Dayna was surprised by the relief that washed over Warren’s face. He was more troubled by this whole thing than he was letting on. True to form, though, he hadn’t said a word.
She took this opportunity to steer the conversation to an issue that concerned her. “So how did Ms. Lily wind up on the boat?” She took a sip of Warren’s soda while she waited for his reply.
He shrugged. “She came by to say hello to the boys and make sure they had finished their science projects, and we were heading out. She said her day was free, so I figured I might as well ask if she wanted to come along. It was no big deal.”
“Uh huh,” Dayna said. Trust me. It was a big deal to Lily.
Dayna kept that opinion to herself. “Well, I’m glad it was a beautiful weekend for sailing, and I’m glad you all had a good time, but when I see Lily with your family in a setting like that, I see her trying to replace April.”
She looked at Warren to gauge his reaction, but so far there was none. “Speaking of April … I know you’ll always love her, Warren, but I was wondering … when did you decide to post a picture of you two on Facebook? What does that mean for us?”
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry.” He leaned toward her and stroked her face. “I’m on Facebook so rarely that I’d forgotten I did that. I posted the last picture April and I took together on the date of our wedding anniversary. I meant to take it down the next day, but as you know, life gets in the way. April will always have a place in my heart and in my life through these boys we have together, but my loving her doesn’t mean I love you any less.”
Dayna sighed inwardly, and she asked God to show Warren, when he was ready, how his ability to tuck away his feelings for April in a special, sacred place was not unlike her own as she dealt with Brent.
“I’m so glad we talked this over,” she said instead. “Let’s make it a habit to keep this up, okay? It makes a difference.”
Warren extended his hand and they shook on it. “Deal,” he said.
Dayna grinned and switched subjects again. “Let me know what you decide about going home with me for Easter. I really want you there — you and the boys, if that’s how it turns out. Mama and Daddy need to understand that I love you — and your boys.”
“No, they don’t,” Warren countered.
Dayna raised an eyebrow. “Say that again?”
“That’s what my mom and dad told me after they met you for the first time: No one needs to understand and appreciate our relationship but the two of us. If others care enough to take the effort to do so or want to be supportive, bless them. But Dayna, you and I are the ones directing this ship. We’re the only two that matter, outside of God. My boys respect and care for you, and that’s important, along with the need for us to respect and care for each other. The rest is just extra, babe. We can be polite and cordial and know that after a visit of any sort, home is in each other’s arms.”
If they hadn’t been in a public place and if Michael and Mason weren’t sitting across the room already rolling their eyes at the two of them, Dayna might have planted a big kiss on Warren’s lips. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand.
Subtle yet profound insights like Warren’s declaration made her love him all the more. He was right; standing together, they could handle her parents, Lily, and any other obstacles that came their way. She had her armor on, and she was ready.
fifty
Helping Carmen take over the establishment and launching of Brent’s foundation was the first priority on Dayna’s to-do list this morning.
Rather than calling or emailing, she got off on the fourth floor instead of the sixth. But Carmen’s secretary greeted her with bad news.
“She’s at home today, fighting the flu. I’m not sure she’ll be in the office at all this week,” Elena said. “Can I help you in some way?”
Dayna’s heart sank. This wasn’t happening.
“Dayna?”
She remembered where she was and pulled herself back to the present. “Sorry, Elena. No, you’re fine. I’ll wait to hear from Carmen. If you talk to her this week, please tell her to get well soon and to let me know if there’s anything I can do here at the office to help her out.”
Dayna was glad she had the elevator to herself. She laid her head against its rear wall and wrestled with what she should do next: find someone on Carmen’s staff to help with the process? Contact the Calero Community Foundation to see if they could offer Brent more hands-on guidance as he transitioned into a formal partnership with the organization?
She doubted Brent would go for that before the contracts putting everything in place were signed. She sighed. This meant she was back to where she started — doing the work herself. She couldn’t wait for Carmen to feel better so she could ask for her help. Brent’s clock was ticking; this needed to be resolved sooner rather than later.
She got off the elevator and headed toward her office, lost in thought. Seconds later, she was fumbling to get the papers that had scattered when her briefcase had somehow flown open.
She looked up into Chas’s eyes. Her handsome coworker had accidentally walked into her mess and stepped on some of her documents.
“Sorry, Dayna. Guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“It’s okay, Chas,” she said. “I was actually the one not paying attention; you’re okay.”
She wondered what had him so nervous. A long-time hospital executive, he had been an associate on the Chesdin staff for about two years. He was usually cool and collected, but not this morning.
Dayna paused to watch him center himself, then straighten his tie and glasses. Funny how his outer actions reflected her inner turmoil. She fingered her charm bracelet and closed the latch on her briefcase before tucking it under her arm.
“Have a good day, Chas. See ya.”
Dayna strolled into her department, prepared to ask Monica to hold her calls for at least half an hour while she regrouped and adjusted her morning schedule since she wouldn’t be meeting with Carmen. Before she could utter the words Monica told her she had a guest.
