PULLING INTO THE parking lot of the new offices of Rutherford Construction, Morgan was pleased to see that some work was actually beginning on the remodeling. Vince was already there, guiding a crew in the framing of the interior the way they had drawn it up. It was a simple plan, mainly because Morgan knew Neal would move them to a bigger location, sooner or later. Morgan would have his own office as well as Vince, leaving Kari to share the front with whoever else was hired for the phones. For now, while the remodel was underway, Kari was set up in the small trailer off to the east of the parking lot.
Morgan joined Vince beside a piece of plywood sitting atop two sawhorses as a makeshift desk, blueprints sprawled across the top along with a Thermos and a mug of coffee. As he saw Morgan approach, he gestured to his Thermos. “I hope you brought your own. That girl in there can’t make coffee to save her life.”
Morgan chuckled as he held up his own travel mug. “I’m always prepared for the worst. If Faith Greer agrees to fly out and help, she’ll get Kari straightened out and on the right track. Not sure that will include coffee, though. Right now, I just hope she keeps showing up.”
Vince nodded. “She was here bright and early, still dressed like you requested. I think she went shopping, so she’d have enough decent outfits. It’s a far cry from the strip club outfit she first appeared in, which is good for business, I suppose, but sad for morale.”
Morgan agreed with him. Kari looked tantalizing when she first appeared last Friday, but he didn’t need tantalizing around his office, not at first anyway. He needed things to start off smooth. Tantalizing could arrive later. “How late did you stay after I left last night?”
Vince continued to stare at the blueprints as he spoke. “Not long. I donated my money and headed for a familiar watering hole.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow at that. “You paid for drinks instead of enjoying the ones on the house? Why?”
Vince shrugged as he glanced back up. “Jacqui has made it clear she doesn’t want me around. I did what I needed to do and left. No need causing her more aggravation than necessary.”
“Pretty magnanimous of you.”
“Not really. More like self-preservation. How many times can one man get rejected?”
“Jacqui Karston seems to have a one-track mind, from what I can tell, and it’s not on relationships or fun of any kind. That woman is all business. I would imagine that mindset pushes anyone around her away, keeping them from getting too close. Don’t let it get you down. It’s not you. It’s everyone.”
Vince gave him a weak smile. “Thanks for the pep talk. Sounds like you’ve been shot down by her, as well.”
Morgan laughed. “I haven’t even tried. I’m just here to make nice and get Neal more money. But, I’m sure I’d be just as shot down as you’ve been. Whatever is hurting her has a grip on her that isn’t going to let go.”
“Guilt can do that to you.”
“What’s she feeling guilty about?”
“Not dying with her husband.”
“I’d say she was lucky.”
“Not Jacqui. It’s why she doesn’t drink. She feels that if she had not been hung over, she would have been there. She feels guilty that her night of fun had kept her from being with her family at their scariest moment.”
Morgan nodded his understanding. Guilt was a serious thing and could cripple an individual if they didn’t deal with it. She was carrying a blame she didn’t need to carry. Instead of accomplishing everything she was out of a sense of gratitude for being alive and to honor those who weren’t, she did everything out of a sense of penance, punishing herself for having survived. Survivor’s guilt devastated many. She didn’t deserve that type of life, but she would probably never believe it.
He pointed to the office. “How are we coming in there?”
“Framing will be done tomorrow and then the electricians and plumbers will be in next week. Hopefully we can have the Sheetrock up and finished by next Saturday.”
“Good. Keep them working.” He tapped the makeshift table and turned toward the trailer. Time to see how Kari Evans was coming along.
Entering the small single-wide trailer, his senses were assaulted with the aroma of burnt coffee, making his eyes water. Kari had her red hair pulled forward around her shoulders and hiding her face more than framing it, her hair also hiding the phone that was in her hand. He wouldn’t have even known she was on the phone except for the spiral cord leading up to her ear from the desk. By the snippets of conversation he was able to catch, it sounded as if she was talking to Barbie, Neal’s personal assistant. He left her to her phone call and searched out the offending coffeemaker. He quickly flipped it off and poured the noxious liquid down the drain. She definitely needed a lesson in coffee making.
As he began to make a fresh pot of coffee, he heard Kari hang up the phone. He was glad Barbie called Kari instead of him. The new girl needed to get used to dealing with the big wigs in the company if she was going to make it as his personal assistant, which was the position for which he was hoping to groom her. Or at least the personal assistant of whoever took over as manager of this office.
