Well, Bert was right. It definitely wasn't the reaction I expected, Morgan thought as he fought the urge to smile. It was probably embarrassing enough to Jacqui that her father was laughing at her from behind his hand. Morgan should feel bad, he knew, but Jacqui Karston would learn that he could give as well as he received. What was it his mother always said? If you can't take it, don't dish it out. Well, Mrs. Karston was going to learn he could dish it out just as well as she could.He finished pounding his nail into the wood and then took the beer from Jacqui's hand. "Thank you." He raised it in the air toward Bert and the two drank. "I hope you don't drink on every job," Jacqui said, her arms now crossed over her chest.He shrugged. "Depends on who I have to put up with." While he tried not to stare, he couldn't help noticing the way her arms were pushing her breasts up to the opening in her blouse. He doubted she realized the effect, or she wouldn't have been standing that way.Be
She watched the backs of the two men disappear as they rounded the corner and walked down the hallway, her mouth agape at the audacity of Morgan Brewer. They had both completely ignored her. She was used to her father doing it to her, but for someone who worked for her to do it… It was unbelievable. She would go to dinner, of course. There was no way she was going to allow her father to go with Morgan Brewer without her. She would need to be there to somehow control the evening.She glanced over at Sophia, whose eyes were glued to the food in front of her. She wanted to yell, scold the woman for what she put Jacqui in the middle of and the embarrassment she had been caused. She let out a deep breath as she reached for her glass of water. She wanted to yell, but she wouldn't. As much as the situation frustrated her, she couldn't blame Sophia. Bert was great at badgering people into doing what he wanted and from what Jacqui had seen of Morgan, he was equally talented in that area. Soph
As he dressed for his night out—blue jeans and a dark red flannel shirt—he thought again about how formal Jacqui always seemed. Nothing she did was casual. Her office was big on titles and last names, she kept her napkin smoothed over her lap as she ate, and she was always dressed immaculately, without even a stray hair out of place. He bet she even wore shoes throughout her house up until the time she went to bed. He chuckled a little as he pictured her watching television, eating popcorn with her pinkie finger up in the air, her high-heeled feet side by side on the floor as she sat there with perfect posture. And then it wasn't funny anymore. It was sad. Surely, she hadn't always been that way. Was it all a part of her penance?He scooped up his keys, locking his apartment as he headed out for the evening. Why did he care? Sure, she was a challenge, something to keep him from getting too bored while he was settling into a new area, but was that it? He had no problem picking up wome
She had been tricked, conspired against by her own father. Again. If she didn't know better, she would have believed Morgan and her father were in cahoots to get her out of the house just to embarrass her. She glanced over at Morgan and the way he was dressed, then took in her own attire for the evening again. They were definitely a mismatched pair. He looked like he was ready for a rodeo and she for a board meeting. She should have asked him what the attire for the evening was so she would have been better prepared. Not that it would have mattered. She had no use for casual outfits. She didn't attend picnics or go to barbecues. So why was she going to one now?Because my father couldn't mind his own business. She crossed her arms over her chest as she exhaled a frustrated breath. Her father had backed out at the last minute, setting her up on this date without him. No. It's not a date. It's a kidnapping. She refused to think of it as a date. She didn't go on dates."So, you haven't h
Standing in front of her picture window, Jacqui stared down at the city of Biloxi without seeing it. Her fingers toyed with her lips, gliding over them in slow, easy strokes. She could still imagine his lips on hers, the warmth of his breath against her skin, the way it stole the air from her lungs along with her voice. She hadn't even said goodnight to him as he walked away from her and back to his truck. She could only stare at him as he drove off, lost in the fact that he had kissed her.Her father was in bed when she finally pulled herself away from the retreating taillights of Morgan's truck, the house dark except for one lamp Bert left on for her. She peeked in on him while he slept, Morgan's words echoing in her mind. They were still echoing as she stood in her office, unable to focus. Was she being unfair to her father? She had never thought about it the way Morgan had put it, but it made perfect sense. She had never sold her home, because it was her connection to Marc and Magg
Jacqui just smiled as she poured the coffee, adding the sugar and then stirring. She gestured for Lily to take one of the chairs as she handed her the coffee, and instead of settling in behind her desk as she normally would, Jacqui took the other chair beside Lily. Reaching for her coffee, she settled back in her chair, her legs crossed at the knees. She wasn't used to small talk, but she was going to learn. "So, tell me what's been going on with you lately. I don't even know what you enjoy doing anymore."Lily held her coffee mug with both hands, her nervousness a mirror to Jacqui as to how the CEO of The Karston Foundation was viewed by her employees. Have I really been so domineering that I can't even ask Lily a question without her believing there is some ulterior motive behind it? So, she decided to ask. "Have I really become that bad, Lily?"The younger woman took a sip of her steaming coffee, stalling for time. As she lowered the coffee cup, she took a deep breath. "You've just
Morgan walked through the offices of Rutherford Construction, inspecting the work completed so far. The framing was complete as was the electrical and plumbing. Today the drywall people would show up and hang the Sheetrock. The warehouse behind the offices was already being painted, but then again, there wasn't as much to do back there as there was in the main part of the building. Another week and a half and he could get out of that trailer and into a quieter office. He was anxious to have this part of the project done so they could focus on the Maggie Karston Community Center and gaining new contracts. Vince was already out putting a bid in for a new plaza that was going up in Pascagoula and then for some office buildings in Ocean Springs, while Kari was putting out job postings for construction crews. By the end of two weeks, the offices would be hopping, which was exactly what he needed. Perhaps then he could get his mind off Jacqui Karston.Of course, he wasn't sure he wanted to g
The quiet didn't last long, however, before the interviews began.Carl Anderson was a former warehouse attendant for the local cable company. He had long gray hair, which he kept tied up in a ponytail and was thin enough that a strong breeze would force him to struggle simply to walk. He stood just under six feet and had the longest fingers Morgan had ever seen. Still, outside of his aged Ichabod Crane look, he seemed to know his stuff when it came to running a supply warehouse and Morgan told him to show up Monday at seven in the morning ready to start receiving supplies. Neal Rutherford had always maintained that he didn't want his employees wasting time at Home Depot. It took time away from actual work. Therefore, each of his offices had a warehouse fully stocked with the necessities and if something out of the norm was required, the warehouse manager would make sure it was there before it was needed. They would house supplies, as well as tools. In some offices, they even had their