CHAPTER FOURTEEN W: THE MEETING WITHOUT CEDRIC
Elaine chaired the foundation board’s first full meeting without Cedric’s representatives in attendance.
The agenda included interim housing support, the warehouse review, employee reporting procedures, and a revised donor communication plan.
Yvette sat among the trustees rather than at the head of the table.
Simone presented a summary of the calls received from families whose services had been misreported.
The list included missed accommodation, canceled appointments, and training places that had never been confirmed.
Elaine asked the committee to prioritize immediate corrections over publicity.
A trustee asked whether the foundation could afford the necessary reimbursements.
Laila said the organization had sufficient unrestricted reserves for some corrections, but the board needed to approve a clear process rather than promise unlimited payments.
Alma Reyes attended by invitation and described the difficulty of correcting a false record that labeled her uncooperative.
The room grew quiet as she explained that two providers had repeated the same description without asking her what happened.
Elaine asked whether Alma wanted a written correction sent to those providers.
Alma said she wanted the foundation to help her obtain the records and identify the source of the claim.
The board authorized a staff member independent of Northstar to assist her.
Yvette thanked Alma for attending.
Alma said she had not come to help the board feel better.
She had come because her son’s school year was ending and she needed stable housing before the next one began.
Yvette said she understood.
This time, she did not add a promise she could not personally keep.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN X: THE ROAD BETWEEN THEM
Damian met Yvette after the board meeting at a small diner near the workshop.
She arrived tired and ordered soup.
Damian asked how the meeting had gone.
Yvette described Alma’s testimony and the decision to provide independent assistance.
She said the work felt slower now that nobody was allowed to announce a solution before verifying it.
Damian said slower did not necessarily mean worse.
Yvette looked at him across the table.
She asked whether he ever worried that they had found each other only because Cedric and Briana had hurt them.
Damian admitted that he did.
Yvette said she feared waking up one morning and discovering their affection had been held together by a shared enemy.
Damian thought before answering.
He said he liked the way she argued with Keisha about program details and then changed her mind when Keisha was right.
Yvette smiled.
He said he liked how she remembered the names of his apprentices and asked about his mother’s garden.
He also liked that she could sit with him in silence when there was nothing useful to say.
Yvette asked whether that was enough.
Damian said it was enough to keep learning who they were without pretending they had a guarantee.
The server brought their food.
They ate while rain began against the window.
When they left, Yvette asked whether he wanted to walk a few blocks before going home.
Damian said he did.
They walked beneath the awnings and talked about everything except the investigation.
