Page 115 of The Romance Library

God, even his intro was good.

As I watched Theo outline his vision for the land, I was mesmerised. Not just by his breathtaking looks—and, trust me, he looked incredible in that navy suit—but also his competence. He was a natural at presenting.

Although I had zero experience at doing this kind of thing myself, I’d been in enough meetings to see people fumble through presentations. Some had a monotonous tone that would put an insomniac to sleep. But not Theo. Just like the way he read books, Theo knew how to change the pitch and level of his voice to make it captivating.

Despite the fact that he was talking about property, a subject that wasn’t particularly interesting to me, he made it sound exciting. I was hanging on his every word.

Theo presented so calmly and effortlessly, like it was as easy as breathing.

‘So as you can see from the plans,’ Theo said, pointing to the screen, ‘there would be a complex of apartments with sea views available for sale. However, because Eaves Enterprises understands the importance of community here at Sunshine Bay, we would invite local residents with the relevant skills to apply for a selection of jobs related to the development. We’d also provide a generous donation to local charities and sponsor community events on an ongoing basis. And we would welcome a discussion on how we could work with the community long-term to enhance the environment, whether that be through planting more trees or hiring extra pairs of hands to keep the beach beautiful and clean all-year round.’

I watched on as Edwin smiled and nodded. George, on the other hand, didn’t seem so enthusiastic. Theo changed the slide.

‘In addition to this, we would also like to provide affordable homes, which would be exclusively available for current residents of Sunshine Bay.’

‘What?’ George jumped out of his chair, his face reddening by the second. ‘Why on earth would we do that?’

‘Father,’ Theo said calmly, ‘if you’ll allow me to continue, we can discuss this later. Privately.’ George sat back down, but it was obvious from the steam pouring from his ears that he was not happy.

‘Please continue.’ Edwin jotted something on his notepad.

‘Thank you,’ Theo said. ‘Eaves Enterprises understands how difficult it can be to get on the property ladder, so our affordable housing scheme would provide families with the opportunity to purchase these properties for a preferential price.’

That was a good idea and I could tell Edwin agreed.

Theo talked through the rest of his presentation, and before I knew it he was wrapping up and thanking Edwin again for the opportunity.

‘Thank you, Theo.’ Edwin said. ‘Are you ready, Jessica?’

‘Yes.’ I nodded, standing up and telling my heart to calm down.

You can do this. Stay calm.

I pulled out my laptop, which was ancient compared to Theo’s, and opened it up.

After double-clicking on the proposal, I waited for it to launch, but the screen froze.

I tried again, but nothing happened. A colourful ball spun on the screen, but apart from that everything was static.

‘Um, sorry about this.’ I plastered on a smile as my heart thundered against my ribcage.

‘Oh dear,’ George said sarcastically. ‘Looks like you won’t be able to present after all.’

‘I’m sure it’s just a minor technical issue.’ Theo leapt to his feet and crouched down to inspect the screen. ‘Whenever I get the spinning ball of doom, I resort to the high-tech solution known only to computer geniuses.’

‘What’s that?’ I asked, sweat pooling on my forehead.

‘Turning it off, then on again!’ Theo looked up at me and smiled. Butterflies flooded my stomach and I smiled back, somehow sensing that although we’d been pitted against each other, he was still on my side.

‘That definitely sounds like a very high-tech solution. Are you sure we can pull it off?’ My mouth twitched.

‘Certain. You happy for me to try?’

‘Go on. Dazzle me with your technical brilliance!’

It was only when I heard George cough that I remembered where we were. For a second it seemed like it was just me and Theo joking and chatting together. Existing in our own bubble like we’d done all week. But when I saw the grimace on George’s face, I realised he didn’t look happy about the fact that Theo was helping me.

‘Maybe wait a few seconds,’ Theo said.

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