Hitting the power button on the coffee maker, he glanced over to where she was sitting. The trailer was a typical single wide mobile home. The door opened up to the living room, which they set up as Kari’s temporary office, with the kitchen attached. To one end was a small bedroom, Vince’s office, and at the other was the master bedroom, which Morgan had claimed. They wouldn’t be in it long—a month at most—so no one had really set up home.
Home. Morgan glanced out the small window. He took a deep breath as he stared at the morning that waited outside that window. This was not home. It was merely a temporary visit that was going to last longer than he wanted. Orlando was his home. He had lived there for almost twenty years. His parents were still there. Both ex-wives and a son, as well. His life was there. This stint in Biloxi was just a speed bump, a temporary detour of his journey. Now his life consisted of stacked boxes in a new apartment, waiting to be unpacked and rearranged. Change. Was he really ready for such a change? He hated change.
He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. “What did Barbie want?”
Kari gave him a quizzical look. “How did you know it was her?”
“She’s the only one you say, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ to.”
“Ah, well, she still scares me. She’s sending over two other women to be interviewed for the office help. She said she wants me to sit in on the interviews with you, although I’m not sure why.”
“Because, while I may be running the company here, you’ll be running the office. You need to know that you can work with these ladies as much as I do.”
“I thought Vince ran the office.”
“For now, Vince runs the field. Now, you up for it? We’ll get someone to help you set everything up once they finish the remodel, so you won’t be left to flounder.”
He watched her as she debated the question within herself. He took it as a good sign that she just didn’t rush the decision. It meant she understood the weight of the role, probably from Barbie. Finally, she gave him a slow nod, still thinking it through even as she was speaking. “I think I can do it. At least, I want to give it my best shot.”
“Good. The first thing you need to do is learn how to make coffee, instead of that sludge that was in the pot.”
She laughed as she apologized. “I’m not a coffee drinker. More of an energy drink kind of gal.”
“Well, we’ll stock the new office with some of that for you, but most of the people who will come through those doors will be coffee drinkers, especially in the morning. I want to make sure there is always a fresh pot waiting for them. Make people feel special and you can build a lasting relationship that pays you lots of money.”
“And here I thought it was short skirts and low-cut blouses.”
“Those work, as well. Not on me, of course. I look silly in a short skirt. I’m more the long flowing gown type of guy.” He laughed before he turned and found a mug in one of the cabinets.
The phone rang again. “Now that’s something I need to see,” Kari said before answering the phone. “Rutherford Construction.”
He listened in for a few minutes, paying attention to how she conducted herself. She was all professional with a welcoming, friendly air about her. He felt a little more confident in hiring her, even if Jacqui Karston doubted his decision.
As he poured his coffee, he thought of Jacqui and wondered how the rest of her night had transpired. He never did get the story about why she was smiling while they danced. He imagined it was about her late husband. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose both the person you loved as well as a young child. He’d be devastated if something happened to Dustin. He knew he didn’t get to see his son as much as he would like, but still, he was there. He could pop by and give him a hug, call him on the phone and say goodnight. He wasn’t sure what he would do if that was all ripped away from him.
Of course, that line of thought made him consider his current situation. With Jeannie and Dustin in Orlando and he in Biloxi, those pop-bys were now ten hours away. A lot could happen in a four-year-old’s life in a short amount of time and he didn’t relish the thought of missing any of it. It had only been a couple of days since he last saw him, but the fact that he didn’t know when he would again made it seem like longer. He needed to do some hard thinking about the whole situation and talk to Neal about his future. It may be time to make some serious decisions. Suddenly, the single-wide trailer seemed stifling. He needed to be outside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“With just last night’s checks, so far we’ve pulled in over two hundred thousand with monthly pledges at sixty thousand. I’d say that’s a great start.” Brent flipped though his notes as he sat in the leather chair opposite of Jacqui. “Since it’s a non-profit, we’ll do a fundraiser every year and keep the center in front of people’s minds. With your name attached to it, I’m sure it’ll keep the money coming in.”
Jacqui nodded as she watched him. Brent always grew excited talking about numbers, any numbers, really, but especially financial figures. With the preliminary results from last night, he was practically giddy. She wished she felt his enthusiasm, though. Two hundred thousand was a decent start, but they needed more. Much more. “We’ll need to think about how we can get people to donate throughout the year. I’ll have Miss Anderson come up with some sort of marketing campaign we can send out quarterly.”
