The Summer of Me: A Novel

by Angela Benson

  Daniel stood. “Thanks again, Eve,” he said. “You-all are certainly making me feel welcome here at Faith Community.”

  Eve waved him off. “It’s like Sister Weston said, it’s what we do in the family of God.”

  Daniel watched as the young woman walked out of the room. “You’ve got some great members,” he said to Natalie.

  Her eyes flashed amusement. “We’ve got some eager single women. They don’t do this for everybody. You’re special.” She grinned outright. “And you’re single.”

  “Don’t you start,” Daniel said.

  Natalie chuckled. “You’re a rarity. Single Christian men are hard to find.”

  “I’m not even going to comment on that,” he said, reaching for the pad on his desk. “Let’s sit at the table. I’m assuming Gavin told you about the personal finance program I want to start.”

  Natalie followed him to the table and took a seat. “He sure did. It’s very generous of you to offer to use the proceeds from Gloria’s life insurance to fund it, Daniel. More than generous. You really don’t have to do it.”

  He nodded. “Yes I do,” he said. “It’s what she would want.”

  “Yes, she’d be pleased that you’re using the money to help others, but she’d also want to know you’d taken care of yourself.” She raised her question-filled eyes to his. “Have you?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I don’t need much. Besides, I still get partnership checks from GDW Investigations and the company is doing well.”

  “If you’re sure,” she said.

  “I’m sure.”

  She leaned toward him. “A personal money management program is exactly what this church needs. I can’t believe we haven’t already done one. I guess we were just waiting for you. How long has a program like this been in your heart? Why do you want to do it?”

  “In the work at GDW, we see a lot of people who get themselves in bad situations because they’re desperate for money. These people tend to fall into three categories: those who just did a poor job of managing what they had, those who never had enough in the first place, and those who were greedy and just wanted more. I wanted to do something to help the folks in the first two categories and maybe keep folks from compounding their money problems by doing something illegal. I’m not sure what we can do for those in the third category.”

  “And you saw a lot of that when you were working at GDW?”

  “More than I care to remember,” he said, thinking of Phil. A part of him wanted to tell Natalie and Gavin about him, but he knew the importance of secrecy when dealing with cases like this. He’d give them all the details once they closed the case. “It breaks your heart sometimes. If I can stop just one person from deciding to take a shortcut to financial well-being, the program will have been worth it.”

  Natalie smiled. “You have a big heart, Daniel Thomas.”

  “I guess I’m living up to the Faith Community standard then, since I’m just doing my part as a member of the family of God.”

  “Have I told you how happy I am that you decided to join us?”

  He chuckled. “Several times.”

  She sat back in her chair. “Well, I am,” she said. “We need you. I don’t think we realized how much until you got here, but God knew.”

  Daniel agreed with her. His primary reason for being in Atlanta was to support Gavin and the church ministry, but working this case with Phil was also part of the reason he was here. He hadn’t been able to balance the two in the past. He hoped to do better going forward. “Enough about me,” he said. “I got another idea listening to you and Eve talk about her catering business. What would it take to get something like that up and running?”

  Natalie shrugged. “I have no idea, but I bet Eve does. You should have asked her.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I wanted to talk to you first. I had thought to use Gloria’s insurance money to help folks get themselves out of personal financial binds, but maybe we can focus on helping folks start small businesses where they can employ folks in need.”

  Natalie’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea, Daniel, but I don’t see why we can’t do both things. You’re starting with a good bit of money. There’s no reason we can’t help folks out short term and also help them long term with starting a small business. Of course, folks are going to need some education in what starting and running a small business entails but you’re the perfect person for that. Look what you, William, and George did with GDW Investigations. You’ve come a long way since you started.”

  Daniel nodded. GDW had started with just the three of them working out of rented space above a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of downtown Memphis. Today, they had a floor of offices in a major downtown business complex and employed more than fifty full-time staff. “The business certainly exceeded our expectations.”

  “So let’s call the programs you’re starting here the Ephesians 3:20 Project. This fund is going to be the answer to somebody’s prayer in a way they never imagined. You think you’re popular now. Just wait until folks find out what you’re doing.”

  “The name works for me,” he said, “but I don’t want folks knowing that I’m funding the project. Let’s keep the focus on what the project is doing rather than who is funding it.”

  “I understand you want to be humble about it, Daniel, but folks are going to figure it out since you’re running the project.”

  He shook his head. “Then I won’t run it. I’m sure you know somebody in the congregation who could do it.”

  “Yes, but you’d still need to be involved, especially with the small business education.”

  “I’m on board with that,” he said. “I just don’t want to be the face of the project. You can bring on somebody to do that.”

  Natalie smiled. “I think I have just the person. And you’ve already met her.”

  “Eve?”

  Natalie shook her head. “Destiny.”

  Daniel eyed her. “This is not you matchmaking again, is it?”

  Natalie chuckled. “Let’s just say it’s matchmaking plus. That you and Destiny would get to spend some time together as friends and coworkers is a bonus. The real truth is that Destiny could use the extra work and the money that goes with it.”

