Unspoken - Sandi Lynn Page 0,3

wasn’t sure why I’d just asked her that, and now I felt like an idiot.

“No. But my mom lives in the same building. As soon as an apartment became available, I grabbed it. I’ve only been living on my own for six months. How about you? Do you live with anyone?”

“No. I live alone.”

I didn’t lie to her because I did live alone. I had my place, and Kirsten had hers. She wanted us to move in together, but I liked my space, and I wasn’t ready to share it. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be.

When Christian pulled up to Ellie’s building, I climbed out first and extended my hand to her. After helping her out of the car, I had Christian set her bags of groceries on the ground.

“Thank you for the ride home. Since you’re here, I’ll run up to my apartment and get the money I owe you for the groceries,” she signed.

“I would prefer it if you’d join me for lunch tomorrow. You can pay me back then.”

A bright smile crossed her lips.

“I’d like that.”

“Excellent. Text me later and let me know what time works for you.”

“I will,” she signed as she flashed a bashful smile.

I picked up her bags from the ground and handed them to her.

“I look forward to hearing from you later,” I signed as I gave her a wink and climbed in the car.

“What’s going on, Henry?” Christian asked as he stared at me through the rearview mirror.

“Nothing is going on. Why?”

“She’s a beautiful woman,” he spoke.

“That she is, Christian. That she is.” I let out a sigh as I watched her walk into the building.

Chapter 3

Ellie

I took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor and inserted my key into the lock. With a smile on my face, I set my bags down on the kitchen counter and began putting my groceries away. My belly was fluttering as I couldn’t stop thinking about Henry. He was such a nice guy and a gentleman for paying for my groceries and giving me a ride home. I knew it was risky to get in a car with a total stranger, but I didn’t sense anything shady about him. In fact, I’d never felt more comfortable around someone I didn’t know in my entire life. There was a familiarity about him, as if we’d met before. Which I knew we hadn’t, but the connection I felt with him was overpowering. Maybe it was because he knew sign language and could communicate with me. Not to mention the fact that he was sinfully sexy. He stood about six foot two with dark brown hair that was cut short on the sides with a medium length top that swept to the side, piercing blue eyes and a sexy five o’clock shadow that framed his masculine square jawline. The dark gray suit he wore was perfectly tailored to his muscular body. He was overall the most handsome man I’d ever had the pleasure of meeting.

As I put away the last of my groceries, my phone lit up with a text message from my mom.

“Are you home?”

“Yeah. I just got back from the store.”

“I’m on my way up.”

“Okay. See you in a minute.”

I walked over to the door and unlocked it. My mom lived one floor below me. After my father suddenly and without warning passed away from a massive heart attack five years ago, we sold our house in Glen Oaks and rented an apartment so my mom would be closer to her new job. It was hard at first adjusting to an apartment lifestyle, but the only thing that mattered was we were together. We’d always been such a close and tight-knit family and when my father died, it was unbearable. My mom swore she’d never move on or date another man again, but then she met James. They’d been dating for about a year and it was good to see her happy again. He was a good man, and he even learned signed language so he could communicate with me.

“Hi, honey,” my mom signed with a smile when she walked through the door.

“Hi, Mom,” I spoke as I kissed her cheek.

“I stopped at the herbal store on the way home from work and picked up your favorite tea.”

“Thank you. I’m going to make some right now. Do you want a cup?”

“Sure. But I can’t stay too long. James is picking me up at seven for dinner. What’s going on with you?” She grinned. “You seem