Matthew didn’t think having any conversation with Jasmine Alfredo was a good idea.
“It will only take a few minutes,” Jasmine added.
He glanced at Ashley. She nodded, and he sighed.
“Fine,” he mumbled. “You can come inside for a few minutes. But as soon as the conversation is over, you have to leave.”
Jasmine’s eyes didn’t lose any of their frostiness. She held her head high as she followed Ashley inside.
Matthew pushed his brother toward the front door. If nothing else, their discussion should be interesting. And as long as Ashley didn’t mention the newspaper article, they’d all be okay.
***
Jasmine sat on the edge of the sofa. Her gaze skimmed across the overstuffed furniture, the family photos and the rug that brightened their living room.
Matthew leaned forward. Jasmine didn’t look comfortable and neither did Ashley. The sooner this meeting was over, the happier he would be. “We didn’t introduce ourselves. I’m Matthew Gray and this is my brother, Sean.”
Jasmine looked at Matthew, then at Sean. “Are you twins?”
Sean nodded. “I’m the oldest.”
Matthew didn’t know what was going on with his brother. He was acting as if he’d been abducted by aliens and dropped headfirst, onto another planet.
Even Ashley was sending Sean weird looks—not that he noticed. The only person Sean was paying attention to was Jasmine.
Matthew ignored his brother. “I’m surprised you flew to Bozeman, Jasmine.”
Confusion replaced the surprise on her face. “It was too far to drive.”
“I wasn’t referring to how you got here. I meant about making the journey at all. From what I’ve read, I would have thought you’d have staff who could ask the questions you want answered. Private investigators could have done the same job.”
Jasmine’s perfectly arched eyebrows rose. “I wanted to speak to Ashley myself.”
“What did you want to speak to me about?” Ashley asked.
Jasmine’s gaze landed on Matthew and Sean. “What I have to say is just for Ashley.”
There was no way Matthew was leaving the room. Before he could tell Jasmine he was staying, Ashley started speaking.
“Matthew and Sean know everything that’s happened. They won’t say anything.”
Jasmine didn’t look impressed.
Ashley smiled. “I’ve known Matthew and Sean for a long time. I trust them with my life.”
“I need to be confident that what I’m about to say won’t go any further than these four walls.”
“You have our word,” Ashley said.
Jasmine sighed. “I’ve been traveling for a long time, so you’ll need to excuse my bluntness. I’ve been told that you are investigating one of my charities?”
Ashley nodded.
“I’ve also been told that Congressman Welsh has become the focus of your investigation.”
Matthew jumped into the conversation. “Who have you been speaking to?”
“I hired a private investigator after the treasurer of The Reaching High Foundation called me.” Jasmine looked at Ashley. “Last year, the non-profit charities I manage contributed more than four million dollars to various projects. Negative publicity about myself or my charities is unacceptable.”
