Coming Home Page 10

  twenty-three

  Dayna gave up after reading the critical care nurse’s report for the third time without comprehending it.

  Tamara’s midafternoon visit had thrown her for such a loop that trying to focus on work was like trying to ride a Ferris wheel in a tornado. Her mind flitted from the need to help Brent with his requests, to fretting about getting pulled back into his life, to frustration over Mama’s loaded Easter invitation, to wondering whether Warren would be having dinner with Lily and the boys again tonight — and how she was going to tell him about the latest turn of events with Brent and Tamara.

  She shut off the computer and pressed Monica’s line.

  “Yes, Dayna?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m gonna leave a little early today. Take messages and let Spencer and the others know I’ll respond first thing in the morning.”

  “Got it.”

  Dayna spun her chair toward the window and peered at the cloudless sky. It was beautiful and uncomplicated and seemed to offer happiness in the form of a sunny day. Why couldn’t life be like that, for 90 percent of the time at least?

  She thought about Vanora’s sweet aunt Duchess, and what her response would be to a query like that: “Thank God for both the mountains and valleys, baby. They help shape your character. Don’t ask him to take them away; you just want the strength to climb them.”

  Duchess said that quite often, and today, Dayna finally could relate.

  She packed up her briefcase, then shot a quick email to Warren and Audrey, canceling their salsa outing tonight. If Brent was doing as badly as Tamara had indicated, she needed to buckle down on the foundation work sooner rather than later. Tonight was one of her free evenings, so she might as well get focused.

  She asked the two of them for a rain check ‘til next week. Then she privately emailed Warren and told him to call her for details about what she’d be doing instead of dancing. Subconsciously she knew chatting with him through email was a cop-out; it allowed her to delay the inevitable update about what was pulling her away.

  While she was online, she searched her sent email file and pulled up the message she had sent Tamara and Brent two weeks earlier, sharing details about different types of foundations. There was a lot of material here. She could see why Tamara and Brent might have felt overwhelmed — reading through it again, she did too. She realized that while she might help guide them in the right direction, they were going to need a team of professionals to really pull this off.

  Dayna paused to ponder the next logical step. It seemed to her that the meeting she had suggested with Carmen would make the most sense. She picked up the phone to call Brent and ask when he and Tamara could meet with her and Carmen, but on second thought returned it to its cradle.

  “Why didn’t I get Tamara’s phone number while she was here?” Dayna mused aloud.

  That may have eliminated some of the concern Tamara initially had about her and Brent getting too close. Oh well, at this rate email would be best.

  She sent a quick note to Tamara asking for the best contact phone numbers for her and also for a few dates in the next week or two when she and Brent could meet for lunch or dinner to discuss the project and decide how to proceed.

  Before she could shut down her computer, she received a reply.

  Tamara sent both home and cell numbers and indicated that Tuesday evenings or Fridays at lunchtime would be best, because she didn’t work on Fridays or have classes on Tuesdays.

  Brent has adopted a flexible, work-from-home arrangement with his boss, due to his illness, so he can also manage a meeting on either of those days, as long as he’s feeling well. Thanks for doing this, Dayna.

  God bless you, Tamara

  Tuesday nights? Great — the one regular date night she and Warren fought to keep because it was the best night for salsa in town. She set aside that dilemma for the moment and called Carmen to chat with her about Tamara and Brent’s schedules and the need to expedite their meetings.

  “I think it’s wonderful that he wants to leave this kind of legacy, and I’m happy to help however I can,” Carmen said. “If they want to meet next Tuesday evening that works for me. Fridays at lunchtime can be iffy, depending on what I have to do for the hospital.”

  Dayna quickly relayed the message to Tamara via email. Before she could type another sentence, Monica popped her head into the office.

  “Thought you were leaving thirty minutes ago?”

  Dayna shrugged. “I thought I was too, but I got on a roll. I’m leaving soon, though.”

