I truly am.” She took his hand and kissed it. “Will you start teaching me sign language tonight? Later, after we deal with Darren and Felicity?”

  He tilted his head towards her and touched her forehead. Holding her for a long moment while she held and stared up at him, he replied, “Yes.”

  She smiled as they separated. “Trinity loaned me her SUV, so you can drive my car.”

  “Appreciate it.”

  Brianna ran up to her stepmother and took her car keys with a quick thanks and a wave as she ran out to meet Darren. She drove the few miles to his office. It was in an older Victorian house right off the main thoroughfare in Everett. Lots of older, nineteenth-century homes peppered the area. His company refurbished it with elaborate facades and modern interiors. It was lovely. Brianna was led across the hardwood floor before she entered Darren’s huge, ground floor office. Rising up with a smile, Darren said, “Hello, Brianna. Glad you found it.”

  She smiled back as she slipped into the chair he indicated and said, “It was easy enough. My dad’s house is just off the waterfront. So, not far.”

  His eyebrows rose up as he sat down. “Pretty close by?”

  “I was raised here. Dad still lives here. I’m currently transitioning, deciding where I’d like to settle permanently. My job… that is, my day job, can be accomplished from anywhere…”

  “What is your day job?”

  “I sell several different lines of products.”

  “And what about this? The charity?”

  “I hope to expand it into a larger part of my life.”

  He nodded towards his laptop on the corner of his desk. “The website? Is that all you?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s pretty great, Brianna. I hope the Rydells appreciate the caliber of your skills and vision.”

  “They’re my family. Of course they do.” She grinned, staring hard at him before glancing away, flushing. She did that sometimes. She was so used to Finn, she found herself making eye contact that was more intense than most people. Relieved at the ability to look down at her hands and speak, she did so. “And I appreciate the compliment. So what do you think about marketing with us? Public relations?”

  “What do you think?”

  Brianna eagerly launched into a long sales pitch she rehearsed in case that point came up. She compared his store chain to the product he provided, making it reflect the same lifestyle the Rydell River Ranch, Resort and Rescue projected. They were the real deal and when Brianna explained it, that came through crystal clear. There were no shiny, made-up pretenses. They were the quintessential example that Darren strove to exemplify to other country folks as the ideal they should aspire to be. That, in turn, suggested that buying the products Darren sold could offer the consumer as authentic a lifestyle as the Rydells enjoyed.

  He nodded, uncrossing one leg off the other, and leaning forward on his desk as if he were engaging a more intimate talk with her. “You are really good. I bet you could sell me some oceanfront property in Arizona, huh? And I’d probably thank you for selling it to me. I really think you could too. So much that I think it’s a safe bet to put my money on your enterprise. If you’re in charge of the camp and collecting donations, then yes, I agree to partner with you.”

  Her heart nearly exploded from the excitement brewing in her chest. Oh, God. This was huge. Enormous. The amount of money Darren suggested could give their charity new status and respect. They would have money to invest in advertising the way they chose to be perceived. And hell, they could even become a household name. The Rydell River Resort and Ranch would soon become a desirable destination point. People all over the state and along the coast would make it a must-do experience.

  She immediately leaned forward, offering her hand, “Thank you, Darren. Thank you. This will be a feather in both of our hats.”

  He took her hand and nodded. “I believe you’re right.”

  He sat back down, his eyes scanning her. Unbelievably to her, he also blushed. “I was wondering, if perhaps I could buy you some dinner?”

  Flustered, her mouth dropped open but she was at a loss for words. “Oh. Um… no. I can’t. I mean… my boyfriend is expecting me for dinner.”

  “You have a boyfriend?”

  “Finn?”

  He looked at her blankly. She sighed. “Remember the deaf guy in the barn?” She knew he had to recall Finn. She flinched. Finn was right, deaf was the best way to describe him for easy identification.

  “That guy’s your boyfriend?”

  “Yes, I’m proud to admit.”

  He nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t realize. Well, then, why don’t we get started on the schedules and coordinating the first ad we want to run? I’d like to shoot some photos on the ranch too, and...”

  That was how they collaborated. She worked side-by-side with Darren and after the initial minutes of awkwardness, it totally faded. Good. Thank God. She wanted to work with Darren.

  But more than that, she wanted to elevate the work both she and Finn did.

