(CBS News) When employees at a Florida real estate agency pooled their money for Powerball tickets, they matched five out of six winning numbers — close enough for a nice jackpot. But for one co-worker, the news brought a different surprise.
Jennifer Maldonado knew something was up at her Florida real estate office after the drawing. She recalled, “Our neon sign had been changed. And it said, ‘The LFR team, Laurie Finkelstein-Reader team, won a million dollars.’”
The 31-year-old assistant’s heart skipped a beat. A dozen co-workers had invited her to join their lottery pool: $20 each.
But with money tight, Maldonado told them no thanks. She said, “I really thought they were pranking me, because I was the new girl and I was the only one who didn’t put into the pool.”
But their million-dollar prize was as real as what came next.
“We decided to include her and give her some of the money so that she would feel all the excitement, and part of the family, and know how much we cared about her,” Laurie Finkelstein-Reader said.
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