AMELIA I was nervous, but again, I took my time to painstakingly go through the contents of the bag I was carrying. I brought out the bulky file, taking special care not to crease the edges. A glance at the wall clock told me I still had a little time left before leaving to meet with membegs of the board. I flipped through the file again, checking if I had not forgotten anything essential for the meeting. The proposal, which I had worked on throughout the previous day and mainly during the night, was good, at least to me. I just hoped the board would not be biased like the mayor had promised. A hand fell on my shoulders. I flinched a little and almost dropped the files. Before they could slip from my grasp, Damian's hands shot out from behind me. He grabbed it, closed it and handed it over to me. "I startled you," he said. He came to stand in front of me so he could look me over. "You look stunning... and very smart." I looked at my clothes: a dark blue pantsuit and match

AMELIA I had felt happy before, but it had been a long time since I had felt this. I was literally brimming with joy. I hoped of winning the contract but didn't think it would come so true. The moment I walked through the door, I threw myself into Damian's arms. My decision to put some distance between us was temporarily gone as he hugged me tightly. For now, I just wanted him to share in my joy. He was still in my embrace for a moment, and then his arms went around me. I was smiling so much my cheeks hurt. "I take it the meeting with the board went well," he murmured against my hair. "Oh. Yes. It was-" I paused for breath. "It was surprising." "Surprising?" He took my hand and led me to the sofa. "Tell me about it. How was it... surprising as you say." "What I meant was I never expected things to turn out the way they did. So, Noah proposed the building of an art gallery. My proposal was for the building of an-" "-amusement park. Yes." He smiled fondly. "I saw you wor