I barely heard a word of the opening that Seth was presenting. I was trying really hard to not look over at Holden, but there was this invisible magnet that was drawing my eyes in his direction. I had to focus on this meeting because it was not only important to the town, but also to me so I could take care of Mama and Daddy. Next up was going to be Holden’s portion of the presentation, so it was going to be important for me to pay attention to the proposal and not the one who was making it. I always knew that Holden was smart but I never truly realized his potential until her started his presentation. He had designed a building that was more than I could have ever expected. The design was staying true to the existing architecture. The outside matched the buildings in the surrounding blocks. It may be a new structure, but once it is complete it will match the older buildings in the town. Chance, in its day, even though it is less than ten square miles, was a very busy place. Main St
I have never been so nervous doing a presentation in my life. I knew the idea and plans that we had was the best design ever. Both Seth and myself had worked months on this project. I felt like I was still in college speaking in front of an auditorium full of students my freshman year. Mayson was still able to get under my skin. I still was angry over her leaving me and never giving me an explanation. Seeing her sitting here in this meeting took me back to high school all over again. I felt comfortable with the presentation and there were quite a few questions throughout. Now all that was left was for the decision to be made by the board. That decision was going to depend on Mayson’s analysis of the project. I can only hope that she doesn’t hate me enough to sabotage the whole thing. I can’t believe that she is that petty to cost not only my firm the job, but the town this business opportunity. Chance needs this project. We want to keep things with the home town feel, but want to al
I just knew that this short drive home was going to be painful. Amelia had been fuming more than ever since Mayson walked into the office. I knew her hatred ran deep for her, but she still has never told me why after all of these years. Our high school years had been rough when it was the four of us together. Amelia would always find a way to hurt Mayson’s feelings. What killed her was that Mayson didn’t take the bait. Mayson was the nice person of the group. She always tried to help out someone no matter what they had ever done to her. That kindness, in Amelia’s mind, was a sign of weakness. Predators prey on the weak and even though I loved Amelia, she was a predator through and through. The heat radiating off of Amelia was becoming suffocating so I knew she was about ready to blow. “Why is she here Seth? Why couldn’t Mayson just stay gone? She is only going to bring you and Holden down with her working on this project. She is going to distract Holden or either she is going to sab
By the time I walked into the house, I was exhausted. Daddy was sleeping in his recliner and Mama was in her little office working on bills. I didn’t want to disturb either one of them, so I just went upstairs to my room. I just needed to lay down and decompress. As soon as I laid down on my bed, I felt a little bit lighter. I could kick myself though for letting Amelia get to me. It was like high school all over again. I just needed to close my eyes and try to forget but that wasn’t going to happen so easily. My thoughts went back to my high school days. Junior Year Finally it was my junior year, which meant Daddy was finally going to get me a car. I had been working so hard at the grocery store and I had been saving every penny I could. I had done my best to prove to Mama and Daddy both that I was responsible enough for my own car. I had improved my grades and kept up my chores (which I hated). I learned pretty quickly to not even say a word about chores, because I would end up
This may be a stupid move on my part, but I just had to go and check on Mayson. I was really worried about her, I know I have no right to, but deep down she is still very important to me. Going by her house may be a big mistake. Her dad didn’t care for me at all ever since Mayson left home. They were very close and I had caused his “baby girl” to leave home. I still loved her, whether I really wanted to admit it to myself. When she walked into the room, I stopped breathing. She was as beautiful as she was the last day that I saw her. The only difference I could see was that she had a deep sadness in her eyes. But there is still something standing in my way. The problem is, I have no idea what that something is. I have never known why she left so suddenly. She never called me or wrote to me over the years. I had tried calling her, but she had disconnected her phone. I had gone by her house right after she left, and her mother would not answer any of my questions. Her dad didn’t even
After meeting with the board members for the last two days, we had come to a decision. We were definitely going forward with Holden and Seth’s firm. It has nothing to do with them being a local firm. The plans that they have set forth this project is bordering on genius. They are using modern construction but keeping it to the history of the town. This building will not be an eye sore that just doesn’t fit the surrounding area. Once it is completed, the building will look like it has always been part of the town. There are still a lot of steps to go through. All of the building permits and zoning permits have to be obtained. Since the project is this big, it has to go through the county level instead of at the town level. Outside contractors were going to have to come in to start the construction. The budget is still being discussed because with each day, there are more expenditures that we had not thought about. I have been putting off a sit down meeting with Holden for weeks, but u
I had always known that Mayson was smart, but I could have never imagined how truly intelligent she was. She never had much confidence in herself around others and to see how well she had done in college to become an architect made me so proud. Seth and I were good at our jobs and we have created excellent designs. But when it comes to how Mayson looks at things was amazing. She had ideas is regard to the interior that were not only structurally sound but would add more to the visual appeal of the building. She was staying true to the history and heritage of the town as well. She was wanting to pay honor to the early days of Chance and also present that image to those that don’t know that much about the area. “Holden and Seth we are looking at some expenditures that none of us thought of due to the longevity of this project.” I looked and Seth and he shrugged his shoulders. I could not think of one thing that we would have missed. We were under the budget that the board had presen
The meeting went better than I had expected. I was thankful that I had put the whole supply room incident out of my mind, at least during the meeting. The sights and sounds of it came back pretty quickly when I was getting ready to head out of the door for lunch. Amelia was standing right in my path, which seemed to be becoming a pattern with her. “Well, Mayson, it was so nice to see you coming in early this morning. Did you see anything interesting before the meeting?” That smug look was something I had been on the receiving in one too many times. I wish I could just slap that look right off of her face. “Amelia, just get out of my way, I want to go to lunch and find some peach and quiet.” She stood there for a few more minutes just to get under my skin. I wanted to get as far away as possible from her. I just needed to be able to take a breath. I could feel my anxiety ramping up the longer I had to stand there. Amelia finally moved out of the way and I rushed out of the door as