  Daniel hated to think of Destiny in need. He’d been raised by a single mother so he knew that finances could get tight. “So her ex-husband is one of those deadbeat dads?”

  Natalie shook her head. “It’s more complex than that,” she said. “If you want to know more, you’ll have to talk to Destiny. You are going to see her again, aren’t you?”

  Daniel grinned. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “Never. Not when it matters. And you and Destiny both matter.”

  “Well, you and Gavin have done your parts. Now you need to step back and let us figure out the rest.”

  “Yes, sir,” Natalie said, giving him a mock salute.

  “I’m serious, Natalie,” he said.

  “So am I.”

  Daniel didn’t believe she was going to give up her matchmaking, so he decided to let the topic drop. “If Destiny needs money, why can’t she be one of the recipients of a fund award?”

  Natalie’s eyes widened. “She’d be perfect.” She leaned closer. “She’s trying to do something for her family this summer and her plans to get the money to do it fell through. This could be just the opportunity she needs.”

  “Well, that’s great. Will you talk to her or should I?”

  “Let me do it,” she said. “Destiny can be prickly at times. Her pride rises up and makes her think she can’t accept help from friends. She’d appreciate the work though, so I’d still like to talk to her about working with you on developing the programs.” She looked at Daniel. “She’d have to know you’re putting up the money for the programs. Are you okay with that?”

  Daniel nodded. “I’m okay with her knowing. I don’t think she’d announce it to the world.”

  “No, she can be dis
creet.”

  “Well,” Daniel said, “then I think we need to pull her in on the planning as well. The two of us can rough out the broad parameters of both programs today but I’d like to get her input as well. I want her to feel a sense of ownership for the work we’re trying to do.”

  “You’re putting your heart into this, aren’t you, Daniel?”

  “It’s Gloria’s heart,” he said. “I want this program to honor her. She lived a life of service so I know she’d be pleased to know she was still giving service, even in death.”

  Natalie covered his hand that rested on the table with her own. “She knows, Daniel. And we’ll honor her every day. There’s no reason we can’t name the fund after her.”

  He shook his head. “She wouldn’t want that. She was all about the work, not the recognition. Her joy will be in seeing how lives are changed because of what we do. That’s enough.”

  Chapter 10

  ARE YOU READY TO DO THIS?” BERTICE ASKED DESTINY. They sat in the lobby restaurant of the building that housed HR Solutions, a temporary employment services firm based in Atlanta and with offices scattered all over the country.

  “More than ready,” she said. “I want that house in Gwinnett for me and the kids and, if I can swing it, I want to make a weekend trip to visit the kids while they’re away. My summer plans are headed down the drain if I can’t come up with the extra money. My situation is further complicated by Kenneth’s decision to reduce his child-support payments for the summer. Girl, I need this job. Thank you for introducing me to your friend.”

  “Kenneth was wrong to do what he did,” Bertice said. “I bet that fat Mary Margaret was behind it.”

  Destiny didn’t want to go down that road again with Bertice. She almost regretted telling her friend about Kenneth and the child-support money. She didn’t regret it though because she’d needed to talk to someone who understood. That left out her mother and Natalie. She couldn’t bear to hear her mother’s “I told you so” when it came to Kenneth and she didn’t want Natalie offering to loan her money again. This was her problem and she had to fix it. “Hey,” she said to Bertice, “I ought to blame you.”

  Bertice’s eyes widened. “Me?”

  Destiny nodded.

  “How am I at fault?”

  “You put it out there when you got on my case the other day about the instability of relying too heavily on Kenneth’s child-support payments. And just like that”—Destiny snapped her fingers—“a few days later my child support is cut in half. That has to be more than coincidence. You put some bad mojo on me.”

  Bertice chuckled. “You’re joking, right?”

  Destiny wasn’t so sure. Bertice had put the thought out there first. She believed in thoughts and ideas in the air taking shape in the world. “I’m kidding,” she said to reassure her friend. “If I thought you were bad luck, I definitely wouldn’t be down here with you trying to find work. You’re more like my good-luck charm.”

  “Thanks for saying that,” Bertice said. “Sometimes Natalie can be so negative about the things I do, but I’d never do anything illegal.” She grinned at Destiny. “Nothing big, I mean. Besides, we aren’t doing anything illegal, not really. This job is going to work for you for the summer just like it’s worked for me for the last year.”

  “A whole year?”

  Bertice nodded. “Off and on. When I need some extra cash for a special project or something, Phil hooks me up. Where do you think I got the money for all the new furniture in my new house? I saved up the down payment, but this job helped with all the extras.”

  Destiny rolled her eyes. “I believed you when you said you had a windfall from playing the lottery. I can’t believe you lied to me and Natalie.”

  “I had to lie,” Bertice said. “I told you about Natalie and her negativity. I know her. She would only find fault and try to make me feel guilty. She even tried to make me feel guilty about the lottery. She’s gotten a bit too self-righteous for me.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Destiny said.

  Bertice turned to look at her. “Are you going to tell her that you’re working with me?”

