MORGAN SPENT THE entire weekend at her house, only going home Monday morning to get ready for work and the groundbreaking ceremony. The weekend was a whirlwind of emotions, from elation to guilt to pure joy. In the end, she was simply happy. Happy to be in Morgan’s arms. Happy to be caring about someone and having them care for her in return. Happy to be starting her life again. She had gone so long trying not to feel anything that now she relished every emotion that pumped through her, each one making her feel more and more alive.
She stared at herself in the mirror over her dresser, her blond hair framing her narrow face, her cheeks pushed up as her lips curved into a continuous smile. She stood there, but not in her stark gray business attire. Instead, she wore a bright lavender blouse with a darker lavender skirt that never reached her knees. Her jewelry was shiny and caught every light that winked at her. She felt alive and she was going to dress with that liveliness.
Today began the next phase of the Maggie Karston Community Center. The plans were drawn, Morgan had every meeting necessary with the architect, and all the proper permits were filed and received. Today, the shovel would slide into the ground and the first piece of earth would be broken to make way for her dream and vision for the future, turning the page on the planning phase and opening it up to the building phase. Progress. She loved it.
And it was a beautiful day for it. As she arrived at the site, the sun was shining down, not a dark cloud in sight, and herons flew overhead. A cool breeze blew over the property, making the nearby trees bend slightly with the gentle push. People buzzed around in every direction, setting up the platform, microphones, and the shovels. There were chairs for the important people of Biloxi to be comfortable and plenty of standing room for those who didn’t quite make the VIP list. This was an achievement that caught the attention of many of the local big wigs and she would capitalize on it.
Or rather, Brent would. He stood at the podium now, welcoming everyone to the groundbreaking and the reception that would follow. As he spoke, Jacqui glanced around at everyone who had gathered. Lily stood off to the side, smiling at her. Beside her was Jacqui’s father, even wearing a coat and tie with Sophia beside him, both looking happy and content. Close to them was the small Rutherford Construction crew that was going to make her dream come true. Carl stood between Martha and Becky, Kari on the other side of Martha—and not standing beside Vince. Jacqui felt for her. She had tried to attach her star to Vince, hoping the man was on the upward climb and could take her with him. He had protected the young woman from her ridiculous boyfriend, but he was still too hung up on Jacqui to really pay attention to anyone else. It was sad, really. He was doing to that poor girl what Jacqui did to him. He had been pining for Jacqui while she was still grieving for Marc. She had used him one night to forget for a while and it had led to a devastating misunderstanding. And now he was doing that to poor Kari. She was wanting something with him. Jacqui didn’t know if it was real or just an escape or if the girl was a gold digger hoping she found her whale, but she would never really get Vince, because he was grieving the woman he professed his love for who didn’t love him back.
Then there was Morgan, the man Jacqui had started out loathing and wanting to send back to Florida, but who convinced her to take a chance on his company, and then on him. She felt herself smiling even more. She took a chance on him and, in return, he took a chance on her. She thought of everything he had done for her and how badly she had treated him. He didn’t have to give her a second thought, or even be nice to her outside of the office, but he did, and now they were making life choices for each other.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mrs. Jacqui Karston.” Brent stepped away from the podium, clapping, as he turned to Jacqui.
She stood, straightening her skirt, a smile—not fake, but genuine—welcoming the crowd before her. “I want to thank each of you for being here. A few months ago, we started planning for this day, for this project, the Maggie Karston Community Center. Some of you were there, helping us decide the best way to proceed, sharing ideas for what we all thought would be the best use of time, space and energy. The goal was to build a community center that met the needs of families who were hurting financially, struggling to make ends meet, and who needed a place to gather that they could call their own. The Maggie Karston Community Center, named for my daughter who had a zest for life, will offer people a place to come and grow, as well as a safe haven to hang out. The center will have classes and activities for all ages and will offer a place for people who have nowhere else to go.
“This is not the community center of The Karston Foundation. As a matter of fact, we’ve separated it completely from the organization, making it its own entity. It’s to be something different, something fresh.” She glanced over at Morgan, her proud smile spreading over her lips. “We’ve even brought in a new company with a fresh vision of doing things to help us build it.” She turned back to her audience. “It’s new and it represents a change in how we do things, a fresh start and a new beginning.
“As much as I want this community center to honor the memory of my daughter, I know that the best way for any of us to honor those we love who have passed on from this life is to live our lives the best way we possibly can, relishing each experience that comes our way, savoring every moment that we are blessed to live. My vision is that families will be able to have those experiences here at the Maggie Karston Community Center.”
As she stepped back from the podium, those gathered in front of her stood to their feet, cheering and clapping. She smiled and waved as she stepped off the platform and down to where the gold-plated shovel waited for her. She gripped the handle with both hands, her eyes on the ground before her. She placed her foot on the edge of the shovel and with a deep breath, pushed downward. She shoved the blade into the ground, the surface having remained unchanged for years, and then flipped it over, revealing new, fresh dirt underneath, the dark, rich soil representing a new beginning, a new purpose, for the ground she stood on and on which she was ready to begin building.
She glanced at Morgan as the dirt hit the ground, her heart fluttering with what the future held. “To new beginnings!”
Morgan smiled at her, clapping along with everyone else. He nodded as if agreeing with everything she had not said out loud to the crowd before her. She kept smiling. To new beginnings.