Chapter 25

25

D estiny looked at herself one more time in the mirror. She smoothed her hands over the front of her black pencil skirt where she'd tucked in a sleeveless ivory silk blouse. A black one-button blazer would complete the power suit. She hoped it gave her a look of professionalism, but also presented her as someone who took care in her work.

A knock at the front door made her heartbeat quicken. That would be Faith. She was picking her up and then they'd go give the biggest presentation of their professional lives.

Destiny quickly grabbed her blazer off the bed and hurried to the living room. She was not prepared for the emotions that ran through her body when she opened the front door.

Faith was standing there in a dark blue suit with the sleeves pushed up revealing her muscled forearms. She wore a pale yellow shirt which highlighted her honey-colored hair where it rested at her shoulders. The pants were tapered at the ankles making Faith's legs look long and lean. The high heels would've made Faith the same height as Destiny if she hadn't been wearing heels as well.

Destiny lost her breath along with the ability to speak and felt her cheeks light up like the Fourth of July. The gorgeous woman standing in front of her didn't have a smirk on her face like Destiny expected. Instead she looked a lot like Destiny was feeling inside right this minute.

"Faith…" Destiny said hoarsely, trying to find her voice. "You look amazing."

"M–m–me?" Faith stammered. "If you put a blazer on over that skirt, I'm going to melt right in front of you."

Destiny smiled and reached for Faith's hand. "Get in here." She closed the front door and felt Faith's hands on her bare upper arms.

"I've always had a thing for your shoulders, babe," Faith said. "You are beautiful."

"Thank you," Destiny said shyly.

Faith leaned in and started to kiss her. "Hold it," Destiny said. "You know what happens when we start kissing. We can't be late."

"You cannot expect me to stand here when you look this incredible and not kiss you," Faith stated.

Destiny smirked and put her hands on Faith's hips. "Okay. You can kiss me, but will you wear this suit after your birthday party so I can take it off of you?"

"Absolutely," Faith said.

Destiny didn't wait and closed the distance between their lips. The kiss was soft, but there was an underlying hint of want and need. When Faith deepened the kiss, Destiny could feel Faith's hands squeeze her shoulders. The strength and power of the entire scene made Destiny once again lose her breath.

She pulled away and inhaled deeply. "You're making me dizzy," she said breathlessly.

"I know," Faith replied. "I feel it, too."

A chuckle bubbled up from Destiny's throat. "My God, would you look at us?"

Faith laughed. "Maybe we should dress up more often."

"Would you give us your massive landscaping budget?" Destiny asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"We're beautiful people making beautiful landscapes," Faith replied.

"Yeah, we are," Destiny said. She started to pull away, but Faith stopped her.

"We can do this, Des," Faith said.

Destiny nodded.

"I don't just mean the bid," Faith clarified, staring into Destiny's eyes.

"I know," Destiny said softly. "One thing at a time, babe."

Faith smiled and Destiny could see the recognition in her eyes.

"I'm going to put my coat on now," Destiny said, raising her brows. "Please don't melt. I need you for the presentation."

Faith reached for the blazer and held it out for Destiny to slip her arms into. She turned around and Faith gently settled Destiny's hair on her shoulders.

"Mmm-mmm," Faith enthusiastically murmured. "How could they not want you to complete their project?"

"Us!" Destiny said forcefully. "We're in this together."

"Yes, we are," Faith said. "I just hope we can stack these rocks like we practiced."

Destiny chuckled. "We're going to be great."

Faith reached for the bag of rocks they had collected earlier in the week.

"Wait," Destiny said. She took out her phone and turned to Faith. "We need a picture." She put her arm around Faith's shoulders and pressed their cheeks together then clicked the button.

"Let me see?"

Destiny showed the picture to Faith and they both smiled.

"Fields of Green," Faith said. "At your service."

Destiny stared at the picture and could see happiness in both their eyes. There was also excitement for what was to come and it wasn't just for the presentation.

They walked up to the main building with confidence in each step. The corporation building the new business campus wanted the presentations done on site. The reception area and lobby of the main building were complete along with several meeting rooms.

A committee made up of representatives from the corporation, the construction company, and the greater Austin community would decide which landscaping company won the bid.

Destiny and Faith walked into the building and were greeted by a woman who was in charge of the schedule for the day. She gave them a packet of information which they'd also received by email and led them to a waiting area.

"Hey," Destiny said to Faith as she looked over the material. "There's David Orr. I wonder if he's on the committee."

Just as Destiny said his name the man looked up and waved. He walked over to where Destiny and Faith were standing.

David Orr was on the City of Austin's Urban Planning committee. Destiny and Faith had both known him for years. He often came by their new projects to visit and check in with them. Part of his job was to make sure landscapes followed the city codes.

"Hi," he said with a friendly smile. "It's so good to see you both."

"Hi, David," Destiny said. "Are you on the evaluating committee?"

"I am," he replied.

"It will be nice to see a familiar face in there," Faith said.

"I wondered when I saw the list if you two had finally joined forces," David said. "What a good thing for Austin."

