“I hear good things,” one of the men said. “The buzz is that Sterling is at the top of the heap for that one.”
“We still have two more phases of the bid process to go through until it’s final,” Astrid said. “But thank you. I appreciate your kind words.”
“Astrid is amazing,” Clay said. “She’s so good at keeping us on schedule that we’re actually a bit ahead of the game.”
Astrid could’ve been knocked over by a puff of air. Clay spent so much time saying they didn’t work well together. It never occurred to her that he actually thought she did a good job. Of course, she wasn’t about to let on while they were standing with a group of their peers, but she did tuck away the compliment in her memory. She’d keep it close for quite some time. “Clay’s the real rock star of our team,” Astrid said. “Without him, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Exactly why he was nominated tonight,” the man said, just as a chime was sounded, announcing that everyone should take their seats for dinner. “Wishing you the best of luck.”
Astrid and Clay found their seats at table two, where it turned out they were seated with the other three finalists and their guests. After cursory introductions, Clay sat next to Astrid, his face drawn with stress. “This is all too real.”
“Real is good,” she whispered into his ear, letting her mouth linger near his neck so she could breathe in the warm scent of his cologne.
He reached under the table and took her hand, making her heart nearly stop beating. His mouth was right by her cheek, his breath soft against her skin. “Whatever happens tonight, I’m glad you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Dinner was soon served—a succulent red snapper with Thai flavors of coconut milk, lemongrass, and ginger, along with jasmine rice and sautéed spinach. Clay picked through his plate, not seeming interested in food.
“Don’t you like it?” Astrid asked.
“It’s delicious. I just don’t have an appetite.”
Astrid hated seeing him like this. She wished she could push fast-forward on the ceremony so he could get on with his life. “Does that mean I can have your dessert?”
Clay slung his arm over the back of Astrid’s chair, which made her sit a little straighter in her seat. It made her dig deep for breaths. “If there’s chocolate, probably not.”
“Fair enough.”
The dessert did indeed have chocolate—a flourless cake with a salted caramel drizzle. Everyone was enjoying it, even Clay, when a woman took the stage and began the presentation. Again, Clay set aside his fork, seeming disinterested. It really must be bad if he isn’t finishing that cake. She was beginning to see that he had a weakness for sweets.
He shifted in his seat as the first slate of awards were given, all in the area of residential architecture, which was not Clay’s area of expertise. The plates were cleared from the tables, glasses of champagne were delivered to all, and Clay continued to struggle to sit still. Astrid would have done anything to make his trepidation go away. As the awards shifted to commercial architecture, she leaned closer and raised her head to speak into his ear. “You’re almost there. Just breathe.”
He nodded, looking down at the table and a cocktail napkin that he was folding and unfolding with one hand, like he was creating the origami equivalent of worry beads. Astrid decided she would occupy his other hand, so she reached under the table and found it resting on his firm and muscular thigh. She pushed past her own desire to explore his long limbs and instead squeezed his hand. Every time he cleared his throat or shifted in his seat, she held it tight again.
“And finally, we come to the final award of the night. The Architect of the Year. As you all know, this award is open to both commercial and residential architects, so it really does represent the best of the best in our state. The nominees have demonstrated excellence with their vision, creativity, professionalism, and devotion to their craft.”
The room was remarkably quiet and Astrid found herself now being as nervous as Clay was. Possibly more so. What was going to happen if he didn’t win? Why had she been so stupid as to assure him that he would? She could easily imagine what their working relationship was going to become if he did end up losing. She would be an everyday reminder of the milestone he hadn’t reached. It had her rethinking every optimistic thing she’d said over the last few hours. So much for her ridiculous attraction to him. She might have ruined any chance she ever had.
The show host announced the nominees, but the names came out muffled as Astrid’s mind swirled with worry.
And then, just like that, it cleared.
“The winner is Clay Morgan, Sterling Enterprises.”
Astrid and Clay looked at each other and froze. Then they both burst out laughing. Before she could think how to act, she found herself bolting up out of her seat and wrapping him up in the most enthusiastic hug she’d ever given anyone.
“Thank you,” he said, loud and clear and right to her, as the audience rose to their feet and erupted in applause.
“Get up there,” Astrid blurted. “You can thank me later.”
Clay ascended the stairs up onto the stage and accepted his award. The way he admired the figurine told Astrid all she needed to know. The expression on his face was one of pure satisfaction and pride. “Wow,” Clay said into the microphone. “Thank you for this honor. It means so much to me. I won’t bore you with a long speech, but I want
