Sam closes the door. The sound dampens but doesn't disappear.
"Show me what you've got."
I tap Screen Left. "Option A. Standard documentation. Wide shots, infrastructure access, commercial viability. Clean, neutral, safe."
She leans over the table, eyes tracking the images. I watch her face for judgment, disapproval, the tightening around her mouth that means she's three steps ahead.
Nothing.
"And Option B?"
I swipe to Screen Right. "This focuses on existing community assets. Human scale. I shot it during our walk, you'll recognize the locations."
Her hand reaches out, fingers hovering above the screen. The fountain we found, tucked between buildings where afternoon light makes the water look like glass.
"This is beautiful, Tom."
My chest tightens. "But is it what the Board wants?"
She straightens, arms crossing. "Walk me through it. Start where you got stuck."
I pull up the images and start walking her through the sequence.
What the Board sees first.
What they see next.
Where the story turns.
Every few seconds I glance at her face, waiting for the interruption.
She just listens.
Someone walks past the glass wall and slows.
I lose my place.
"Sorry. Where was I?"
"The story flow for Option B." Sam glances at the glass. "Don't worry about them."
"Kind of hard not to when we're in a fishbowl."
Another person passes. A woman, younger, carrying binders. She doesn't pretend not to look.
Sam's mouth curves. "You know what they're seeing, right?"
"Us making a decision that could tank both our reputations?"
"They're seeing us work together." She gestures at the table, the tablets, the spread of notes. "A dozen people have walked by. You look like my partner."
I look at the screens. She's right. It's us, side by side.
"So what do you think?"
"I think you're not asking the right question."
I wait.
