Chapter 2

Lily handed her a manila folder as she set a cup of steaming coffee on Jacqui’s desk, the travel mug replaced with a ceramic one with a skyline of Biloxi wrapped around it. “This is the information you wanted on Rutherford Construction,” the small brunette said. Lily was another one they pulled from the wreckage of Katrina. She had been attending the local college when the hurricane barreled through and reduced her apartment to rubble. Marc found her sitting on the curb, just staring at what was once her home. The college would keep going, but even at nineteen, Lily was ready to call it quits. He put the young woman in his car and took her home where they were already housing several refugees. Marc wasn’t giving anyone a chance to give up, and Jacqui loved him all the more for his compassion and generosity. She was determined to carry on his legacy.

“Anything in the file you should warn me about?” Opening the folder, Jacqui leaned back in her chair. “Any reason I should go with these guys instead of someone here?” Jacqui wanted to help solidify Biloxi and the surrounding area, and therefore, always hired locally, another tradition Marc had started. The only reason she agreed to even meet with Neal Rutherford was because her financial adviser, Brent Wellington, forced her into taking the meeting. Brent had been with Marc and her since the beginning, and she felt loyal to him. Still, while she agreed to the meeting, she hadn’t agreed to hire them. She was counting on her personal assistant to help her find the way out she needed.

Lily, now twenty-nine and filled out into a beautiful woman as opposed to a skinny teenager, clasped her hands in front of her and shook her head. “Actually, from everything I could find on the company, they do amazing work. They’re always on time and usually come in under budget. They have offices throughout Florida and into Georgia, all with excellent reviews. To be honest, I can’t see a reason not to hire them. Sorry.”

Jacqui smiled up at the girl, all five-feet seven-inches of her. “Brent didn’t bribe you to say that, did he?”

Lily laughed as she gave Jacqui a playful wink. “He can’t afford me.” She then turned and began walking out of Jacqui’s office. “I’ll leave you to your dilemma. I’ll be at my desk if you need anything, Mrs. Karston.” Jacqui watched her walk away, her navy-blue skirt hugging her ass and her four-inch heels stretching her athletic legs. She didn’t know how her assistant managed to stay in such tight shape. She was almost always at the office with Jacqui, working the same insane hours. When the younger woman found time to exercise was a mystery to Jacqui, as well as something she envied.

She stared at the manila folder Lily had handed her. Jacqui really hoped her assistant would have found some reason for her to cancel her lunch appointment with Neal Rutherford. She wanted to keep the money in the Biloxi area, not send it off to line a CEO’s pockets who has nothing invested in her city. Everything Jacqui did, she did to improve the local economy. She bought from local vendors; she ate at locally owned restaurants, and she hired from local contractors. Brent knew this. So why did he seem hellbent on her working with Rutherford Construction, Incorporated? Of course, a better question would be why she didn’t just refuse.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she closed the folder. Because I owe Brent for helping me get this far. Brent had been the one who had made Marc’s vision possible, and she owed him for that. Of course, that didn’t mean she had to like it.

She slipped the folder into her briefcase, ensuring she wouldn’t forget it. As she leaned back in her chair, she picked up the silver picture frame again, this time focusing on her daughter’s thin face. The project, the Maggie Karston Community Center, was to honor Jacqui’s daughter. Neal Rutherford would have to guarantee his company could make it perfect before Jacqui even came close to considering his company for her project. While Rutherford Construction may look good on paper, they also had to feel good in her heart where the community center had been born. So far, her feelings were terribly mixed about it.