“I didn’t have an appointment scheduled this morning, did I? Nothing was on my calendar.”
Monica shook her head. “No, no, you didn’t. It’s just Audrey — I don’t mean, ‘just.’ I mean, nothing to worry about.”
The tension in Dayna’s shoulders dissipated. “Oh, okay. Audrey I can handle this morning.”
She stepped inside her office and found her friend scanning a copy of The Washington Post that Monica had placed on her desk this morning.
“Hey, lady, everything okay? You’re here early.” Dayna shed her jacket and placed it on the back of her leather high-backed seat.
Audrey nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed to ask you a huge favor, if you have the time.”
Dayna sat at her desk and tried to keep her composure. The last time Audrey had asked an important favor, they had wound up at the police station and lost a night of sleep.
“Ask away,” she said.
Audrey cleared her throat and wrung her hands. “Um, my court date for … you know … got pushed up. It’s this Friday at 9 a.m. My lawyer will be there, of course, but I haven’t breathed a word of this to anyone else, other than my supervisor and Warren, and I was wondering if you could … if you would….”
“I’m there, Audrey. Tell me which courtroom. Or if you want me to pick you up and ride over with you, I can do that too.”
Once she set aside her grudge over Audrey’s choices, Dayna realized she’d slept like a baby. There was too much drama going on in her life to waste energy being mad over someone else’s choices. She needed to be there for Audrey, especially since Audrey had decided not to tell her family in Chicago about the arrest.
Tears mapped a course down Audrey’s cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” Dayna asked. “Are you scared?”
Audrey nodded. “Scared and embarrassed. Ashamed.”
Dayna nodded. “Nothing we can do to change
the past, Audrey. Let’s just pray for the best on Friday and try to move forward. That’s all you can do.”
“Yeah. Move forward is just what I need to do.” Audrey wiped her tears.
Dayna pulled her iPhone from her purse and tapped on a particular application before passing the phone to Audrey. The screen featured a Bible verse that read “My grace is sufficient for you.”
“Walk in that belief,” Dayna told Audrey when Audrey returned the phone. “Has Raymond called you?”
Audrey looked away.
“Audrey?”
Dayna walked around to the front of the desk. She folded her arms and stood in front of her friend. “Please tell me you didn’t fall for his foolishness again.”
Audrey looked at her. “I didn’t. At least I didn’t let him come over. He was calling to officially break it off with me, so he said, but he did ask to come over and talk about it. I told him no need; I got the message loud and clear when he sent the police to my place last month.”
Dayna released the pensive breath she had been holding. Thank God, this woman was finally coming to her senses.
Audrey laughed through the tears still sitting on the rim of her eyes. “Want to know something even funnier? After I hung up on Raymond last night, I prayed for the first time in a long time without being prompted to do so in a formal worship service. I didn’t get on my knees or anything like that. I just sat on the side of my bed and talked to God. I told him the truth: If I had my way, Raymond would have been on his way over to make me feel better and tell me he loved me, and I would have pretended like he meant it. I challenged God to allow me to be approached by a good single man. One that can truly be my own.”
Dayna smiled. “Good for you!”
“Then I get here this morning and get off on your floor and guess who I bump into?”
Dayna shrugged.
“Chas Carter. Looking all fine … and single.”
Dayna and Audrey laughed in unison.
“Do you know he asked me how I was doing in one breath and invited me on a date in the next?”
Dayna’s eyes grew wide. “That explains why he was flustered a few minutes ago! I thought it was my looks and charm!”
Audrey attempted a smile.
“He also asked me to join him for coffee on Friday morning, but I had to tell him I have a prior commitment. How sad that a court date might keep me from getting to know a truly good guy better.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Dayna said. “And don’t be too quick to rush into another relationship. Take some time for you. Your making Chas wait might be a good thing. Men need to do some chasing. Let him ask you again; you’ll be worth the wait, and you’ll be that much closer to being healed. In the meantime, we’ve got to get you mentally ready for court on Friday. You need a nice conservative suit — not that flashy stuff you wear around here.”
Audrey hugged her, then lightly punched her in the arm. “I should get you for that, but you’re right; divas don’t do drab. Gotta tone it down for the judge, though.”
“Yes, we’ll get you through Friday, then I need your help with Brent’s foundation. Carmen’s out of the picture for a little while it seems, because she’s sick. I’m going to need all the help I can get so this thing doesn’t overwhelm me.”
Audrey gave her a thumbs-up. “Pray me through Friday and I’ll do what I can. An accounting background may not provide you with as much help as you need, but I’ll be there.”
“Thanks. Now get to work.”
Audrey left and Dayna turned on her computer to check her weekend messages. She saw a note from Warren and smiled as she read his sweet good-morning pep talk. How was she going to tell him that she was back to square one — in the driver’s seat with helping Brent? She’d start, she decided, by proposing salsa dancing tonight, and then go from there.
fifty-one
“Back and forth; back and forth; come on, people! Shake those groove things!”