  “Well, Audrey’s here to see you. Maybe she can visit while you gather your belongings?”

  “That’s fine,” Dayna said. “Send her in.”

  She was printing notes from the email to Tamara and Brent when Audrey strode in with her characteristic runway-model sway. “This is the second time you’ve let me down on salsa night. What gives?”

  Audrey settled in the chair Tamara had graced a few hours earlier, and Dayna filled her friend in on Mrs. Davidson’s surprise visit.

  “Wow. So you’re going to do it?”

  “I’m going to do it.”

  “I don’t know what to say. That’s deep. Have you told Warren?”

  Dayna shook her head. “I’m waiting to hear back from him, to give him this latest update, but he’ll be fine. He had given me his blessing before, when I pulled back. The only problem is I don’t know how much time Brent really has, so I’m feeling like I need to turn this around quickly.”

  Audrey nodded. “I understand. I’m in too, if you need me.”

  “Excuse me?” Dayna couldn’t hide her surprise.

  “Typically when you’re setting up or operating a foundation, you need an attorney and an accountant on board. I help Carmen all the time with the work she does for Chesdin Medical’s foundation, so if you need me to help you with any of the IRS documents or financial questions that may arise about the proper structure to follow, I’m here for you.”

  A smile spread across Dayna’s face. “I’m blessed with some pretty special friends. Thanks, Audrey. I’ll let you know how far along we get, but I’m pretty sure we’ll need your help.”

  Audrey left her seat and approached Dayna with her arms open. “You’re doing something special,” Audrey said, and embraced her. She stepped back and searched Dayna’s eyes. “But don’t get so caught up in the sympathy thing that you forget to let them walk their path, so you can walk yours.”

  Dayna frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “Brent is still married to Tamara, and you still have a relationship to maintain with Warren,” Audrey said. “Keep that front and center, even as you’re doing all you can to help. Me personally, I think you should still go salsa dancing tonight. You need to do something fun and lighthearted with all of this going on, and you need to be having fun with your man. But if you must, go ahead and focus on the foundation stuff tonight; just don’t make this pattern a habit.”

  Dayna smirked, but she secretly was grateful for the advice.

  “I hear you, but no salsa for me tonight,” Dayna said. “I need to get my bearings and figure out how to fit this into my schedule, with everything else.”

  Audrey nodded. “Okay, well, I’ll see you soon. I’m gonna run and have dinner with my goddaughter, Chastity. She’s a high school senior now and doesn’t always make time for me like she used to.”

  Dayna shooed her out of the door. “Enjoy, and thanks again, Audrey.”

  With the office quiet again, Dayna leaned back in her chair and thought about all Audrey had said. Was there a reason to worry about losing herself in Brent and Tamara’s world, even by just helping with the foundation? Thinking of Brent sick and dying made her sad.

  Maybe that was the greatest danger — that her heart would get involved as much as her head. Audrey knew her well enough to recognize that threat to her happiness.

  twenty-four

  The doorbell rang and Dayna trotted to it once again, hoping this time it was W
arren, and that he had surprised her by coming after all. He hadn’t taken her about-face with Brent and Tamara well, and despite Dayna’s pleas for him to join the committee so he could be part of the process, he had vowed to stay away.

  She tried to mask her disappointment when Carmen’s bright smile greeted her.

  “Welcome, and thanks for coming!”

  Carmen hugged Dayna’s neck and stepped into the foyer. Her large brown eyes grew saucer-sized as she surveyed the entrance and the framed African American art lining the walls.

  “You’ve got a beautiful place here, Dayna. I love it.”

  Carmen had grown up in America, but somehow still managed to possess a slight hint of her parents’ lilting Cuban accent.

  “Thank you,” Dayna said. “Follow me. Everyone is gathering in the dining room.”

  She led Carmen to an adjacent room where Brent and Tamara were hovering near a credenza, chatting with Audrey.

