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Chapter 149: Roll the Dice
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The Rutherford Series Chapter 150: Roll the Dice
There were two billiard tables off to the left of the main entrance and three dart boards hung on the back wall. The bar was a deep wood finish with stools of black leather perched in front. The bartender offered her a smile and a wave as Jacqui forced her way closer to the bar. The men leered at her as if she were fresh meat and the couple in the corner hadn't even noticed she entered the bar."What can I get ya?" The bartender placed both hands on the wooden bar, her breasts falling back down to a normal position, and smiled as she waited. "Club soda, please."The woman gave her a curious look. "Playing it safe tonight?""I, uh, I don't drink." Jacqui reached to her right where a plastic container holding perfect white napkins rested. She pulled one out and tore off the corner."Ah, meeting someone special then, huh?""I can be someone special," the man sitting closest to her offered. He wore faded jeans and a baggy T-shirt. He had short, dirty-blond hair and hands that needed a goo
The Rutherford Series Chapter 151: Roll the Dice
Morgan walked into The Karston Foundation Friday morning with the goal of getting Jacqui Karston out on a date. He had been dwelling about it since Wednesday afternoon, and finally decided to just go for it. His life needed some challenge in it, at the moment. It was going to be a risk, of course, keeping her from running to Neal about his inappropriate employee, but that was part of the game. It was a rush to do what you know you shouldn't do. Besides, with Dustin back in Orlando and Erin, his usual distraction, not around, he needed something new to keep him entertained. Morgan didn't do boredom too well. He didn't do it at all, actually.He made it past the first receptionist barrier at the elevators and wandered down the hall to where he knew the second wall to the domain of Jacqui Karston waited. He couldn't get over how hard Jacqui made it for people to reach her.Jacqui's young assistant sat behind her desk, her dark hair framing her face and drawing out her hazel-brown eyes. He
The Rutherford Series Chapter 152: Roll the Dice
She was furious with Sophia. The woman should have known better than to take her father back to his house without someone there to watch what he was doing. She knew Sophia was only trying to make her father happy and, knowing him, he probably whined and badgered her until she gave in just to shut him up. Her father could be very persistent when he wanted something. She was going to have to talk to Sophia about being in better control. It was vital that Sophia was the sensible one when it came to Bert Clydesdale. As the elevator began its trek to the ground floor, Jacqui took a deep breath, suddenly feeling worried about the housekeeper. She knew the woman would be beside herself with worry and blame. To be honest, Jacqui blamed her father more than she blamed Sophia. He was a cantankerous old man, used to getting his way and manipulating people into doing what he wanted. Jacqui had fallen for his manipulations several times, too many times.But he could have really hurt himself this t
The Rutherford Series Chapter 153: Roll the Dice
The few days turned into a year and Bert Clydesdale was becoming restless. She should have taken him to his house and allowed him to putt around. She just became too busy with the community center project and days had turned into weeks which added up to a year. Now he was in the hospital and it was all her fault. The thing she had tried to avoid came to fruition and her father was hurt. This is exactly why she couldn't go out and have fun like Brent and Lily suggested. She simply had too many responsibilities, people depended on her.Jacqui stopped at the emergency room nurses' station at the Biloxi Memorial Hospital. A young lady with short brown hair and a patient smile sat behind the desk, typing in some statistics. "Excuse me," Jacqui said, leaning over the counter. "I'm looking for my father, Bert Clydesdale.""Stop sticking me with that damn needle!"Jacqui took a deep breath. "Never mind. I can follow the yelling." She turned towards the room from which her father's voice bellow
The Rutherford Series Chapter 154: Roll the Dice
Morgan watched as Jacqui disappeared around the corner toward the elevators. While he could understand her being upset because of her father's fall, she was definitely not making it easy to be friendly toward her. She liked keeping everyone at arms distance while she stared down at them from her lofty office window. He had never seen anyone hold onto grief so long that it paralyzed them socially. There was no doubt her business life was a giant success. She had accomplished everything she set out to do and from what he saw at the fundraiser, she was respected by everyone who knew her. It was her personal life that had crashed and burned, still smoldering on the wreckage of her husband's plane crash.He turned to the dark-haired woman behind the desk. "Is she always so aloof?"Lily nodded. "She keeps things awfully close to her chest. She has dozens of acquaintances, but only a handful of what I would classify as friends, and all of them are business connections. I don't even think she
The Rutherford Series Chapter 155: Roll the Dice
It was almost dinner time by the time Jacqui was able to get her father home. Sophia had gone on ahead earlier to prepare a meal and make sure his bed was ready for him. Nothing was broken, luckily, just bruised and banged up. He was on some pain pills Jacqui was sure would make him loopy for the rest of the night. With his behavior at the hospital, loopy was good. It kept him from bitching at her again.Once Bert was settled in his bed, pillows propped behind his head, television blaring through reruns of Law & Order, Jacqui fixed herself a steaming cup of orange spice tea and settled into her plush sofa, doing her best to allow the stress of the day to flow from her taut nerves. She was furious with Sophia, even though the fault was partially Bert's. He knew better than to push himself and to put Sophia in that position. He was lucky he hadn't hit his head on a rock or part of the steps going down to the backyard. Jacqui closed her eyes, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. H
The Rutherford Series Chapter 156: Roll the Dice
Good question, but he knew he couldn't exactly tell her father that he wanted to see how far the chase could go. He needed to come up with something less devious. "I don't like to see the people I work closely with wound so tight. I'm going to be around for quite a while, and I'd like to work with someone who was a little more relaxed.""Good luck with that. Jacqui never relaxes.""I've noticed."He followed Sophia as she drove Bert Clydesdale to his home, a cooler of beverages and their lunch in the back of Morgan's truck. As he drove, he thought more about what he had told the old man about his own daughter. Truth was, he liked Bert. He was a cantankerous old man, but that was probably because of what life had dealt him. He also understood the man wanting to have some sort of independence over his own life. No one likes to feel like they have no control and Jacqui Karston was one who needed to be in total control. Yet, he was going to be working closely with her on more than just thi
The Rutherford Series Chapter 157: Roll the Dice
Jacqui glanced at her watch. 11:45. She stared down at the file she had been reading, realizing that she hadn't been focused on the last two pages. It was time for a break and lunch with her father sounded good. She pressed the intercom button on her phone."Yes, Mrs. Karston?" Lily's voice came through the speaker."Will you call Sophia and tell her I'm coming home to have lunch with my father, please?""Yes, ma'am." The speaker went dead.Jacqui stretched her arms over her head, popping her sore muscles back into life. She had not realized she had been hunched over in the same position for so long. Lily must have been doing the same at her desk, because she usually came in and forced Jacqui to move a bit, even if it were to sit up straight. Things were growing more hectic as the groundbreaking ceremony drew closer. It had been a while since she had taken on such a major undertaking and she had forgotten what all was involved. Add to that the normal daily business and they were all ru
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