"You knew it was us?" Destiny asked.

"Of course," David said. "That's a perfect name for y'all."

Faith chuckled. "This is the first project we've worked on together."

"Yeah, we thought our little companies might get lost in the shuffle, but together," Destiny looked over at Faith, "we're hard to overlook."

"I'll say," David said. "I can't wait to see what you've come up with."

"We've done some things that are out of the box," Faith said, raising her eyebrows at Destiny.

David chuckled. "That's perfect for Austin. I'd better get back inside. It's almost your turn."

"It was good to see you, David," Faith said.

"Good luck, you two." He leaned a little closer. "You know I'll be in your corner."

"Thanks, David." Destiny smiled.

After he'd walked away Destiny felt Faith squeeze her hand. "That's a good sign."

Destiny smiled at her. "Hey, I want you to know, no matter what happens in there, I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else."

Faith smiled and tilted her head. "Destiny Green," she said softly. "I love you. If they can't see that we're the best people to make their building extraordinary then that's on them. We know who we are."

Destiny nodded. She could feel the love in her heart reaching out and wrapping around Faith. Who cared about the bid and the project? She knew who Faith was. She's the woman Destiny wanted to spend her life with. "I love you, too, Faith."

Faith leaned in and whispered, "We've already won, but let's go win this bid, too."

Destiny chuckled. "Yeah, we have." It might seem like a strange moment for I love yous , but it felt like the perfect time. Planning this project had not only brought them together but forced them to take a look at themselves. Here they were, all dressed up, still in love, so why not now.

They turned and walked into the meeting room together. Inside, there was a large screen at the front of the room where they could project their videos, pictures, and information so the committee could see their vision.

Destiny and Faith pulled a small table over to use for their rock demonstration towards the end of the presentation. They stood on either side of the screen while the project manager introduced each member of the committee before turning the meeting over to them.

"I'm Destiny Green," she said with a smile.

"I'm Faith Fields, and we're Fields of Green," Faith said.

Destiny started the presentation by outlining their approach to the site as a whole then went into how they planned to make each building unique.

They took them on a tour of the main building highlighting their ideas with views of the property from a distance and then walking them around the building much like an employee.

Faith took over and led them to the smaller building on the south side of the property. When the triangular garden came into view with the fountain, several pleased sounds echoed around the room.

Destiny glanced at Faith and smiled. This was the reaction they were hoping to hear.

Faith went on to explain the benefits of an outdoor space that employees could use on a daily basis that wouldn't detract from their work, but enhance it.

Destiny watched the committee members as Faith held their attention. There were two members who were in the human resources department and they nodded as Faith explained the benefits. From the looks on the committee members' faces they were interested in what Faith was saying. Destiny felt her heart swell with pride as Faith continued her part of the presentation. She was believable and her passion was apparent as she spoke.

As they made their way over to the other smaller building to the north of the main structure, Destiny continued the presentation. There were several murmurs and comments as the garden with the rock formation filled the screen.

Destiny gave a little history on why she chose this particular feature for the garden as Faith began to set the rocks out on the table. As Destiny continued with the benefits of the garden much like Faith had outlined earlier she saw the committee members nod.

Faith began to stack several rocks and smiled at the committee. Destiny joined her and together they made a small formation in the shape of an arch. They had to hold the rocks just so and slip the last rock into place to make it stand and not collapse.

Several members clapped and Destiny could see they were all interested. She had their attention.

"Now it's your turn," Destiny said. She invited them up to stack a few rocks and give it a try.

After several moments she put different rock formations on the screen that the employees could try during breaks in their day.

While the members were experimenting with the rocks, Faith explained the idea of changing the plants with the seasons. Destiny heard one of the members tell another that no one had mentioned that. They liked the idea.

Finally, Destiny put the all-important cost analysis up on the screen. She explained the project could be done in phases and it was entirely customizable.

Destiny looked over at Faith and raised her brows to see if she'd left anything out. Faith nodded and grinned.

This gave Destiny such a feeling of accomplishment. They had set out to do this together and make it remarkable. Even though they hadn't planted one single shrub or flower yet, they had done this together and it was amazing.

The committee members asked several questions and David spoke up on how well this plan would fit into the city's vision as a whole.

The woman in charge of the schedule knocked on the door indicating it was time for the next presentation. The project manager asked for a little more time as the committee finished with their questions while still stacking rocks.

As Destiny and Faith left the room, David walked out with them.

"That was amazing," he said. "What creativity!"

"Thanks," Destiny and Faith said in unison.

"I don't know how you came up with not one but two unique gardens then tied them together," David said. "Well done."

They walked over to a part of the lobby away from the other people.

"No one has done anything nearly as good," he said. "You've got a real shot at this."

"Yeah, but the big companies have their turn tomorrow," Destiny said.

"It doesn't matter," David replied. "This is on or above their level."

"Thanks," Faith said. "That's good to know."

"I'll keep you updated," he said with a smile. "What are friends for," he added walking back over to the meeting room.

Destiny looked around the lobby then turned to Faith. She grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug.