A Touch of Love

by Sheryl Lister

  “Always.” They stood and she embraced him. When she stepped back, her gaze locked with Khalil’s. He stood inside with his arms folded and a glare on his face. She glared right back.

  “Friend of yours?” Cameron asked.

  “Um...not really. He’s just someone who frequents the café.” She glanced over her shoulder. Khalil hadn’t moved from the spot and his expression remained the same. Here we go.

  * * *

  Khalil finished his meeting early and had hoped to spend the extra time with Lexia, but stopped short upon seeing her outside with a large, unkempt man. His protective nature kicked into high gear. He stood there watching for a good five minutes and, when she saw him, she sent a hostile look his way. She could glare all she wanted to, but he wasn’t moving until she came back inside. The man disappeared around the back of the building and Lexia entered through the glass doors and came toward him.

  “You should be careful of the company you keep,” Khalil said when she reached him.

  “The company I keep is just fine.” Lexia eyed him. “Present company excluded.”

  His brow lifted. “No need to get all upset. I’m just concerned about your safety. He could’ve been dangerous.” The huge man could have easily overpowered her.

  She placed a hand on her hip and scowled up at him. “Are you always so arrogant and judgmental?”

  He angled his head thoughtfully. He really had upset her. A small knot of people viewed their exchange curiously. Not wanting to draw any more attention, he gently steered her toward the café.

  She snatched her arm away. “What are you doing?”

  Khalil grasped her hand. “People are staring. Let’s go sit inside and you can tell me all about my arrogant and judgmental self.” He escorted her over to the same booth they’d sat in previously.

  Lexia sat across from him with her lips tightly pursed.

  Having her angry with him didn’t sit well. “I don’t consider myself to be arrogant and judgmental, and I apologize for upsetting you. Like I said, I was only concerned about your safety.”

  Some of the anger drained from her face. “I wasn’t in any danger. He’s a friend.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “He lost his wife and children in a car accident about a year and a half ago.”

  “Damn,” he whispered.

  “Right. So, before you go forming an opinion about someone, you should get all the facts first.”

  Khalil heard the censure in her voice. He had never been one to pass judgment on someone without even hearing his or her side and wondered why he had been so quick to jump to conclusions this time. “You’re right.” Her surprised expression prompted him to ask, “What? I don’t have a problem admitting when I’m wrong.”

  Lexia studied him a moment, as if searching for the truth. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  He smiled. “So, can we start our date now?”

  She shook her head and chuckled. “You don’t let up for a moment, do you?”

  “And risk some other guy snatching you up first? Nah.” He winked and signaled the hostess. Lexia rolled her eyes and he laughed.

  While eating a few minutes later, Lexia said, “I thought you didn’t come here often.”

  “I usually don’t, but I’m designing some specialized equipment for the gym and having it made and produced by my family’s company.”

  She frowned and broke off a small piece of coffee cake. “How does that fit with home safety?”

  Khalil smiled. “Since I started designing the equipment three years ago, they added a small extension to the company.” When a few of his personal clients mentioned the difficulties they had using some of the machines, he transformed a section of the gym to accommodate those who were in wheelchairs, had limbs amputated or other disabilities. The new equipment would have braille and he had just installed a section of flooring that had the same feel as a mat, but without the uneven surface for those with low vision or blindness. As he had told Lexia, he didn’t want any barriers for people wanting to work out.

  “Wait. Do you own the gym?”

  “Yep.” He sipped his tea.

  “Was that before or after mod—?” Lexia stopped midsentence and picked up her cup.

  Khalil placed his cup on the table and observed her. If she knew about the modeling, she had obviously looked him up. “After.”

  “I...um...I wasn’t stalking you or anything.”

  “Actually, I’m flattered.”

  “How did you get into modeling?”

  “A couple of my high school friends dared me to enter one of those model search contests.” He shrugged. “I won, so...”

  She laughed. “I bet they were shocked. I guess it worked out for you by all the photos—”

  “I’m glad to know you were thinking about me because I definitely thought about you.” He reached for her hand. “All week long.” He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had invaded his dreams, but this petite fireball had not only entered them, but also consumed every corner of his mind each night.

  Lexia withdrew her hand. “Khalil, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “Why not? Are you saying you don’t like my company?” he asked, referencing her earlier comment.

  She slanted him a look. “Your company is fine...for now. But...”

  Khalil’s cell rang and interrupted whatever he planned to say. He pulled out the phone to check the display and cursed under his breath. It was his assistant manager. “Can you excuse me a minute, Lexia? I have to take this. I won’t be long.”

  “Sure.”

  He slid out of the booth and answered while heading out to the lobby. “Hey, Felicia.”

  “Hi, Khalil. You asked me to call if I noticed anything regarding the charges and I thought you’d like to know that I saw Logan going into your office. I asked what he was doing and he said you asked him to check something on the computer.”

  He shoved the front doors open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Logan knows damn well I never told him to enter my office,” he said through clenched teeth. He mentally retraced his morning. Had he been so anxious to leave that he forgot to lock the door? He always kept it secure when he wasn’t there.

