A Cold Piece of Work by Curtis Bunn Page A

became unimportant. Men bored her with talk of themselves or talk of nonsense; lack of chivalry or overly aggressive; so smart they were dumb in relating and so dumb they were intolerable.
    The monotony and predictability of men changed her. She was audacious enough to jump out of an airplane, but scared to accept a date with the one man who actually moved her to emotional and intellectual heights.
    The sadness of all that rushed to her brain as she looked at her son, and she shook her head. Her eyes watered—she loved little Gerald so much that she could become emotional about him in an instant. But the question she posed to herself was this: Do I love myself enough to take a risk to get the reward I deserve?
    She had many girlfriends over the years that sabotaged their relationships because, in essence, they didn’t believe they deserved the happiness they had. Michele deduced that she was doing the same thing to herself by hanging on to what Solomon did or might do as opposed to what he would do toward her happiness.
    That thought allowed her to crawl into bed feeling differently about herself and the prospects of her life. If Solomon truly wanted her back, she was going to give him a chance to show it.
    And that idea helped her to lay in bed with her eyes closed and her heart open.

CHAPTER 10
BABY STEPS
    S olomon called Michele that next morning a little before nine. It was a Saturday. Michele answered after the first ring.
    â€œGood morning,” Solomon said. “I know it’s breakfast time, but are you ready for lunch?”
    Michele laughed. “Not right now, but I will be ready at one.”
    â€œCool,” Solomon said, relieved. “I’m thinking we could go to Arizona’s out at The Mall at Stonecrest. I love the Pasta Sedona.”
    â€œI’m good with that,” she said. “Actually, that’s perfect; I can drop Gerald off at his friend’s house in Conyers.”
    â€œDo you want to bring him to lunch?” Solomon asked. “I’d like to see him.”
    Michele felt good about that. But she wanted Solomon to herself. The conversation, she figured, would get too involved for Gerald’s ears.
    â€œNext time. I think he’d enjoy spending some time with you,” she said.
    â€œOkay, but I’m serious about next time,” Solomon said. “He’s a great kid.”
    â€œI appreciate you saying that,” Michele said. “He likes you, too. He admires and respects you. And that’s a great thing; I love it when a man can spend some time with him and impart things I just can’t.”
    â€œMy pleasure. So, we can figure out another time for me to connect with Gerald. I’d actually like to take him to the gym to work on his game. But we’ll figure that out.
    â€œIn the meantime, I look forward to seeing you at one at Arizona’s.”
    â€œMe, too, Solomon,” she said before hanging up.
    It was a date that generated actions Solomon rarely went through. That is, he tried on three outfits before deciding on designer jeans with a beautiful John Varvatos plum shirt and black Too Boot New York slip-on loafers. Stylish yet Saturday-afternoon-casual, he decided.
    Michele went through an even more painstaking process. Jeans or skirt? Pullover blouse or button-up? Boots or heels? For ninety minutes she tried on combinations, seeking the attire that would not be overtly sexy but not shut down, either.
    Finally, Gerald walked in her room as she was standing in front of the full-length mirror in the tenth outfit. “I like that, Mommy. You look good.”
    And her clothes for the lunch were decided right there, by Gerald: dark blue jeans with a crisp white button-up blouse and chocolate suede heels. Simple and elegant.
    She smiled at the thought that a seven-year-old boy dressed her. Michele picked a pair of hoop earrings and a brown suede bag and she was ready. She wanted to wear a necklace, but decided it