It’s measured, as if he knew this guy would push back.
He clicks the screen.
The building fractures into layers. Energy flow, public access, green space, and load distribution.
I feel my stomach swirl in excitement.
Leo and I might joke that we scored better than Nate in school, but he was always the better teacher, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.
It’s why I always went to him when I needed help.
“This isn’t about adding solar panels and calling it innovation,” he continues. “It’s about designing something thatadapts. That changes with its environment.”
A woman across the table leans forward. “And when the client asks about cost?”
Nate doesn’t miss a beat. “Front-loaded. Higher than traditional builds, sure, but prices are soaring because buyers’ expectations are rising. And by year seven, it’s operating with thirty percent lower overhead. By year twelve, it’s outperforming every comparable structure.” He sets the marker down. “We’ve just gained one of the top senior architects who is proficient in efficiency, and I’ll be sure to bring her to the next meeting to go over this more in-depth. She’s an expert in the field.”
I freeze, knowing he’s talking about me, and my heart expands.
Nate suddenly lifts his head. We make secret eye contact, and he winks.
Of course, he would know I was here the whole time.
A junior architect speaks up, asking a question I don’t hear, too focused on Nate.
He nods, already turning off the screen.
Someone else jumps in. “This would put us ahead of every firm bidding for the waterfront project.”
Nate tilts his head. “That’s not the goal.” Now everyone is watching him. “The goal is to build something we won’t be apologizing for in twenty years.”
And there it is…what sets Nate apart.
He doesn’t build to win.
He builds tomean something.
As the meeting wraps up, someone adds, “This is ambitious.”
Nate smirks. “So were elevators once.”
A ripple of quiet laughter moves through the room.
He closes his laptop.
Meeting over.
Ah, I’ve got to get out of here before I lunge like a wild animal and attack him on the table.
I scurry back to my desk, and as I knew he would, Nate is not far behind me.
He exudes power as he walks down the hallway, and heads turn as he threads his fingers through his perfect dark hair.
All the younger girls on my floor are drooling as he passes, admiring his square jaw, broad frame, and fuck-me blue eyes.
I don’t blame them…how could they not?
I’m seriously the luckiest girl in the world, and it sucks to be them.
