“Mrs. Eleanor…” he murmured.
Michael smiled.
“My mother.”
The murmurs around them grew louder.
“You didn’t just repair her home,” Michael continued. “You discovered a gas leak no one else noticed. If you hadn’t insisted on checking the entire system, she might not have survived the night.”
David shifted uncomfortably.
“I was just doing my job.”
Michael shook his head.
“No. You did much more.”
He turned slightly toward the group of parents.
“My mother told me David refused to charge her for the labor. He worked late into the night because she was afraid to sleep in the damaged house. She even said he left extra money on the kitchen table in case she needed groceries.”
The parking lot fell silent.
David felt heat rise to his face.
“That really wasn’t necessary to say.”
“It was to me,” Michael replied calmly. “Because my mother made a request before she passed away.”
Vanessa took a small step back.
Michael removed a sealed envelope from his jacket.
“She asked me to find the man who didn’t just fix her house—but restored her sense of safety.”
He handed the envelope to David.