time in prison had dulled his skills. Having a routine and seeing the same faces day in and day out for two years was a far cry from the single day of different lips to read, speech patterns to decipher, facial and micro-expressions to consider, and body language markers to interpret with each sentence.
And even though Matt and Julian used ASL, it had been two years since anyone had spoken to him with their hands. He was rustier than usual. That, or everyone was signing too fast. Thankfully, they usually voiced their words when they signed or just wrote out their questions.
He rubbed his temples, fighting the start of a headache.
He pulled away his hand when Matt tapped his shoulder and then pointed to the laptop screen.
Ben shrugged. Another data entry job. They had been reviewing the job listings for over an hour since the end of dinner. Matt was determined to find him a job Ben would love, but that was easier said than done.
He enjoyed interacting with people, but that was sometimes a bumpy road. There was only so much typing and texting he could do before the other person found some excuse to give up. Most didn’t know sign language and simply assumed that meant they couldn’t communicate with him while others spoke to him slowly, breaking up each word into syllables the moment he pointed to his lips to indicate he could lipread. They didn’t realize slowing their speech screwed up his attempt at interpreting what they were saying. Lipreading involved more than just reading the movement of the mouth and tongue. It included reading anything from the tiniest of frowns to the exaggerated hand gestures to fill in the words that might not have been clear. And even though he considered himself a skilled lip-reader, he still missed words, especially if he was nervous or anxious or if the sound of the spoken word came from the throat rather than the movement of lips.
But he tried damn hard to understand everyone who took the time to communicate with him. Everyone spoke differently. Even though he couldn’t hear the sounds, he found other ways to listen if someone wanted to talk to him.
Another tap to his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced up at Matt and gave him a tired smile, shrugging in surrender. He didn’t want to be chained to a desk or computer, but at this point, he would work anywhere that would take him if it meant he could call it a night and go to bed. He needed to secure a job or he would return to prison. Being a deodorant company’s sniff tester sounded acceptable if that meant he could stay out of that iron hell.
The flashing light in the corner caught his attention. Warmth bloomed in his chest as he remembered Julian installing the doorbell notification earlier that afternoon. He glanced up at the wall-mounted clock as Julian stepped away, likely to check on who had rung the doorbell. With barely a chance to ponder who might have been at the door, Shaw walked into the kitchen with his partner, Drayton.
After a quick greeting, Drayton handed Matt a folder containing several documents. “Here are the forms to put our company back into the work program. Mia prepared a list of job openings. If we need to find a different department to get Ben back on our staff, please let me know.”
Ben straightened in his seat. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more, the fact that Drayton and Shaw wanted him back at their company, how much Drayton had communicated in a single exchange, or the fact that Drayton had taken the time to learn ASL after Ben’s probation violation.
Julian flattened his hand on the file before Matt had a chance to open it. He glanced over at Ben, his jaw tensing as he clenched his teeth. “No.”
Those lips were easy to read. Ben wanted to protest but followed Julian’s gaze back to Drayton.
“We don’t have a problem re-hiring him,” Drayton signed.
Julian shook his head.
“He didn’t know the car was stolen,” Shaw signed, his hand gestures sharp and rapid.
Julian angled his body, just enough to give Ben a clear view of his lips as he spoke. “Ben needs to learn how to trust his judgment. He didn’t know his friends were using him with his first arrest. He should have known better the second time around. He needs to figure that out on his own. Because no one is