  ****

  Finn texted Felicity and she seemed glad to hear from him when she invited him to her house. He took Brianna’s car to the address she provided. It was pretty close by in the sprawling s
uburbs and mazes of cul de sacs. When he found the address, he pulled into the driveway and ran up to the front door to ring the bell.

  A woman answered. Felicity’s Mom, no doubt. Finn was pleasantly surprised when she signed, “Hello, you must be Finn. Felicity’s right down that hallway. She’s expecting you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Damn that was nice, Finn grudgingly admitted to himself. Clear. Concise. He knew where to go and what to do without any strain or confusion in communication.

  He entered the room and found a home office. Felicity was at the desk, writing. He walked forward and slid his hand over to touch the paper, in clear view to her. She lifted her head up with a huge grin and signed, “Finn.” Her smile was huge, and her eyes went wide and crinkled at the corners.

  He sat down, signing, “What are you doing?

  “I edit copy for businesses. Technical writing degree. Right now, I’m poring over a not-so-interesting report from a local research company before they release it to the medical field.”

  He leaned forward, his hands moving quickly with unveiled interested. “I hate computers and sitting all day. My work with the horses at the ranch I told you about is probably the equivalent. I’m all alone. Having little or no communication with others. No co-workers that need me for stuff.”

  She nodded. “That’s golden.”

  “Is your mom deaf?”

  “No. Just me. I was a surprise to all my family.”

  In no time, the next four hours passed. They talked and laughed. They exchanged comparable situations in life with hearing people from common annoyances to those who actually made fun of them. He flinched with guilt at some of the things he said, which reminded him of Brianna, through no fault of her own.

  “So, do you work all alone?”

  “I do. Reading and editing requires silence. Luckily, I come well equipped for the job,” she smirked.

  He replied, “Ideal job skills. Better than trying to navigate a crowded cubical or office setting.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Hearing people have an unfair advantage in that regard. But I don't see any solution. Do you get the exaggerated mouth shapes? Yelling? As if that’ll suddenly break through my fucking deafness and make it disappear?”

  He smiled, thinking of Brianna at first. All the annoying faux pas that a hearing person who is newly interacting with a deaf person could do were done by Brianna. But she was also trying harder than anyone else he ever met to do it right. “Brianna tried that at first.”

  “She must have a prior experience with someone deaf to be dating you. No offense, but it rarely works out.”

  “Actually, she had no experience. Did everything wrong, even though she tried very hard not to. She wanted to do everything right.”

  “I guess it might be easier for you. You can at least communicate in limited ways with her. My dating pool is pretty damn small. Strictly ASL so that limits it. Luckily, there’s a healthy deaf community around here, especially the closer you get towards Seattle.”

  “I don’t go to anything for the deaf. The only reason I’m here talking to you now is because Brianna Starr dragged me out of the barn that I all but hibernated in.”

  She tilted her head. “Seriously? That girl I met? She doesn’t seem the type.”

  “The type? To what? Love me?”

  “No. No, sorry. Just she—” Felicity’s hands stopped moving.

  “She?” Finn’s eyebrows rose upwards. “Talk about judging.”

  “Okay. Maybe it’s the cheerleader look. Not my experience to have them show any sympathy to me. They often mimicked me. Well, for me, school sucked. So I guess her overall look brought back the mean-girl treatment I got in high school.”

  “She’s not a mean girl.”

  “Right. Anyway… So you never tried to meet anyone else who knows sign language?”

  “You’re the first. During school, I used it with my interpreters.”

  “That’s so sad, Finn.”

  “Yeah. But look, here I am now.”

  “You should come to Deaf Jam. It’s all about celebrating sign language and the whole Deaf culture. At the very least, you can meet people who practice ASL as their primary communication in this area. That’s how I met my best friends, Doug and Gi. In fact, we’re getting together for dinner tomorrow night, I told them about you. Could you join us? You really shouldn’t go for years on end without being around other deaf people. You know, we’re prone to depression and anxiety from social isolation? The best way to combat that is by hanging with others.”

  “I know it. I lived it. Until Brianna showed up.”

  She quirked her eyebrow up. “You’re for real.”

  “I’m serious. But I’ll check with her, and see if we can make it.”

  She tilted her head. “You’d bring her then?”

  “If she wanted to come. She’s my girlfriend. And my best friend.”

  “She’s worried about you hanging around me? I saw her look at me that way.”

  “Not like you think. She realizes how hard it is to be in a crowd without knowing what’s being said. She also expects she’ll have to do that since I do with her friends. That would be my guess. So yes, I think she’ll come.”

