Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to my father and we brought to him a meal and a preparation from dates, cheese and butter. He ate out of that. He was then given dates which he ate, putting the stones between his fingers and holding his forefinger and middle finger together" - Shu'bah said: "I think we learn from this that one may hold the date stones between two fingers, In shaAllah." Then a drink was brought for him and he drank it, and then gave it to one who was on his right side. He (the narrator) said: My father took hold of the rein of his riding animal and requested him to supplicate for us. Thereupon he said: O Allah. bless them in what You have provided them as a sustenance; and forgive them and have mercy upon them.  

نَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى أَبِي قَالَ فَقَرَّبْنَا إِلَيْهِ طَعَامًا وَوَطْبَةً فَأَكَلَ مِنْهَا ثُمَّ أُتِيَ بِتَمْرٍ فَكَانَ يَأْكُلُهُ وَيُلْقِي النَّوَى بَيْنَ إِصْبَعَيْهِ وَيَجْمَعُ السَّبَّابَةَ وَالْوُسْطَى قَالَ شُعْبَةُ هُوَ ظَنِّي وَهُوَ فِيهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِلْقَاءُ النَّوَى بَيْنَ الإِصْبَعَيْنِ ثُمَّ أُتِيَ بِشَرَابٍ فَشَرِبَهُ ثُمَّ نَاوَلَهُ الَّذِي عَنْ يَمِينِهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبِي وَأَخَذَ بِلِجَامِ دَابَّتِهِ ادْعُ اللَّهَ لَنَا فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِي مَا رَزَقْتَهُمْ وَاغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَارْحَمْهُمْ  

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters and they did not doubt about keeping the dates between his fingers (as is expressed in the previous hadith).  

عَنْ شُعْبَةَ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ وَلَمْ يَشُكَّا فِي إِلْقَاءِ النَّوَى بَيْنَ الإِصْبَعَيْنِ