He nodded. “Just don’t overdo it. Too hard of a push or too much spam mail coming across a person’s desk and soon they just ignore you and toss it all out with the rest of the junk mail. We don’t want to seem too aggressive.”
“I’ll have to trust you to keep that in check. I can’t help but be aggressive about this project.”
“I know.” He leaned back in the chair, closing the file folder in his lap. “You need something to distract you for a while.”
She glanced at him, the shift in his eyes told her exactly what kind of a distraction he was referring to and she felt her face blush. “Aren’t you married?”
He laughed as he held up his finger with his wedding ring. “Happily. I wasn’t referring to me. But there are two great candidates out there. Vince is one. He’d do anything for you and you know it. And then there’s Morgan Brewer. I watched the two of you on the dance floor last night. It was good to see you smiling and twirling. You need more of that if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you, thank you very much. And I don’t need the distraction. I need the money to come in so we can get started on this.”
“We’re already started. And you don’t have to ask me. It’s my job to look out for you.”
“I thought that was my job?” Lily walked in, a stack of folders in her arms. “And he’s right. You do need some distraction. A tall, thick-bodied male that you could use for one wild night to work out all of those kinks in your back as well as your mind. Want me to hook you up?”
“No.”
“See, I’m not the only one who thinks you need to get out from behind that desk and into some fun.” Brent just smiled at her, his hands resting on top of each other on his portfolio.
Jacqui shook her head at both of them as she glanced out the picture window behind her desk. “Fun is not something I have time for and you both know it. I don’t want our contributors to see me as frivolous. Then they may not want to entrust me with their money. We need their money.”
“To the point of not having a life?” Brent shifted a little in his seat. “Jacqui, you deserve to have some fun and a life. No one would fault you for that or claim you were frivolous. Hell, you’re seen as one of the most self-sacrificing people in the city. For the past ten years, you’ve given yourself to the people of this area, even more so since Marc died. It’s time to take some of that for yourself now. Go have some fun. A dinner out. A cup of coffee.”
She thought of her cup of coffee with Vince the other day. That had not turned out the way she had expected it. No. She didn’t need more of those awkward situations.
“That Morgan Brewer is an eyeful. If I liked men, he’d definitely be worth a tumble or two. Why not go out with him again?”
Brent looked at Lily and then back to Jacqui. “Again?”
Jacqui stared at Lily with a raised eyebrow. “That was a business dinner, not a date. All we did was sign contracts.”
“Looked like more on the dance floor last night,” Lily said, standing in front of Jacqui’s desk, her mischievous smile pushing up her cheeks.
“I was dragged onto that dance floor.”
“You should let him drag you around more often.” Lily winked at her.
Jacqui shifted in her chair, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the way the conversation had turned. “This is not proper conversation for the workplace.”
“You don’t need proper conversation,” Brent said. “You need to cut loose and have some fun. Forget about being so stoic and loosen those reins. Allow yourself to experience life from somewhere other than behind that desk.”
“You know,” Lily said with a mischievous glint in her eye, “the next time he comes up for a meeting, I can make sure you’re left alone. Maybe put a sock on the door or a clothes hanger.”
“I assure you that won’t be necessary. If I were to go out with someone, it would not be a player such as Morgan Brewer. I prefer a gentleman over a scoundrel.”
“Scoundrels can be fun and fun is exactly what we’re talking about.”
“Don’t the two of you have something to do? Some work that needs your attention?”
Brent shrugged. “Obviously, we think you need our attention.”
“Well, I don’t. Now, both of you, get to work. I assure you, I am fine in how I live my life and do not need the distraction of a scoundrel or anyone else.”
Lily shook her head as she pushed herself off Jacqui’s desk and made for the door. Brent lifted himself out of his chair but stepped toward the desk instead of the door. Leaning down, his soft eyes showing genuine concern, he said, “You can’t continue like this and you know it. Everyone knows it. You need a break before you wind up broken yourself. With Morgan, Vince, or someone else, you still need to get out and have some fun. Soon.”
“I’m fine. Promise.”
His smile was weak, and she knew that, while she may have won the battle, the war was still in full motion. He gave her a short nod and then followed Lily out the door. Jacqui watched as they pulled the door closed behind them, her mind heavy with their words. She knew they meant well. Both had been trying to get her to go out for a while, but she still couldn’t bring herself to do it. It felt like a betrayal to Marc and she had already betrayed him enough. No, she was not going out on some date with someone that seemed to collect women for his trophy case. She had work to do.