  “Hi, everyone — long time no see!” Carmen joked, before offering a round of hugs.

  At just four feet ten, Carmen’s offered embrace required that she stand on her tiptoes and that Tamara, Brent, and Audrey bend to receive it. Dayna chuckled at the scene.

  Tonight’s meeting was a follow-up to their lunchtime discussion four days ago, when everyone had met for the first time in a conference room at Chesdin Medical and Carmen had outlined for Brent and Tamara the various options for creating a foundation. By the end of that hour-long meeting on Friday, Audrey and Carmen’s interest in helping Brent had been solidified.

  “I don’t know what went down between you two,” Audrey had confided in Dayna later that day, “and I hope you don’t get mad at me for saying this, but Brent is a good guy. I like his spirit.”

  Dayna hadn’t known how to respond. She had once believed that about him too. What had changed, she still didn’t really know, but at least she had heard his side, and while his explanation hadn’t been fully understandable, she was grateful for it.

  Tonight, Brent somehow looked thinner since she had last seen him, but the white polo shirt he wore with his khakis accentuated his still-muscular frame. While he seemed tired, his handsome grin still lit up the room.

  “Did you work today?” Audrey asked him.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. “Yeah, I did. I was moving a little slow last week, but I managed to get back on track yesterday and today. Staying busy helps.”

  Dayna saw worry sprint through Tamara’s eyes, as well as her effort to hide it.

  “You guys want to go ahead and start the meeting?” She motioned for everyone to join her at the dining room table and seat themselves wherever they liked. They formed a cluster at one end, with Carmen sitting at the head of the table and Audrey and Tamara choosing seats to her left. Dayna was surprised when Brent plopped in the seat next to her, rather than sitting on the opposite side, next to his wife. Warren would have a field day with this.

  She stole a glance at Tamara, who was trying to send a silent message of “What’s up with that?” to an oblivious Brent. He had pulled out a notebook and pen and had fixed his gaze on Carmen.

  Dayna wrestled with whether to suggest that he move next to Tamara or let it be. Before she could decide what to do, Brent cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He looked at Dayna.

  “I know this is your home, but would you mind if I open the meeting with prayer?”

  Dayna was flabbergasted. “Uh, sure.”

  Brent surveyed the group. “Is everyone okay with that?”

  Carmen and Audrey nodded, along with Tamara, whose demeanor still conveyed frustration.

  “Dear heavenly Father, thank you for another day,” Brent began. “Thank you for giving me enough health and strength to work this week and to spend time creating something beyond myself that I believe you are going to use for good. Thank you for every person around this table, who is taking the time and making sacrifices to help me.”

  Dayna’s mind wandered to Warren during the prayer. Where was he right now? Was this really worth alienating him?

  “Lord, let us produce something good here,” Brent continued, “and let your name be glorified, even in the midst of my trial. Amen.”

  “Amen,” the rest of the group said in unison.

  Dayna left her seat for a few minutes and transferred the snacks from the credenza to the center of the table, within everyone’s reach. When she was settled again, the magnitude of what was taking place hit her: two weeks ago, Brent had shown up at her door, a stranger for all intents and purposes, and now here he sat next to her, breaking bread, praying, and collaborating with her on something positive. Was this what it looked like when God created beauty from ashes?

  Dayna wished she had a camera to snap the picture, and the courage to post it on Facebook. The scene unfolding before her was a memorable one.

  Carmen twisted the cap off a bottle of water and wasted no time in revisiting the discussions from their Friday meeting. “I’m hoping we can decide tonight whether to move forward with the private foundation model that provides more decision-making flexibility, or to place Brent’s foundation under the umbrella of a larger public foundation that could offer administrative support and other services.

  “As I mentioned last week, I think establishing a supporting organization is going to be your best route,” Carmen told Brent and Tamara. “In my experience, it will be less work for you, but you still get the full benefit and support of the overseeing foundation. You can still name it what you want, and it would be treated as a separate charitable entity.”