  Destiny shook her head. “Not right away. She’d worry and I don’t want her to do that. I’ll tell her later in the summer when I finalize my moving plans.”

  “What about your mom?”

  “You don’t even have to ask; you know I’m not telling her until the last possible moment. I still haven’t told her about my plans to move to Gwinnett.”

  “I think you’re too hard on your mother,” Bertice said. “She’s not that bad.”

  Destiny just stared at her friend.

  “Well, she’s not,” Bertice repeated. “And you are too hard on her.”

  “I’m in too good of a mood to even debate you on that point. Besides, I’ve got some news to tell my mother that should keep her off my back this summer.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m going back to school.”

  “What? That’s great news. When did you decide?”

  Destiny shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just tired of being afraid.”

  “Afraid?”

  “Yes, afraid of going back to school. I wasn’t that good a student the first time around. Who knows if I’ll be any better now?”

  “Well, I think it’s a good decision. And I know Natalie and your mom will be all over it. You’re going to have a full plate this summer.”

  “That’s the point,” Destiny said. “I want to fill up every minute of my day while the kids are away. If I don’t, I’ll go crazy with missing them. I miss them so much already and they’ve been gone only a couple of weeks. I welcome the challenge of school if it’ll help keep my mind off the kids and what they’re doing.”

  Bertice snapped her fingers. “Hey, I just thought of something. If you’re going back to school, you’ll be eligible for a loan. If you need to explain any extra money before you’re ready, you can always say you took out a school loan.”

  Destiny glared at her friend. “You can’t be serious.”

  Bertice shrugged. “Please. I know folks who live off student loans. A girl I work with bought a car, a used car, with her student loan money.”

  “And this is legal?” Destiny asked.

  Bertice nodded. “You have to pay the money back, so it’s legal.”

  “You’re too good at this,” Destiny said, studying her friend. “That’s not a bad idea though. It has only one downside. I’d have to lie.”

  Bertice chuckled. “Well, there is that.” Bertice lifted her glass of soda to Destiny. “Welcome back to college,” she said.

  “I’m excited about it, even though I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Isn’t that a shame?”

  Bertice laughed. “It’s a shame that you’ve had two kids and you still don’t consider yourself a grown-up.”

  Destiny slapped her friend lightly on the shoulder. “That’s not what I meant. I’m talking in terms of finding a career. I know more about what I don’t want to do than I do about what I want to do.”

  “Well, that’s a start. You should visit the career counseling office at the college. They probably have some assessments to help you figure out where your interests and skills intersect.”

  “You’re just a fountain of information today, aren’t you?”

  Bertice winked at her. “Hey, I already have my BS degree, so just call me Encyclopedia Bertice. One day after you get your degree, you’ll be as smart as I am.”

  Destiny rolled her eyes. “Oh please.”

  Bertice looked down at her watch. “It’s about one. We need to head upstairs. Your appointment is for one fifteen. You have the application all filled out, don’t you?”

  Destiny patted the portfolio that rested in the chair next to hers. “I’m good to go.”

  Bertice led the way to the elevator. When they got off at the fifth floor, Destiny followed her friend down a long hallway to a set of oak double doors with an HR Solution
s placard on one of them. “This is it,” Bertice said, turning back to look at her. “You ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Bertice nodded, pulled open the door, and walked to the reception desk. When she got there, she gave the receptionist their names.

  “Yes, I see you have a one-fifteen appointment,” the young woman said. “Please take a seat. Mr. Harris will be with you shortly. His earlier appointment ran over, so he’s running a little behind schedule. Would either of you like something to drink while you wait?”

  “No, but thanks anyway,” Bertice said. “We just had lunch in the lobby restaurant. Great food, wasn’t it, Destiny?”

  “It was very good, much better than I expected.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” the receptionist said. “The restaurant has been open only a couple of months, but they’re doing great business. Everybody raves about them.”

  Destiny looked up when the door to the office behind the receptionist’s desk opened and a handsome guy of average height walked toward them. When he reached Bertice, he leaned close and bussed her on the cheek. “You get more beautiful every day,” he said.

  Bertice gave him the full effect of her smile. “Thank you,” she said. “You’re looking pretty handsome yourself.”

  As Destiny watched the exchange, she wondered if there was something going on between her friend and Mr. Harris. Bertice hadn’t even hinted at anything romantic between them but there were fireworks there. The kind that could be felt as well as seen.

  “This is my friend Destiny Madison,” Bertice said, finally getting around to introducing her.

  Phil Harris extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Madison. Any friend of Bertice’s is a friend of mine. Why don’t you follow me into my office so we can get everything taken care of.”

  Destiny looked at Bertice, who said, “I’ll wait here for you.”

  Destiny nodded and then followed Mr. Harris into his office.

  “Have a seat,” Mr. Harris said, pointing to a couple of office chairs in front of his desk. After she was seated, he walked around the desk and took his seat. “Let me see,” he said as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a binder. He opened it, pulled out the top sheet, and handed it to her. “The details of the job are outlined in this document. While you look it over, I’ll look over your application materials. Did you bring them?”