A Cold Piece of Work by Curtis Bunn Page B

said as he hugged Gerald goodnight. “Remember what I told you about school, okay? I’ll see you later.
    â€œMichele, as promised, he’s back in one piece—and happy.”
    â€œHe is.” She paused and they stared at each other. Solomon detected a tear in her eye. “Thank you, Solomon.”
    He nodded his head.
    â€œAnd thank you for letting him go with me,” he said. “I enjoyed him.”
    He turned then and walked toward the car in her driveway. But he did not hear the door shut, meaning she was watching him walk away, meaning he had struck a chord.
    When Solomon reached his car, he turned back toward the house. Michele was smiling.
    â€œHe had a good time, didn’t he?” she said.
    Solomon looked at her without answering.
    â€œThank you,” she said again.

CHAPTER 9
THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS
    T he ride home for Solomon was great. He enjoyed little Gerald and Michele was pleasant to him. It could not have gone any better. As was his way, he quickly shifted to the next move.
    There was a fine line between being smart and being pushy. Solomon, as a marketing executive, understood the value of riding the momentum of a strong wave. And he recognized the value of planning ahead.
    So, on the way home from the game, he gave Gerald an envelope. “Money, I want you to give this to your mom before you go to bed,” he said. “You’re going to remember to do that?”
    â€œWhat is it?” Gerald asked.
    â€œIt’s a gift for your mom for letting me take you to the game. I want it to be a surprise.”
    â€œOkay, Coach Money,” he said, sticking the envelope in his pocket. “I won’t forget.”
    It took Solomon about fifteen minutes to get home, and he figured that if Gerald did as planned, he had another fifteen minutes or so until Michele called to thank him for the present.
    So, instead of taking a shower, he kicked off his shoes, made himself a margarita and got comfortable on the couch in anticipation of a call from Michele. After several minutes, he dozed off and woke up around midnight.
    He looked at the time on the flat-screen television and was surprised his phone had not awakened him. He guessed that Gerald had forgotten to deliver his gift to Michele.
    And just before he could ponder for long what to do, his cell phone chimed, indicating he had a text message. It was from Michele.
    She had put Gerald to bed, tucked him in and said his prayers with him when he remembered what Solomon told him.
    â€œMommy,” he said, as Michele was leaving his room, “I have something to give to you.”
    â€œYou can give it to me in the morning, Gerald. It’s time to go to sleep.”
    â€œBut I’m supposed to give it to you now. I told Coach Money I wouldn’t forget.”
    â€œCoach Money?”
    â€œYes, it’s in my pants.” Gerald got out of the bed and picked up his pants off the chair near his closet.
    He handed the envelope over to her. “Here it is, Mommy.”
    Michele took it. “Okay, now it’s time to get some sleep. Let’s get you back in bed.”
    He jumped in and gave his mom another hug and kiss. Michele turned off the light in his room and took a seat at the bar outside her kitchen. She looked at the envelope, unable to figure what Solomon could have left for her. It must be a note , she thought.
    There was no letter opener handy, so she grabbed a knife and used it to neatly but swiftly cut it open.
    She unfolded the paper and received quite a surprise: a gift certificate from Thrill Planet in Marietta for a complimentary skydive. She could not suppress a smile from creasing her face.
    Skydiving was one of her favorite activities. She had introduced Solomon to that adventure. But Michele had not “jumped” in years; the economic downturn impacted her catering business and she just could not pull herself to doing something she enjoyed over providing for