Gun Games - Faye Kellerman [92]
The baby responded by spitting up on Decker’s shirt.
Cindy laughed. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
To the baby, he said, “That’ll teach me to hold you without a burp cloth.”
Koby took Akiva from his grandfather’s hands. “Thank you very much for dinner. I think we’re wearing out the doormat.”
“He means the welcome mat,” Cindy said. “As often as we come here, we’re probably wearing out both.”
Rina returned with a grocery bag filled with plastic containers of food. She kissed Cindy, then she kissed Aaron. “Take care of your mom, little boy. She’s a good woman.”
Koby, holding Akiva, said, “Thanks for everything, Rina.”
Rina kissed his cheek and then kissed Akiva. “Be kind to your parents. They’re good folk.”
“Listen to her,” Koby said to his son.
“Come anytime and I mean that.” But as soon as the door closed behind the Kutiel family, Rina let out a sigh of relief. “Oh my Lord, I’m getting old.”
Decker whispered in a plaintive voice, “Do you need any help?”
“Oh please, don’t give me that ‘have pity on me’ voice.” Rina laughed. “It’s fine, Peter. I’m fine. Go read the paper.”
“No, I don’t want to stick you with all the work.”
Gabe said, “Why don’t you both relax? I’ll finish up everything. I didn’t work all day.”
“By the way, what do you do all day?” Decker asked him.
“Peter!” Rina said.
Gabe laughed. “It’s a good question.”
Decker said, “It’s a serious question. I want to make sure you’re not bored.”
“Nah, I’m not bored.” Lonely was another story. He answered them with sincerity. “I practice an awful lot. I take it much more seriously now that I’m actually performing for money. Or I will be this summer. When I’m not practicing, I listen to the music that I’m practicing. It’s almost as important as practicing. Plus I’ve started composing. When I’m not doing music, I read . . . I take a lot of long walks.” He shrugged. “I keep busy. Certainly I’ll be busy enough next year, so I’m kinda enjoying having unstructured time.”
“Do you keep in contact with any of your old friends?”
“No.” A pause. “That part of my life is over and done.”
Said with an angry note in his voice, Decker noticed. “Have you talked to your mom lately?”
He shrugged again. “I’m fine, guys. I’d let you know if there was a problem and there’s no problem. So seriously, go rest. I’ve got KP covered.” He adjusted the earbuds of his iPod, then went into the kitchen and closed the door. A moment later, they could both hear the faucet running.
“Serious kid.” Decker sat down on the couch. “I hope at some point fun fits into his schedule.”
“I think he might be seeing someone,” Rina said.
Decker said, “Did he tell you that?”
“No, but he leaves the house very early every weekday morning. I think he’s catching someone before she goes to school.”
“Good call.” Decker thought a moment. “It can’t be much of a relationship if all they do is meet before high school.”
Rina patted his cheek. “That’s why God invented weekends.”
“That’s true enough. We really don’t know what he does once we leave the house,” Decker said. “Should we be worried?”
“You know, I thought about being worried.” Rina folded her arms across her chest. “But he’s never given us any reason to worry.”
Decker picked up the paper and settled into the couch. “If you’re not worried, I’m not worried. He’s leaving for somewhere in the fall. How much trouble could he get into in six months?”
“If he were inclined, he could get into a lot of trouble,” Rina said.
“Well, I choose to think positively. You know what they say. Hope for the best, then learn how to duck when the stuff hits the fan.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
The knock was timid. When Gabe opened the door, Yasmine was breathless. “I can’t stay more than maybe an hour. I promised my family I’d make it to shul.”
She was dressed in a short tight black number with a faux fur jacket, complete with stockings, makeup, and jewelry. Every hair was in place. Clearly he wasn’t getting any today.
“So come in for as long as you can,” Gabe