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“Mrs. Dashill, this is my friend Everly Parker.”
Everly held out her hand and Mrs. Dashill eyed her with no shame.
“What a lovely girl.” Mrs. Dashill had been widowed during the five years I had taken over, but that experience hadn’t softened her one bit. “I am so glad you’re not spending your free time with women of…that element.” She was referring to porn stars. “I have told Max time and time again…” She had turned her attention to Everly. “There is still time for him to change his life. It was not his fault he was born to heathens.”
Everly recoiled
“Excu—”
A clink of silverware on crystal sounded off to the right. Everly froze and bit her tongue, turning her attention to the front of the room, where the chairman of the board stood with a huge smile on his face. Len Howard had taken over after my mother had passed away. He wasn’t a supporter of her choice of occupation or where her money came from. Needless to say, the poison he spouted behind my back didn’t do much to help people’s perceptions of me.
“Thank you all for coming. We’re celebrating another fantastic year of hard work and success stories.”
Len went on, and I won’t lie, I tuned him out. He said the same thing every year. So I was shocked when a young girl—Samantha Price—about Everly’s age, took his spot at the front of the room. When she introduced herself, her name wasn’t that of a stranger. I had chosen her as the recipient of the Ellie Levin Grant. I knew all about her—her past, her intended future—but that had been on paper. Now here she was, in the flesh.
“Phoenix House saved my life.” She was attractive, long blond hair and a perky nose her standout features. This time I listened, to everything she had to say. About her past as a teenage prostitute, at her experience with physical violence and drug abuse, and then the moment she hit rock bottom when her pimp had left her for dead in an alley after a customer had beaten her. She was well spoken, articulate, and I got lost in the sound of her voice and the live, heartbreaking account of her life story. Until I heard my name.
“Max Levin, are you in the room?”
My head snapped up and I felt Everly’s tight squeeze around my arm. Len pointed me out in the crowd and Samantha looked right into my eyes.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank the Levin family. I was the lucky recipient of the Ellie Levin Grant. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Ms. Levin, and I am very sorry about that, and I can’t move forward and begin a new life without thanking the man who selflessly donated his money to help someone like me.”
I looked down at the floor, unsure of what I should say or do. I had never been publicly called out before, at least not for something good. I had been ridiculed and made fun of, but never thanked. It was a strange thing.
I knew all eyes were on me. Each set of eyes both for and against me. But at this moment none of that mattered, because I had helped change this woman’s life. Something burst inside me, like a dam that broke, a rush of something I couldn’t explain took root in my chest and spread through my body, making me feel lighter, happier. Maybe my father was right. Maybe there was more to giving than signing a check.
“Oh my God, Max!” Everly’s voice had risen about three octaves in excitement as soon as Samantha had finished addressing the crowd. “That was wonderful.” Her eyes sparkled with admiration. “Why didn’t you tell me there is a grant with your mother’s name?”
“It’s no big deal.”
I didn’t want her to know. It was one thing to admit I gave to charity, it was a whole different story to admit I gave millions to charity.
Everly sidled up to me, slipping her delicate arm inside mine, and lowered her voice. “It’s a huge deal. You’re helping so many people.” She cocked her head. I saw the question rolling around in her brain. The one she was afraid to ask.
“Now, don’t be so modest, boy.” A hand clapped on my shoulder. “You’re doing good work.”
“Marty.” I smiled at the one man who’d been kind to me throughout the five years I’d been coming to this event. He had been on the board of directors with my mother, and had remained after her passing. “Good to see you.” I extended my hand, placing the other on top of his in a gesture of familiarity.
He looked over at Everly. “He’s underselling. His mother practically built this charity, and every year Max is the largest donor.” He extended his hand to Everly. “Martin Shaw.”
With astonishment on her face, she returned his handshake. “Everly Parker.”
“It’s nice to finally see a beautiful lady on his arm.” Martin jerked his thumb in my direction.
So much for keeping the evening low key. In under a minute, Martin had exposed my secrets—the ones I wanted to keep hidden from Everly.
“You must be pretty special if Max brought you here.”
“Oh…I…” She brought her hand up to her chest in a dainty gesture.
Before I had a chance to qualify his remark, a murmured whisper carried over my shoulder.
“I can’t believe they accept money from that man.”
I heard Everly’s soft gasp beside me.
“It’s businesses like his that turn women into drug addicts and force them into shelters in the first place.”
