“It’s such a great organization,” Joe says. “What made you decide to get involved?”
“Emily,” I say. “She stormed into my office one day, demanding money.”
“It didn’t happen like that,” she says. “We had an appointment and he tried to cancel—at the last minute and for the third time. I couldn’t believe it. I was so annoyed.”
“You’ve got a headstrong daughter here, Joe,” I say. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“So what’d you donate?” Sabrina asks. “Time? Services?”
“Oh yeah,” Dax says. “CEF has that great mentorship program. Is that what you’re doing?”
“No,” I say. “I donated money.”
“Yeah, but what else?” Dax asks. I stare at him for a moment, not understanding the question. Finally he says, “I mean, you didn’t just write a check, did you?”
“It was a check for a hundred thousand dollars,” I clarify.
“Jackson was very generous,” Emily says.
“Yeah, but I mean,” Dax continues, “what are you doing now?”
I’m ready to strangle this guy’s neck when Joe steps in and says, “I think maybe what Dax is getting at is perhaps how you got involved with CEF. What drew you to them out of all the other worthy non-profits?”
“Just Emily, really,” I say. “Truly, she was very persuasive.”
“Being so wealthy you probably donate to lots of causes?” Joe asks.
“Just Emily’s.” I smile at her, hoping she’s feeling more relaxed. “And I’m not that wealthy.”
“Oh, come on,” Sabrina says. “Everyone knows you’re rich as hell.”
“God, Sabrina,” Emily says.
“Sabrina, please,” Martha says, looking a little mortified. “I’m sorry, Jackson. We shouldn’t talk about such things anyway. Although it must make life a little easier, not having to worry about money.”
“I still worry about money,” I say. “My company certainly has profit goals every quarter. If I don’t make them, I hear about it from the board.”
“Croft International is one of the wealthiest companies in the country,” Joe says. “How can you sit and worry about making even more money?”
“It’s my job,” I say simply. “We have shareholders who expect a certain amount of return on their investments. I don’t think it’s too outrageous to give them that.”
“But don’t you think, at some point, it’s enough? How much money do you have to make for you to say, Okay, I’ve made enough. Now I’m going to start giving it away?”
“There is no number. We live in a capitalistic society.”
It looks like old Joe is on the verge of a head explosion when Emily steps in. “Come on, guys. Stop being so hard on Jackson. Hello, we met because of his donation. A very generous donation that shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the biggest in the fund’s history.”
Martha mutters something about how that’s not the issue as Joe refocuses on his eggs.
“What about the mentorship program?” Dax says.
I look across at Dax. “What about it?”
“Why don’t you get involved in it? Being the head of a company is the exact kind of person I’d think they would be looking for. Wouldn’t you want to mentor a young kid, expose them to the business world and help them see the heights they can climb?”
“Believe me, if I could find a way to add more hours to the day, I would. I hardly have the time to do much of anything, besides work. My days are filled from top to bottom, keeping the company running and earning money. It’s an eighty hour a week job, and that’s when things are slow.”
“You make time for exercise, right?” Dax says, eyeing me carefully. “It’s the same concept. You just do. You make the time.”
What this kid is not getting is that I don’t want to make the time for shit like that. I’d rather write the damn check. But of course I don’t say that.
“Can we ease up on the third degree?” Emily says. “Jeez, guys. He’s not on trial. He’s here so we can all get to know each other.”
“Emily is right,” Martha says. “I’m sorry, Jackson. We’re just so focused on charity in this family. We’ve all chosen to donate our lives to service so we’re a bit passionate about it.”
“Well, I’m happy to help fund that passion,” I say. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret it. Fuck, what a mistake. Condescending asshole, that’s me. “What I meant was—”