Dayna positioned her feet and hands properly in relation to Warren’s and moved closer to him. She had missed this. Salsa was relationship medicine. How could she be this close to this man and not long to kiss him?
His eyes told her he was thinking the same thing. Their hips swayed in unison to the up-tempo beat, and they clasped hands in midair while dancing under Footwork Central’s bright lights. This was fun. Dayna was glad she’d finally made time to come again.
When the song ended, they took a seat to catch their breath, get something to drink, and watch other student dancers have their turn. They watched with admiration the footwork of some of the more advanced couples and chuckled at others. Either way, being here tonight was magical.
Dayna leaned in her seat so that her back rested on Warren’s chest. He leaned into her ear.
“I’m glad you’re back, babe; I’ve missed you.”
Dayna frowned and turned toward him. What did that mean? She’d just seen him yesterday.
The loud, fast-paced music resumed before she could ask him, and he swept her up onto the dance floor again. For the next hour, they followed their teacher’s instruction to swivel their hips this way and move their feet that way, and worked up a sweat and a fresh affection for each other. When the session ended, they were exhausted.
On the drive home, Warren reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’ve missed us,” he said.
Dayna shifted in her seat until she was facing him and recalled the curious comment he had made earlier that evening. “What do you mean, Warren? I thought we were okay.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, Dayna. This whole thing with Brent has been something else. I mean, it was one thing for you to go to dinner with him to find out why he had returned, but I didn’t bargain for this drawn-out drama between you, him, and his wife. If he hadn’t found his way back to you, someone else would be helping him get matters squared away before he dies, and that’s what I think he should be doing now, not relying on his former wife.”
Dayna sighed. “Well, as least you’re honest about how you feel. I respect that,” she said. “And you’re right — someone else could have helped him; it didn’t have to be me. I don’t know why I didn’t just stick to that when he asked and when Tamara showed up in my office to plead his case. Something in me couldn’t tell him — them — no.”
“Something, huh?”
“What are you insinuating?”
Warren kept his eyes on the road.
“Come on, Warren; we promised from the beginning to put everything on the table. Let me hear it.”
He remained silent throughout a stop at a traffic light, and Dayna waited. She wondered if he could hear the fear thumping through her heart. Faith over fear. That message from her devotional reading surfaced when she needed it most.
“You still love him, don’t you, Dayna?” He looked straight ahead as he asked the question but turned to gaze into Dayna’s eyes for the answer.
She stammered. “Where … where did that come from? We’ve been divorced for seven years, Warren!”
“Signing a piece of paper saying something is legally over doesn’t mean you turn off your feelings. You just can’t seem to let this man go, to live or to die, without you.”
“Come on, Warren. You and I have something special. I thought we were planning a future together.” She reached for his hand and he pulled away.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
She reached for the bracelet dangling from her arm and unconsciously began playing with the three charms. The light turned green and Warren drove her home without further questions. Her mind played over the past few months and how she’d handled Brent’s declarations of love.
When Warren pulled into her driveway, Dayna used her keychain remote to raise the garage so she could enter through the kitchen. Warren’s jaw was set when she turned to him, but she kissed him anyway. “I love you. I’m in love with you. My feelings for Brent are no different than the love you still have for April.”
Warren fixed h
is eyes on his car’s windshield. “Don’t try to compare what I feel for my dead wife with your mixed-up emotions about a cheating jerk.”
Dayna was taken aback, but she refused to give up. She sighed. “I’m glad we had some time tonight to get back on track. Let’s not stop here, okay? You’re too important to me.”
Warren didn’t answer, so she stepped out of the car and trotted into the garage. Before she could lower it, Warren emerged from behind the wheel of the car and called out to her. Dayna approached him, afraid of what he felt the need to share.
When she was face-to-face with him, with his open car door separating them, she waited for him to speak.
“You obviously need to help Brent through this challenging time, and I don’t want to be your biggest obstacle,” Warren said. “Let’s take a break for a while, so you can get through this and figure out what you really want.”
Dayna was about to protest and insist that he was overreacting, but Warren silenced her by placing his forefinger on her quivering lips. He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but instead, he settled into the car again and started the engine.
When Dayna was safely inside her home, she dashed to the living room window to watch Warren drive away. But he was still sitting in the driveway, staring at her now-lowered garage door as if he’d lost his best friend.
Dayna wanted to cry too, because he had forced her to face the truth. She loved Warren, but she loved Brent too. Not in the same intense, passionate way she once had, but with the understanding that, like Warren’s feelings for April, a piece of her heart would always belong to Brent. Neither time nor distance nor different circumstances could change that, and the fact that Brent wanted her around during his final days meant she had to be there. Even if, she had the terrifying realization, it cost her Warren.
fifty-two
Dayna didn’t think she could possibly have more tears left, but when she awoke the next morning and realized how she and Warren had parted the evening before, her waterworks resumed.
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