She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 91

Solomon Spencer was stood up.

He sat in the restaurant for a solid two hours waiting for Caden Hayes. No one answered his calls; his texts were ignored.

Finally, Aiken called to say his boss had something come up and couldn't make it. Only then did Solomon shakily pick up his fork to eat.

After stuffing himself, he slammed on the gas and headed straight for Caden's place.

Figuring Shera was home, he thought it rude to show up empty-handed. He stopped by the supermarket and hauled several bags to the front door.

He rang the bell for ages before a figure slowly ambled over.

Caden had just showered. He was wearing a black bathrobe and absently toweling his hair.

"What are you doing here?" Caden asked, his face impassive as he took in Solomon, who was dressed up like a peacock.

?

Solomon's expression darkened from sunny to stormy. He stared in disbelief. "Man, you stood me up. I haven't even ripped into you yet, and you have the nerve to look annoyed?"

Seeing Caden's blank expression, Solomon rolled his eyes and shook the grocery bags. "I brought gifts. What, you're not going to let me in?"

Caden's gaze drifted from his friend's face down to the bags. Without a word, he took a step back.

Solomon frowned, sneaking a subtle glare at him, then squeezed through the narrow gap in the doorway.

He dumped the bags on the coffee table and glanced around the room.

"What are you looking for?"

Solomon looked eager for gossip. "Where's Shera? Is she not home?"

Caden lowered his eyes and tossed his towel onto the counter. "She's not here," he said in a low voice.

He stepped up to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and downed some water to soothe his dry throat. Then he pulled out another bottle and tossed it to Solomon.

He had assumed she wanted something for herself and was trying to soften him up to buy it.

But to his surprise, she just smiled, hugged him, and said, "I don't need a reason to give you a gift. I just wanted to."

Hearing Caden's casual tone, Solomon blurted out, "She actually stood in line for it herself? I remember that day being insanely hot and humid. Even the scalpers refused to take orders."

He clicked his tongue and patted his friend's shoulder. "Man, Shera really treats you like gold."

"So, this is hard to get?" Caden asked.

Solomon sweated, wondering if this guy was actually missing a piece of his brain.

"Dude, it's not about how hard it is to get. You've had everything handed to you since you were a kid."

He poked Caden's chest. "It's the thought that counts. The intention is what's valuable. Otherwise, who would suffer in the heat to get this for you?"

Looking at the signature on the cover, Caden recalled that there was an autographed guitar by the same artist back at the family estate.