บททั้งหมดของ The Rutherford Series: บทที่ 151 - บทที่ 160

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 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

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

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

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