The Millionaire's Intriguing Offer

The Donation

"It's a check," Tito said. "A very large check, from something called the TMM Trust. I've never heard of them."

Bailey stared at him, puzzled. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"A local bank is listed as trustee. But when I called them to find out who this was coming from, I hit a brick wall."

"I don't understand."

"Look at the amount."

Bailey approached the desk and took the check , studied it, then handed it back.

"Wow. That's way more than any of the other donations we've received." It was enough, she realized to fund the entire OFC summer program for the next several years, with money left over. She and Tito had talked just last week about the need to scale back a few of their more ambitions ideas for the first year just to keep within their budget. They didn't want to get off to a great start the first summer and then not have the funds to continue the program going forward. She'd been trying to find sponsors to defray the additional costs so they wouldn't have to cut back.

That wasn't going to be an issue now.

"That's way more than the typical donation," she said to Tito.

"Exactly. And what typically happens when we get a check for even a fraction of this amount?"

She thought back over the previous weeks. The photo opportunities for Tito and sometimes herself as well, posing holding a large cardboard blowup of a check with the benefactor.

"There's usually some kind of formal presentation," she said.

Tito leaned back in his chair. "Why would anyone make a contribution this size and not publicly announce it? Not take credit for their generosity?"

Bailey was at a complete loss. "I have no idea."

"Really?" Tito asked. "Because the only person I know with this kind of wealth who also has a personal connection to one of us and this program is Jonathon."

"Jonathon? I don't understand."

"Well, I think I do. Bailey, I know you didn't want to scale back those more extravagant parts of your plans for the first year of the program. I think you weren't willing to wait. And I think you asked your boyfriend to write a check."

Tito sighed. "Look, it's not that I'm not grateful, but -"

"Wait a minute, Tito, no, just because I'm in a" - she stumbled a bit over the words - "relationship with a wealthy man doesn't mean I'm going to ask him to write out a ridiculously high check. I got Jack to volunteer for the sailing program. I swear that's the only thing I asked him to do."

"Well, I think he took it a little further than that. Bailey, it's not that I'm ungrateful. I just . . . feel odd about the donation just coming in like this with no indication who sent it, other than the name of some trust. The law firm already does a lot for OFC financially."

"Are you sure it's even from him?"

Tito shook his head. "Like I said, who else could it be?"

"I'll talk to him," Bailey said.

As she left Tito's office and went back to her desk Bailey wondered what Jonathon might be up to. It was one thing to volunteer for the bachelor auction, support other OFC fundraisers, and agree to be one of the mentors/instructors in the sailing part of the program. But this check was clearly over the top.

And it put her in an uncomfortable position with her boss, especially since he assumed she'd just done this without even discussing it.

Then again, she considered, Jack's offer to have the kids crew his sailboat for the law firm regatta was apparently, at least according to Maria, equally over the top.