  “I thought the same. That’s why I called.”

  “Is he still there?” With the noise coming from traffic and the road construction, he stuck a finger in his ear to hear her better.

  “No. He went to lunch. He didn’t get a chance to log on to your computer because I busted him as soon as he went in. After he walked out, I locked your door.”

  Khalil paced in front of the building. Thank goodness Alonzo had come in to install the cameras last week. Khalil would be able to see exactly what Logan had been up to. “Thanks, Felicia. I’ll check it out when—” A loud explosion sounded and before he could turn around, he was pitched backward and airborne.

  Khalil came to lying on the ground. Every inch of his body hurt, he had difficulty breathing and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He tried to get up, but the pain forced him back down. He moaned. He could see glass and debris everywhere and people scrambling for cover. He closed his eyes as another wave of pain hit.

  “Khalil! Are you okay?”

  He felt someone touch him and looked up to find Lexia on her knees next to him.

  She palmed his face. “Where are you hurt?”

  His eyes widened, his heart raced and his chest tightened. Her mouth was moving, but he heard not one sound. He lifted his head and scanned the area—flashing lights from police vehicles, people still running, cars, but he didn’t hear anything. “I can’t hear you,” he said, panicking. He grabbed her hand. “I can’t hear you,” he said again. But he didn’t even hear his own voice.

  Chapter 4

  Lexia sca
nned her surroundings. Thick smoke filled the air, a large hole sat in the center of the street and nearby buildings were damaged, including the one housing her café. Her front window had been shattered, as well as several other ones in the building. She saw a few injured people being tended to and wondered if anyone had been killed. Since it was midmorning, most people were working. Had it been an hour later, things would have been much worse. She turned her attention to Khalil, who lay with his eyes closed. Lexia toyed with trying to get him up and inside, but every movement seemed to increase his pain and she didn’t want to cause him further injury.

  Khalil opened his eyes. “Lexia, I can’t hear anything.”

  Although he tried to hide it, Lexia saw it for a split second. Fear. She assumed the blast had damaged his hearing and prayed it was temporary. She sensed his fear rising and placed her hand gently on his chest. She used the other one to turn his face toward her and mouthed, “You’re going to be okay.” He placed his hand over hers on his chest and she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Khalil stared up at her with a strange look on his face and, belatedly, she realized what she had done. Before she could analyze it, people began streaming from the building and she caught the gaze of his brother. Lexia waved at him.

  His eyes widened when he noticed Khalil and he pushed through the crowd. He dropped to his knees in his expensively tailored slacks, concern evident in his face. “Khalil, are you okay? Where are you hurt?”

  Lexia laid a hand on his arm. “He can’t hear you.”

  He whipped his head around. “What do you mean he can’t hear me?”

  “The blast. I think it damaged his hearing. He told me he couldn’t hear anything.”

  He cursed and whipped out his cell phone. He snapped at a 911 operator who, apparently, wasn’t responding to his satisfaction. “Well, how long is it going to take? My brother is lying in the street injured.”

  Lexia understood where he was coming from. She felt just as helpless. Finally, four fire trucks and a number of paramedics descended on the scene. “They’re here.”

  He glanced up, mumbled something that sounded like a thank-you and disconnected the call. “I’ll be right back.” He stood.

  “Brandon.” Khalil tried to sit up and moaned again.

  Brandon stopped and placed a hand on Khalil’s shoulder. “Whoa. Don’t try to get up.” He turned to Lexia. “Make sure he doesn’t move.”

  She nodded.

  Khalil rolled his head in her direction. “Brandon is bossy as hell,” he whispered. “I don’t have to hear to know what’s he’s about to do. Don’t let him piss off the paramedics. Otherwise, they’ll leave me lying on this sidewalk all damn day.”

  Lexia smiled and nodded. She glanced up in time to see Brandon pointing in their direction and standing over the paramedic, with a heavy scowl—just as Khalil predicted—until the man followed. She and Brandon moved off to the side while the medic assessed Khalil.

  A moment later, another medic joined them with a gurney. The first one spoke to Brandon. “By his shallow breathing and pain when I barely press on the area, I’d say he has a couple of broken ribs.”

  “And he can’t hear,” Lexia added.

  “Thanks,” the medic said. “I’ll make sure to let them know at the hospital.” He nodded to the other paramedic and they carefully transferred Khalil to the gurney.

  Brandon stepped forward. “I’m coming with him.”

  His tone and the look on his face let Lexia know he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Apparently the paramedic realized it, as well, and nodded.

  “Are you coming?”

  She glanced over at Khalil then up at Brandon. As much as she wanted to go, Lexia didn’t think it was her place. “No. But can you please let me know how he’s doing?”

  “I will. Thanks for being here with him.” He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, then left.

  She wrapped her arms around her middle and watched as they loaded Khalil into the ambulance and drove off.

  “Is he going to be okay?”

