“Tonight, you’ve seen the bones of the Artisan Avenue. You know the history of the building and the property and now you’ve seen what it can become. But projects like this don’t happen because of one man or a company.”
Murmurs went around as he paused. He motioned to the nearest display board that showed off the finish concept of the Artisan Avenue.
“They happen because of visionaries.” He let that hang with them for a moment.
Attention fixed on the screen behind him. There was a digital display that showcased the building as it was back in the early twentieth century and then what it looked liked right before they’d begun demolishing parts of it. Then it ended with what the building would look like once it was done.
“That visionary is Tachina Winston of Form and Function Studios.”
The murmurs grew louder. Heads turned as the attendees sought out Tachina. A shy smile appeared on her face, and she raised a hand to acknowledge herself.
“She took a historic building many of us have known about for decades and saw no limitation but only possibilities. She looked at the run-down structure on the lakefront and imagined a landmark that will redefine this district for the next century.”
Head nods and murmurs went around. Vic had everyone in the palm of his hand. His gaze swept the tables, and he caught sight of Sydney and the scowl on her face. He ignored her and kept going with his speech.
“This project wasn’t something that Ms. Winston threw together overnight. Hard work, dedication, and research allwent into this project. She wanted to bring her artistic vision to life here in our beloved city. There will be no other development like this one here in the entire country.” He paused and let that sink in. Investors loved the idea of being apart of something exclusive. He smiled again and nodded to the picture behind him. “If you want to invest in something meaningful. If you want your name attached to the transformation of our shoreline, tonight is the night to open your purse strings and stop pretending you don’t have the means.”
Roars of laughter erupted. He may have made a joke, but he was dead serious. The men and women here were some of the wealthiest people around.
Vic reached over and lifted his champagne glass from the podium.
“To preserving history by making new history. To the artisans, the developers, the doers, and to the future of the Cleveland shoreline.” He raised his glass. “To the Artisan Avenue.”
Thunderous applause flooded the room. He took a sip then stepped back and offered a smile to the audience. As he left the stage, the applause continued.
He sought out Tachina across the room instantly. She didn’t clap the loudest, but she watched him with something soft and stunned in her eyes.
It was pride.
Heat.
Emotions.
All wrapped up in one expression. That hit him harder than any approval from an audience ever could. He walked down the stairs of the stage without breaking eye contact with her. People reached his side to shake his hand, slap him on the shoulder, made verbal promises to donate.
He barely noticed.
He reached his table where his mother and father sat. Both gave him nods of approval. Sydney had somehow maneuvered herself into the seat immediately next to him. The chair had been vacant before he’d got up to go on stage. Where had she come from? She stood and smiled at him.
“Vic, that was some speech.” She reached out to touch his arm.
But he pulled back and shook his head.
“I’m going to sit over there.” He gestured to another table.
His mother’s and Sydney’s faces were rendered with shocked expressions. He was not going to play this game with Sydney. Not tonight. Not ever again. He didn’t wait for either of them to respond. He simply walked past her, past all of the polite stares and those offering encouraging words about the project, and slid into a new seat.
Directly across from Tachina.
She hid a smile behind her champagne flute.
But he saw it in her eyes.
The ride home with Charles had been okay. Not awful. Not magical. It was not nearly as distracting as she’d hoped it would be after the emotional roller coaster of that gala. It was polite enough to earn him a second date.
If she would actually give him one.
This had been Addison’s idea. Charles was a friend of her friend and was probably one of the best blind dates she’d been on.