Page 104 of Dream House
I turn back to the counter I’m clearing, my face hot.
And then Tyler clears his throat.
When I watch him swallow, preparing to say something, I give him my full attention.
“Ca...n...you… ta...ke… me…” He stops and frowns. Tyler looks up at me, and I see frustration.
I can feel my heart in my chest. For him, this question is a milestone, both in length and in intention. “Can I take you where?”
Tyler closes his eyes and then squeezes them tight. A part of me wants to start throwing out guesses like we’re playing charades, but I’ve learned that it’s better just to shut up and let him work it out.
“S...to...re.”
“You want to go to the store? Sure.” I’m ready to get my keys. “We can make it to Albertson’s and back before my first client.”
I hope.
Tyler’s jaw clenches and he shakes his head, irritation obvious in every line of his face.
“Mm.”His grunt is short and hard. I know this is his way of telling me I’ve got it wrong and I need to just listen. I bite my lip and wait.
“S… So…” he begins, and shuts his eyes again, clearly pissed at having to work so hard to get out the word. “So…”
“So? So hard?” I offer, my heart breaking. “I know it’s so hard, T. You’re doing great.”
Tyler’s eyes whip open, electric with anger, and he pounds a fist on the counter. “Ugh!”
I cover my mouth with both hands. “Sorry,” I whisper behind them.
His nostrils flare as he breathes in and out to calm down. He frowns like he’s in pain, and it’s all I can do to stay quiet and motionless.
When he meets my eyes again, I can see disgust in them. But I know it’s not disgust for me. He holds out both hands in front of him, palms up.
Tyler hates talking, but he hates miming even more. I know it makes him feel dumb and small. Whatever he wants, he wants it bad enough to humiliate himself. My heart breaks even more.
“S...o…” He keeps one palm up in a cupping gesture, and he bunches the fingers of the other hand together like he’s grabbing something. Then, he taps that hand into his open palm. “S...o…”
“So?” My eyes bug. “Sew! You want to go to a sewing store. A-a fabric store.”
Eyes almost crazy wide and nodding, Tyler breathes in and out. “F...F...ab...ri...c… s...t...ore.”
Joy and relief wash over me.Fabricis a new word for him. He hasn’t had a reason to say it since the accident.
I don’t care why he needs to say it now, I’m just so happy to hear him say a new word.
“I can take you to JoAnn Fabrics.” I grab my phone from the counter and pull it up, checking the store hours. I frown. “They don’t open until ten, and that’s when I have a color. What about this afternoon?”
Tyler’s frown returns, but this one, I can tell, isn’t anger or frustration. It’s concentration. I know because his gaze has shifted down again.
“Ta...ke… me… now.”
His tone tells me he’s not demanding. It’s a suggestion.
“Take you now? Even though they aren’t open?”
He nods.
My breath catches. “You want to wait there?”
