The Holly Project Read Online Free Page A

herself. I didn’t mind. It gave me some extra time to compose myself.
    “Thank you, Mr Davenport,” Eva purred. She then proceeded to gloat about her exemplary academic record and various university accolades. She also felt it necessary to point out that she’d chosen architecture over a career in acting, like her father. Her father being the famous Marcus McCormack. Of course, the crazy bitch also managed to work that in. She was beyond reproach. During her speech and as she presented her design, I stole a few glances at Ryan. He was completely fixated on Eva. I had to admit she was impressive, and her talent was undeniable. Taking her seat, she looked directly at me and mouthed the words “in the bag”.
    She was going down.
    “Okay, now we’ll hear from Holly,” Slater said, still smiling at Eva.
    I stood up and pushed my shoulders back. Flicking my hair over my shoulder for good measure, I took a deep breath. Then, as if I had no choice, I made eye contact with Ryan. The way he was looking at me made my face flush. I felt the heat rise up my neck like an impending tsunami of panic. Perhaps sensing my distress, Ryan cleared his throat and asked me what the inspiration had been for my design. His calm, sexy voice settled my nerves and I momentarily forgot my raging emotions. I also forgot about the other people in the room.
    “My mother was my inspiration, actually.”
    “Really? Tell me about that.” He seemed genuinely interested, giving me the confidence to continue.
    “She’s the reason I pursued architecture. She showed me how to look at things in ways I never would have done before.”
    “And what ways would they be?” Ryan asked.
    “She taught me to look at things from every angle, not just the obvious ones.”
    Ryan’s warm smile urged me to continue.
    “Lie down on the footpath and look directly up at the building next to you. Do a handstand against a tree in the park and look back at the city skyline.” The memories came freely. “Take a boat to the middle of the lake then jump overboard. How does everything look when you first resurface?”
    Ryan leant forward on the table, just as he’d done in the café earlier. My confidence grew.
    “Whenever we were admiring a building,” I continued. “Mum would ask me to tell her the thing I liked most about it. The first couple of times, I said the obvious things, like the colour of the bricks or the sandstone footings . But Mum wanted me to look for the less obvious things, the things I really loved . When I was studying your apartment building, I visited the site both during the day and at night. I watched the way the light refracted off the water and transformed its appearance. The water became the most important factor in my redesign concept.”
    I rambled on about my ideas and aspirations for sustainable living. It was all just a bit of a blur. Barely drawing breath, I eventually ran out of steam and the room came back into focus. That’s when I noticed the shocked look on Slater’s face, and the smug grin on Eva’s.
    I sat down wondering what the hell I had just said. It definitely wasn’t what I’d rehearsed earlier.
    As Slater discussed some of the more technical issues, I could feel tears welling in my eyes. Staring at Slater, I barely heard a word he said. I was just willing him to stop talking so I could get the hell out of there. I had never gone rogue by allowing my personal life to affect my work before. I refused to look at Ryan.
    “I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got time for,” Ryan said. “I’ve got another meeting across town, but thank you so much for your time. I have your business cards.” He handed Eva and I his card.
    Our fingers touched briefly as I took the card. When I looked up, my eyes met his. I felt a heady combination of excitement, confusion and vulnerability. I had no idea what he was feeling, but neither of us smiled.
    I was officially mortified. Had I really told them that I did handstands in the park?