  Lexia turned at the sound of Sam’s voice. “I think so. But the blast damaged his ears. He can’t hear.”

  Sam brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh no.”

  She recalled the split second of vulnerability she’d seen and her emotions swelled once more.

  “Come on, Lexi. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

  Lexia took one last glance around and nodded. On the way, she spied Khalil’s phone. She had no problems recognizing it because of the distinctive custom case featuring his gym’s logo. She picked it up and brushed off the debris. Other than a few cracks on the face, the phone seemed to be intact. Inside, she froze upon seeing Cameron sweeping up glass from the shattered window. Tears welled in her eyes. This was the man she knew—clean shaven, low-cut hair and neatly groomed appearance. He had on a pair of black khakis and a gray polo shirt.

  Cameron paused with the broom. “You good, Lexi?”

  “Yeah. You clean up nicely.”

  He grinned. “I knew you were going to say that.” He shook his head and resumed the task, along with James, who had come out of the kitchen to help with the cleanup.

  Jayla held up her phone. “It says it was a natural gas explosion. Two workers were killed and several others injured.” She looked down at the screen and read for a moment, then added, “This one is considered mild and could have been much worse.”

  Lexia grabbed a towel and a trash bag and joined Samantha in clearing glass off the tables. She sighed. Mild or not, it would take a lot of work to repair the businesses damaged, including her own. Her heart went out to the families of the two workers and the rest of the people who had been injured. Automatically, her thoughts shifted to Khalil and how he was doing. It dawned on her that she hadn’t given Brandon her number and would most likely have to wait until he came to work tomorrow to find out any information. If he came in. She should have gone to the hospital.

  * * *

  Khalil slowly came awake, glanced around the room and saw his entire family. It took a moment before everything came rushing back and he realized he was lying in a hospital bed. He moved and pain shot through his midsection. He must have made a sound because his mother crossed the room in two strides and ran her hands critically over his face. His head throbbed, the loud ringing in his ears hadn’t stopped, his chest felt like someone was standing on it every time he breathed deeply—and he still couldn’t hear a sound. Khalil scanned their concerned faces. “I’m all right, Mom.” He frowned and gently pushed her hand away from the bandage on his temple. He saw all their mouths moving and an overwhelming sense of frustration surged inside him. Brandon raised his hand and got their attention and said something. Brandon obviously told them about Khalil’s hearing loss because all eyes turned Khalil’s way and his mother and two sisters, Siobhan and Morgan, started crying and rushed over to the bed. Even Faith had tears in her eyes. His father looked stricken.

  Khalil leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. This is all I need right now. He couldn’t stand to see them cry and bit back the urge to tell them all to leave. He sent his brothers and brothers-in-law a pleading glance. They gathered their wives, and together with his parents exited, leaving only his younger brother, Malcolm.

  Malcolm pulled a chair close to the bed and sat. For the first few minutes, the pro football running back said nothing as if he knew Khalil needed a moment.

  “I never could stand to see them cry.”

  Malcolm took out his phone, typed something and handed it to Khalil.

  He read: “Neither can I. What do you need me to do? Oh, and you should probably lower your voice.” Because he couldn’t hear himself, Khalil had no idea how to modulate his voice. “Is this better?” he asked in what he hoped was a softer sound.

  He nodded.

  “Did the
doctor say how long I’d be like this?”

  Malcolm took the phone, typed again and handed it back.

  “Brandon said the doctor told him your eardrums were ruptured from the blast and the hearing loss could last a few days, months or, depending on the damage, longer. He mentioned referring you to a specialist.”

  Khalil dropped the phone on his lap and cursed. What if his hearing didn’t come back? He couldn’t be deaf forever. The thought of never hearing his favorite song on the radio, the waves crashing against the shore while standing on his balcony or the laughter around the table at his family’s monthly dinners made the same panic he’d felt while lying on the sidewalk come back full force. He passed the phone back to his brother, who began typing again. Was there more? He knew about the broken ribs, slight concussion and sprained wrist, thanks to a nurse who had written the information down for him while in emergency. Khalil couldn’t imagine what else could be wrong and wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  Malcolm stood and held the phone close enough for Khalil to read.

  The gym. He had totally forgotten about it. “Yeah, I do need you to go over. I’ve been having some problems with some of the members being double charged.” Like Khalil, Malcolm had a degree in kinesiology and the two had discussed the possibility of him joining Khalil in the business once he retired from football. He filled Malcolm in on the meeting with Alonzo and his latest phone call with Felicia. “Can you call Alonzo and have him download the images on the camera and check my computer?” Another thought occurred to him. He’d been in the middle of the call with his assistant manager and she probably had no idea what had happened. He didn’t even know what happened to his phone. “Ask Felicia to cancel all my clients and tell her not to come up here. I’m fine.” Not exactly the truth, but he didn’t want another person staring at him with a look of pity. His family had done enough of that. “I’ll contact her in a few days. Oh, and my phone is gone.”

  He nodded, typed something else and held up the phone. “Don’t worry about your phone right now. We’ll get you one when you get home.”