Page 17 of Echoes of Obsession
“Oh,” I breathe. “Okay. Well, I still need to pay for my sodas.”
“Not a damn thing, Snow,” he growls. “Come on in, ladies. We were just about to have lunch.”
“We don’t want to impose,” I say quickly. “Since you don’t want me to pay you, we can just be on our way.”
“Got everything you need to stay for a few hours?” he asks, completely ignoring everything I’ve just said. “Medication, phone?”
“Did he say lunch? I’m hungry, Mommy. Do you think he has peanut butter and jelly?”
“What did she say?” Ghost says, looking softly at my daughter.
“She asked if you said lunch,” I explain aloud and in ASL. I almost always do both when I’m in a room with other people so that Zoe doesn’t feel left out. “She’s asking if you have peanut butter and jelly.”
“I wouldn’t have a very happy head of security if we didn’t,” he says, love clear in his eyes for the person he’s talking about. “Yes. I do.”
My heart skips a beat when he leans down to Zoe’s level and speaks those last parts slowly.
My daughter’s eyes light up, and she hops up and down, clapping her hands.
“Guess we’re staying for lunch,” I mutter.
“Guess you are, babe. This is Snow, her service dog Sky, and her daughter Dove. Babe, Dove, this is everyone.”
Zoe smiles up at Ghost after watching my hands, knowing he used her new nickname to introduce her to everyone.
I look around the room and am floored by the amount of people looking back.
“This looks like a family thing,” I say. “Maybe we should leave.”
“Not happening, babe.”
“Snow, Dove, and Sky,” someone says. “Nicknames?”
I smile at the woman and nod.
“My name is Amara, and this is Zoe.”
Zoe shakes her head and signsDove.
“I’m sorry,” I say and sign. “I mean, Dove.”
“Why do you need a service dog?” another person asks. This one sounds like the kind voice over the speaker.
“I have a severe case of epilepsy,” I explain. “Sky can detect when I’m about to have a seizure and helps me take action to avoid getting hurt.”
“That’s so cool. My name is Knox, and I want to know everything. But I’ll go around the room and introduce you to this lot first.”
“Dove, would you like to come and play with my daughter, Allie?”
Zoe frowns and looks up at me. The kind woman was speaking too fast for her to read.
“She’s deaf,” I explain. “She was trying to read your lips, but you were talking too fast.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright,” I smile. “You didn’t know.Sweetheart, she’s asking if you want to go play with her daughter.”
“Other kids don’t really know how to play with me, Mommy. What if she thinks I’m weird?”