The Single Dad Saw Deaf Twins Ignored by Everyone, Then He Signed “Hello”
Colors and Connections
The man sitting there was not what she had expected. He was probably in his early 30s with dark hair styled neatly back.
He had strong features and a presence that seemed to fill the space. He wore a navy suit jacket over a light blue shirt.
When he looked up, his eyes were a striking shade of blue-gray. They seemed to see right through her.
A little girl sat beside him, which made Lily’s heart squeeze. She was no more than four years old with reddish-brown curls.
She wore a white dress with little flowers embroidered on it. She was focused intently on a piece of paper, coloring with bright markers.
When she looked up, her smile was pure sunshine. The man stood up immediately, polite and graceful, and extended his hand.
“Vanessa?” This was the moment where she should correct him.
She should say she was actually the sister. An honest person would say Vanessa couldn’t make it.
But Lily thought about her mother, who was so excited about this introduction. She thought about the promise she had made to Vanessa.
“Yes,” she heard herself say. “And you must be Nathan.”
“Nathan Hartley. It’s nice to meet you.” His handshake was firm but gentle.
“I hope you don’t mind that I brought my daughter. My sitter canceled at the last minute.” He explained his mother insisted it would be rude to reschedule.
“This is Sophie.” The little girl waved, her marker still in hand.
“Hi, do you like coloring? Daddy says I can’t color on the table.” Lily felt her tension ease slightly.
“Hi, Sophie. I think your coloring is beautiful.” Lily added that she liked coloring, though she wasn’t as good as Sophie.
“You can color with me if you want. I have extra markers.” “I’d like that,” Lily said, and she meant it.
They all sat down and Nathan signaled the waitress. He ordered coffee for them and interacted politely with the staff.
He was attentive and made eye contact when he said thank you. He was not what she expected from a successful CEO.
“I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect tonight. Blind dates arranged by our mothers are very old-fashioned.” “Very,” Lily agreed.
“My mother means well, but she worries too much.” He explained that Sophie’s mother passed away three years ago.
Lily’s chest tightened with sympathy. “I’m sorry about your wife.”
“It was a car accident. Very sudden.” He mentioned Sophie was only a year old when it happened.
“Daddy, can I color the butterfly purple or should it be pink?” “I think butterflies can be any color you want them to be.”
“What about you? What do you do?” Nathan mentioned his mother said something about her working in retail.
Lily froze, unsure what Vanessa had told them about her career. Vanessa worked at an upscale boutique, while Lily worked at a bookstore.
“Yes, retail. It keeps me busy.” She hoped that was vague enough to be safe.
“I like helping people find what they’re looking for.” This was true at least for her work at the bookstore.
Nathan nodded, seeming to accept this. “I can understand that there’s value in work that connects you to people.”
Nathan explained he ran a real estate development business. “Mostly it involves a lot of meetings and paperwork.”
“That sounds like you care about doing it right,” Lily noted. He admitted he tried to remember business is about people.
Sophie held up her paper. “Look, I finished the butterfly!”
“That’s beautiful, Sophie,” Lily said sincerely. “You’re very talented.”
Sophie offered to make one for her. Lily said she would love that.
