She sipped her water, stirring it first, so the lemon floated around, spreading the bitter flavor. She wasn't happy that Neal Rutherford had left. Furthermore, she was even less enthused she had not been informed of his departure before it happened. When Morgan said it would only be him working on the project, she assumed he meant the underlings of the company and Neal would be there to keep his people on course. She never expected Morgan to be the one with which she would have to interact. While she agreed to his proposal, she didn't think he took her project seriously enough."We're an organization aimed at rebuilding the areas of Biloxi that need to be restored. I want to help people who need to rebuild their lives. We help them start businesses, provide housing, and create jobs."He nodded, his face an impressed expression. "Worthwhile objectives. Have you been successful at it?""I think so. People who had no homes now have a roof over their heads. We've helped people create their
He could tell he threw her off, and that pleased him to no end. Of course, Morgan was smart enough to not show it. Now was not the time to be cocky. It would only piss her off more. Neal would kill Morgan if he managed to screw up and lose the contract after he was the one who landed the gig in the first place. It wouldn't hurt anything for him to play nice with Jacqui Karston for a bit. He could always track down that waitress after Miss Uptight left."I prefer steaks, to be honest, but seafood is a nice change of pace. I'm very low maintenance when it comes to food. Being a bachelor living alone, I tend to eat on the fly mostly. Fast food joints, sadly, are my chefs. Do you eat out a lot?""No. Sophia, my housekeeper, cooks for my father and me. He moved in after becoming paralyzed in an accident. However, I am also forced to attend quite a few functions and business dinners, trapped into eating quite a few things I'd rather skip.""I'm sorry to hear that about your father. That has
I'm sorry, Marc," Jacqui groaned as her husband sat on the bed beside her, stroking her crumpled hair. "There is no way my head or my stomach are going to make it on a plane ride today. I way overdid it at the gala last night. I am not getting out of this bed.""It's okay, baby," Marc told her. "Maggie and I will make it a father-daughter day. Besides, it'll give you some recovery time. You did put away quite a few appletinis last night." He said that last sentence with a grin spreading across his face.She groaned again, wanting to bury herself in the pillow. "And I'm definitely paying for it. I spent most of my night in the bathroom praying to the porcelain god."He laughed as he moved his hand to her back, caressing it. "I know. I was the one holding your hair out of the way.""I was wondering how that happened." Maggie ran in and Marc caught her before she could leap onto the bed. "Mommy has a headache," he whispered to his daughter."Is Mommy still going on the plane ride with us
Morgan jerked the legs open of a folding table he had bought on his way to the new office. He had purchased some cheap folding chairs and office supplies, as well. While he wouldn't order furniture until the interior had been remodeled, he still needed a place to work until the temporary trailer arrived, which was to be there Monday. He at least needed a place to interview people. Barbie, Neal's assistant, had called that morning and told him that a man named Vince Andrews would be stopping by around lunch to be interviewed for the foreman position. If Morgan liked him, then the two of them could get things rolling and hire an office staff. "Hire more than you need, at first," Neal had told him. "It gives you a group to cull the weak ones from and prepares you for the influx of work that, hopefully, comes our way." Neal's motto was prepare for success and you may actually get it. Neal Rutherford was always successful. Morgan now stood inside the moldy smelling building staring at the b
Jacqui just stared. She had not been expecting anyone except Morgan to be there. When she saw Vince, it had completely thrown her off her reason for even being there, not that she really had one. She suddenly felt very silly. She wanted to turn and run but didn't want to seem like the idiot she probably already appeared to be for just stopping and standing there. With a deep breath and a forced smile, she continued to walk toward the two men standing by a cheap folding table. She had no idea why Vince Andrews was there, but she should not have been surprised that he would squirm his way into her project. It had been well over a year since she had last seen him, bought him out of the company he started with her husband and sent him on his way. She felt her face blush at the memory of why that had happened. "Good morning, Mr. Brewer. Mr. Andrews." She glanced around at the empty office. "When will you start making this your home?"Morgan stared at her, his smile making her look away.
Morgan flew out of the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport at five that morning. He could have taken a later flight, but he was eager to get to Dustin for their overnight visit. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to see his son again and wanted as much time with him as possible. Morgan's back ached from being on the plane for over three and a half hours. He would have slept if he could, but a single mother of three had taken the same flight and little children don't do well on planes, at least not the ones on which he was a passenger. Of course, he didn't do well on planes either. He much preferred his truck and a road trip as opposed to being cooped up with a bunch of strangers who wanted to be nice and make small talk. He hated small talk. The only plus side to a plane trip was the female passengers, if he was able to get near one, that is. This trip, luck had been against him and he had to sit next to an obese man who didn't believe in deodorant. Or soap. At 9:30, the cab dropped
"Why don't we eat out on the back porch? It's gorgeous out and I'm tired of being cooped up inside." Bert sat in his wheelchair at the kitchen table as Jacqui chopped up green peppers for their salad. Sophia visited family and did personal things on Saturdays and Sundays, which gave Jacqui a chance to spend time with her father. At least, that was the goal. It didn't always work out that way, though. Work kept her busy far more than she wanted, but it was necessary. There were people hurting. She didn't want them to suffer simply because she took time off. Enough suffering had been caused because she had enjoyed herself too much.She didn't even glance at the back porch. "How about the front yard? We can make a picnic on the lawn. You're right; it is a lovely day out.""Front lawn? Why the hell would I want to sit on the front lawn? The back porch has tables, a view of the water, no nosy neighbors asking what I'm eating and making redundant statements like 'Having a picnic on the front
Jeannie had agreed to meet him at the park. It was always somewhere other than the house. Never the house. Since the divorce, he had never crossed the threshold of what was now his ex-wife's home. He doubted it had changed much, since it was the same house they lived in while married. Still, it was sad that he was no longer welcome in a house for which he was technically still paying. He just shook his head as he stepped out of his truck and into the April sunshine. No sense in drudging up my financial loss and her gain.The day was bright with a slight breeze keeping the sun from being unbearable. Winter never lasted long in Florida if it even showed up. April was back into the high seventies and low eighties, a perfect day for the park. Children were taking full advantage of the Saturday as they swung from jungle gyms and screamed down slides. Parents, mostly moms, sat on benches or stood at the edge of the playground, keeping an eye on their children, while chatting amongst themselv