Page 91 of Most Eligible Billionaire

“We’ve seen it,” Henry says.

“Smuckers wants it put up.” I raise my eyebrows. Does Henry really want Smuckers to pull rank?

No, as it turns out. Henry puts up the slide.

The Dartford guy protests. He doesn’t want to revisit our project. He just wants thenovote.

“Let’s make it amazing,” I say. “More green, less building. We can do that, right, Henry?”

I can’t read Henry’s expression, but I know he doesn’t like surprises. He doesn’t like the feeling of being bossed. “Wecan,” he says. “That’s not really the question, though...”

“There are cost issues,” Kaleb says. “With every square foot lost, the cost of the remaining goes up.”

“So what if the cost goes up?” I say. “If it’s cool. Let’s see options. Something will have to go in to replace the factories that are moving out. What does it look like if it’s something better?”

Again Henry catches my gaze. He shakes his head, a tiny movement most people probably don’t catch. I put Smuckers’s fuzzy muzzle up to my face, and Smuckers licks my cheek, and I smile at Henry. Because we’re down this road now and there’s no going back.

Henry grabs his laptop and gets up the picture he showed me—that’s the one I want everyone to see.

I want them to hear him talk to the picture with the passion I heard. I think they would love him if they heard him like I did.

“How about this. We could integrate something like this,” he begins. “This landscape is brown. Imagine it full of greenery and natural light.” He shows them his favorite Australian building. “Look how the natural light flows. And this gathering space. We can do this. We can have this. We’d do benches along here. Greenery.” He goes on, getting excited, pulling people into his vision.

Kaleb stews. He’d rather lose the project than only make a few hundred thousand bucks. But Henry’s on fire.

And sentiment is moving—I can feel it in the room.

There’s a preliminary vote. People want Locke to develop the parcel. They want more meetings. They want Henry.

I want him, too.

I’ve set Smuckers down on his leash and take a breath, trying to come down from the panic I felt. Some teenaged girls are petting him. Brett and Kaleb are talking with Henry and he’s nodding, hands shoved in his pockets.

He puts his suit jacket back on. All buttoned down. Perfect Henry.

Not looking at me.

Is he mad? He doesn’t like being pushed around. Well, Bernadette was his mother.

When I glance over there next, he’s coming across the room toward me, bypassing small groups of people, computer bag slung over his shoulder.

Brett stays behind. He looks angry.

Henry looks…beautiful.

My pulse races.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says when he reaches me, breathless. He takes Smuckers’s leash and my hand. “Now.”

“I can carry...”

“I got it.” He’s pulling me along, down the hall, toward the door, with Smuckers trotting alongside on the leash.

Somebody calls his name. I don’t know if it’s Locke people or neighborhood people. They want him back.

“I got your gift,” I say. “It’s the most beautiful thing anyone ever made for me.”

He shoves open the door with strange force. My heart jumps. Is he going to yell at me, too?

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