  Brent turned to Dayna. “What do you think?”

  Dayna looked back and forth from him to Tamara, being careful to include her. “Carmen’s the expert at this, of course, but based on all of the research I’ve done, I agree with her,” Dayna said. “As we discussed last week, the private foundation would allow you to maintain more overall control, but you’d have so many more IRS rules and regulations to abide by, and fewer tax benefits.

  “If you create a supporting organization, like Carmen is suggesting, you still have the right to select forty-nine percent of the board. You and Tamara could remain as hands-on in the decision making as you’d like to be, your federal reporting and administrative needs would be handled by the overseeing foundation, and you’d get the tax benefits of being an umbrella program under your oversight foundation.

  “Carmen and I discussed it and came up with two solid options — there’s the Calero Community Foundation, which has an excellent reputation in this region for supporting local philanthropists; or if you wanted to work with an organization on the Space Coast, you might consider working with the Community Foundation of the Beaches.”

  Brent and Tamara exchanged a glance, and Tamara asked what appeared to be a mutual question. “Which one is better?”

  Carmen jumped in. “I’m familiar with most of the community foundations in the state because of the work I do, and both of these have great reputations. The Calero Foundation’s greatest strength might be that it has been around the longest — since the 1950s. However, the Beaches foundation is twenty years old and solidly run, so you can’t go wrong with either.”

  Audrey nodded in agreement. “One thing you might want to consider,” she said, “is who will serve on your board and where they’re located. If it’s mostly Brevard residents and they’ll have an issue traveling to Calero for quarterly, bimonthly, or monthly meetings, based on how you structure the foundation, that might sway you toward Beaches. If the travel possibility isn’t an issue, then I’d certainly take the time to request a meeting with officials from both foundations to get a sense of which one you’re most comfortable with.”

  Brent smiled. “That’s a great idea,” he said. “I think that’s what we should do — go with the supporting organization option and meet with these two organizations to see which will be the better fit.”

  Tamara looked skeptical. “How much time will all of this take?”

  C
armen shrugged. “The process of forming a charitable giving program takes a nice chunk of time, regardless of the format you use,” she told Tamara. “You’ve got to create a business plan, establish the board of directors, draft bylaws and board policies, and apply to the IRS for tax-exempt status, among other things.”

  Dayna noticed that Carmen didn’t actually answer Tamara’s question. She made a note to ask her later what the realistic time frame would be. But Brent was sharper than she was giving him credit for.

  “So … does all of this work need to be completed before I pass? Or can we get the ball rolling and put the right people in place so that my wishes will be honored after I’m gone?”

  Tears welled up in Tamara’s eyes. “Why do you have to be so blunt?” she asked Brent.

  He sighed and lifted his palms. “Sorry, Tami, but it is what it is. I don’t have time to waste. We gotta get on with doing what we need to do.”

  Tamara turned to Dayna. “Where is your bathroom?”

  Dayna jumped up and led her to the foyer, then pointed down the hallway. “Third door on your left. You okay?”

  Tamara shook her head. “I don’t know, Dayna. I don’t know anymore.”

  She disappeared into the bathroom, and Dayna took her time returning to the table.

  “Everything, okay?” Carmen asked.

  Dayna wasn’t sure, but Brent seemed resolute.

  “Keep going, Carmen,” he said. “It will be all right.”

  Carmen shuffled through her papers and reviewed her notes.

  “Along with utilizing Audrey’s expertise, I recommend hiring a lawyer, or bringing one onto the board, to help you draft and process some of the legal documents you’ll need to turn around fairly quickly,” she said. “And in light of what Brent was just asking, I’d get an attorney to create a document that outlines all of Brent’s wishes for the foundation and for how he’d like to have the fund administered and students chosen to receive the proceeds. That way, in the event that something happens to him before the project is completed, the newbie program won’t stall. The documents will guide the board members who have bought into his vision on how to move forward.”