  “She would really do that? Sit through a whole evening of sign language? Why would she want to come? You would probably do better just to be with us if only to relax and enjoy ourselves.”

  His mouth tipped. “You’d be surprised at all the things she’s done for me. She even wore ear phones for an entire day, making it so she couldn’t hear anything at all. It horrified her so much she—” Finn stopped mid-sentence. Yeah, that memory was a private one. He cleared his throat. “She was heartbroken in trying to understand how I lived. She still does it randomly as if she doesn’t want to forget how I have to live. I never met anyone like her.”

  “But she still can’t sign?”

  “No, although she’d like to learn.”

  Felicity’s eyebrows shot upwards. “I guess I judged her all wrong.”

  “Yes. You did. I’d like to come to dinner. Time and place?”

  She grabbed her phone and texted it to him. He nodded and rose to his feet. “I should go. Brianna will be home by now.”

  Felicity walked Finn to the door. “I’m so glad I ran into you. It will be fun to see you tomorrow, barn boy.” She grinned. “It’s good Brianna got you out of the barn. Maybe we can keep you out of it now.”

  He signed with a wink, “No way. A guy’s got to make a living.”

  “Will you come back to the area after this trip then?” Her frown suggested her dislike that he would soon leave.

  “Sure, I’ll be back. Brianna has work and family here. And I have some acquaintances to visit, at least that’s what it sounds like.” He grinned at her as he said it. Finn surprised himself; since when was he a guy who winked and grinned? And he kind of flirted too. But his deafness didn’t mean he was dead or clueless and besides, Felicity was mildly flirting with him. Being confined to communicating with ASL, Felicity really had a small dating pool, which no doubt, made Finn appear more interesting, he supposed. Brianna thought he was handsome, and so did Felicity apparently. But it was exactly like Brianna explained about Darren: it didn’t mean anything. Interacting was easier and kind of fun… Fuck. It was also flattering. How many women ever showed interest in him? Not many. And it was pretty nice not to struggle to speak. He did not have to censor his body sounds because of random huffs or grunts, or laughs or chewing too loud. They were all things that Felicity could not hear, non-factors in a relationship. Finn could finally relax in ways he couldn’t with anyone else in his teens or his adult life.

  Maybe he should have sought out other deaf people long ago. He was aware of some events and a whole Deaf culture and community. He’d seen stuff on the internet that he could have become a part of. Naturally, being so anti-social and introverted, he avoided anything like that. He didn’t like belonging to a group, especially a group he would not have chosen,
based on what others might consider a disability or handicap when compared to the rest of the population.

  He entered Brianna’s dad’s house and said the requisite hellos to her dad and stepmom. Brianna heard him and she came up from her room, frowning. He finished talking to her dad and turned to her.

  She looked at Finn, and her excitement fairly oozed off her. She spoke and he tilted his head. It had been a while since he missed what she said. He found it odd to readjust his mode of communication, having just spent four full hours understanding everything that was said to him.

  “You’re talking too fast.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just excited. Darren’s going to become a huge sponsor for the camp. It’s so wonderful.”

  “That is wonderful.”

  “Finn.” She was all but dancing. “Don’t you see what that means? Lots of money. It will totally change your job. I called Jack and he was so excited, he started chatting about all these ideas and plans he has. When you get back, he can’t wait to discuss them with you. This is so terrific.”

  He nodded and hugged her. “It is. Congratulations.”

  “How was your day?”

  She sat on the sofa and Finn sat on the chair beside it. “Good. We got invited to a deaf group event.”

  “A deaf group event?”

  “Felicity’s friends in the area all met each other at a Deaf event.”

  “Why have you never done one before? So you could meet other deaf people?”

  “Because I was hiding in the barn. I told you. It wasn’t just a metaphor. I really was hiding.”

  She nodded. “Then I’m so glad we ran into Felicity. You would not have chosen that on your own and I didn’t know about it. I should have researched more. We should go there. Seattle would have lots of stuff. I’m sure of it—”

  He leaned forward, unable to stop himself from pressing his lips on her speaking mouth. He missed her last sentence but she was talking more to herself than to him. She blinked when he let her go. “What was that for?”

  “For being the coolest hearing person. Always trying to find things that appeal to me. Driving me nuts with your insistence that everyone talk to me. And mostly, bringing me out of that fucking barn.”