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What he did do was lay out a strategy that had a hell of a lot of prospective backing from some of those organizations wooing him.
And while he’d hired a tax attorney to break down all the components of establishing a charitable group—including the intricacies involving raising/collecting funds, reporting them and documenting administrative vs. contributable dollars—he honestly assessed that he was still missing one critical element. The human one.
So Jude made several more calls until he connected with Charlotte Kensington.
“What a delight to hear from you!” she hastily said in her delicate voice. “I assume you’re calling about the family get-together this Friday night that Kathryn is hosting.”
“Kate,” he absently corrected.
“I’m sorry?”
“Kate, Charlotte. She prefers Kate, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh, I… Um… Of course, I don’t mind. Right. Kate.” She took a moment, then said, “I guess I’ve overlooked that. She did mention it once or twice, but her family—”
“She likes to be called Kate.”
“Got it. Okay. Well, Kate it is. So…Kate…indicated she has big news to share with everyone—and we are all so excited to hear it! Do I hear wedding bells in the distance?”
21
Jude winced. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to surmise the Stockman clan would likely be anticipating news of Kate’s engagement, particularly since she and Jude had made quite the convincing couple at Charlotte and Denny’s party. Beyond that, they were probably all so hopeful she’d settle down in a traditional relationship and household setting, it was a natural progression and foregone conclusion in their minds she’d make such a proclamation, even this early on, given the grandiose affair she was apparently orchestrating.
What she’d clearly failed to tell them all was that Jude had not been invited to the family soiree. He wouldn’t be standing alongside her when she invariably delivered her shocking news—that she wasn’t getting married and was instead plotting a significant shift in her career. One that would lead her overseas…into imminent landmines of the literal variety as much as the figurative.
They’d all have a field day with this, without doubt.
Jude groaned over the idea of Kate going up against her entire family with this sort of mind-blowing revelation. She’d be a woman without an island, for sure. Well…with the exception of Charlotte. Jude suspected Kate’s soon-to-be-sister-in-law would rally to Kate’s cause. He wished for it, at any rate.
There was nothing Jude could do about the entire predicament, however, so he stayed the course, saying to Charlotte, “I’m actually not calling about Kate’s impending event. I was hoping to pick your brain on establishing a foundation…specifically, the PR aspect—garnering recognition, inspiring donors, determining outreach programs. Are individual scholarships or mass dispersions of community service preferable? I have no idea what’s most effective in this arena.”
“Oh, well! You’re definitely speaking to the right person,” she said with an enthusiastic laugh. “Queen of Volunteerism, here. I sit on the boards of numerous charities, and they all have a cornucopia of ways to raise monies and various avenues to distribute the funds to the applicable sources.”
Charlotte immediately launched into that cornucopia and various avenues.
Jude took extensive notes.
Two hours later, he felt he was sufficiently armed with the information he’d been lacking…and felt infinitely more confident about this new undertaking of his.
As he wrapped up his conversation with Charlotte—thanking her profusely for imparting her knowledge—she asked, “So we’ll see you on Friday, then?”
Jude’s gut clenched. He hated to burst this woman’s bubble. Partly because she’d been so forthcoming with all the details he was in need of, but mostly because Charlotte Kensington was a genuine person. A very lovely one, at that.
Thus, Jude felt like a complete asshole as he vaguely told her, “Kate’s in charge of all the arrangements. Again, I’m grateful for—”
“Jude,” Charlotte tentatively said. “You are going to be there, right?”
“Charlotte.” He let out a long breath of air. Then instinctively and ambiguously said, “It’s complicated…”
Fuck.
What a can of worms that opened!
Kate was nervous as hell.
A complete understatement, really.
Thank God she’d had the foresight to include Nikki in the family gathering.
