was, the more I avoided him, the worse my reaction was any time I spotted him—or thought I did.
I took another sip, trying to bring myself back to the present. I was being rude, but I’d lost all interest in this conversation, these people, and this party.
Jasmin pushed through the crowd, the worried expression on her face snagging my attention and giving me a good excuse to bail.
“Could you all please excuse me? There’s something I need to attend to.” I smiled politely and left, catching up to Jasmin just as she reached the makeshift bar area in the foyer.
“Can I get a scotch on the rocks, please? Actually, make it a double.” She leaned on the bar heavily as the bartender moved off to pour her drink.
I nudged her shoulder. “Talking to my dad has driven you to drinking?”
“Donna.” She straightened, looking at me warily.
I frowned. “Shit. It actually did? What did he say?”
“No, it’s not like that. He was lovely. I . . .” She took a deep breath and gave me her customer service smile. “It’s Christmas. We don’t need to talk about this. Are you having a drink?”
The bartender placed a glass of amber liquid in front of her, and she took a big sip and winced slightly.
“I’m eighteen,” I reminded her. “And you run a legal center.”
“Ha! Yeah, right. Sorry.”
“Jasmin, come on. What’s going on? I’m not going to be able to stop worrying. You may as well just tell me.”
She watched me warily for a moment, then took another sip of her scotch and nodded. “OK, let’s sit somewhere.”
Shit. A sit-down conversation. What the hell was this serious? As trepidation clawed at the base of my rib cage, I led her to a chaise lounge in the foyer, away from the party going on in the main living area of the house.
Jasmin was a direct woman—she had to be in her field of work—and she cut right to the chase. “I’m so sorry, Donna, but I have to terminate your volunteer position at the center, effective immediately.”
I reeled back as if she’d slapped me. Of all the things I thought she might say, that wasn’t even on the list. “What? Why? What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything. You’re perfect. But through talking to your father and one of his financial advisors, I realized you or your family are behind a very generous donation we received recently.”
“Oh god.” I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to cause a scene. “That was supposed to be anonymous. They shouldn’t even be talking about it at a party, for god’s sake.”
“It was anonymous.” She covered my hand with hers, her other tightening around her drink. “And they didn’t mention the donation or break any kind of confidentiality. But the mention of certain umbrella companies and trusts . . . it was just business talk for them, but the names were enough for me to put two and two together. I had to make sure, so I pulled your father aside, and he confirmed my suspicion. It was a very generous, kind thing for you to do. Which is why it’s so hard for me to have to let you go.”
“You didn’t have to ask Dad about it. It was anonymous. You could’ve let it stay anonymous.”
“You know I couldn’t do that.” She gave me a look full of regret. I did know that. She was a stickler for the truth, a tough woman with a strong sense of right and wrong. It was why she was so good at her job.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just frustrated. But I still don’t see why this means I have to stop volunteering. It’s not illegal to donate both money and time, is it?”
“No, it’s not. But we have our own company bylaws. We take several students as volunteers every year—most of them use it on their college applications, and along with the connections they’re able to make with the attorneys who come to volunteer their services . . . the situation is rife for exploitation. We can’t accept money from volunteers or their families. I’m so sorry, Donna, but your donation was very generous. There’s no way in hell the board will let me return it to keep you on board for another couple of months.”
The fact that she’d even considered returning the money told you all you needed to know about this woman’s character.
“I’m so sorry.” I wasn’t even sure if that was the right thing to