“You want this one?”
I do.
I turn back to the Board.
“We’re showing what the site actually offers,” I say. “Tom’s images let buyers picture themselves in the space instead of telling them how they’re supposed to feel about it.”
Tom nods and adds smoothly, “When people see something real, they trust it. If it feels staged, they pull back. This feels lived-in.”
The Board member nods.
I exhale slowly. We just answered a question together without even planning it.
Then Castellano speaks.
“Ms. Morgan, you’re asking us to prioritize community features over traditional ROI metrics. That’s a significant risk. How do you justify it?”
My stomach tightens.
Before I can launch into defense mode, Tom steps forward slightly.
“That’s only a risk if you treat community and ROI as separate things,” he says calmly. “We don’t.”
He pulls up the connectivity image.
“These features, waterfront access, walkability, public space, are the reason buyers pay more to live here. They’re not extra. They’re the value.”
He walks the Board through the image.
I stand beside him, watching him defend my work with the same precision I would.
He’s using my language. My logic.
I didn’t realize he’d been listening that closely when we talked through the design at the deli.
He just defended my project better than I could have.
Castellano leans back in his chair. Still skeptical, but he doesn’t push further.
The Developer is nodding now, smiling.
“This is exactly what we needed to see,” he says, looking between us. “You built real momentum last week, and you’ve reinforced it today. This is the unified front we need going into the Capital Investment meeting.”
I barely register the praise.
I’m too aware of Tom standing beside me, close enough that I can feel the shift of his breathing.
He glances at me. There’s something in his expression—pride, maybe. Or relief.
I catch my reflection in the glass wall.
I’m smiling.
We did this.
Together.
The Board asks a few more questions—logistical, easy—and then the meeting ends. Handshakes, polite nods. The Developer pulls us aside to confirm the accelerated timeline is still on track. I answer on autopilot.
