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“Pretty much.”
We can hear the start of murmurs and laughter coming from the auditorium.
“You’re going to do great, Carlisle,” Vedant says with an ease I wish I felt. He claps a hand over my shoulder and leans in. “Smile, make the speech, and then we’ll all meet up for beers afterward.”
It’s all I can do to nod, but by the time forty minutes of awards have passed, our feet are aching and we’re all just ready to get this over with.
The hostess congratulates a group of developers for their app’s fifteen million downloads while the guys and I wait behind the curtain. I wring my hands, trying to will away the sheen of sweat now breaking across my forehead.
I hear the woman begin to introduce our team. “Our next award goes to a very special group of developers for an equally special app…”
Bryce slaps my back. “Don’t worry, man. Let’s get this over with so we can enjoy the after-party.”
He turns to face the woman presenting us as the inside of my mouth glues shut.
Kate.I think of my anchor.I just have to look for Kate.
Beyond the stage lights shining on the podium is a sea of tables covered by white tablecloths, each one lit with candle centerpieces.
“With more than one hundred million downloads nationwide and a ninety-four percent success rate, OneDate has beaten out three of the nation’s most popular dating apps for App of the Year!” The slim brunette welcomes us to the stage with a sweep of her arm.
Patrick stands on the opposite side of her, leaning in to kiss her cheeks before stepping up to the podium to introduce himself.
“Good evening. My name is Patrick Vance, the CEO of Triggerz Inc., and I’m here tonight to present this award to an incredible team of men who have worked tirelessly to develop OneDate into an app worthy of this award.”
The audience claps long and loud before Patrick turns to shake my hand.
“Thank you,” I say, placing my sweating palm in his. Every movement blurs as I’m handed the glass award and positioned in front of the long, skinny mic.
I scan the crowd in search of Kate’s face, but the lights make it difficult for my eyes to adjust. The entire room has gone silent, waiting to hear what I have to say, while blood whirs through my ears, preventing any coherent thoughts.
“Dude, say something,” Aakesh whispers from beside me.
I clear my throat once. Twice.
“G-good evening. I’m… Damon Carlisle. The… senior lead developer for our team.” The microphone screeches, the sound tearing across the room, and I frantically readjust it until it stops.
“Sorry.” My ears burn with embarrassment, but when I cast my gaze just to the left, I finally catch sight of Kate, Brandi, and Chuck. “I swear this isn’t my first time.”
The crowd laughs lightly as I roll through a series of thank-yous to Apple Inc., Patrick, Vedant, and finally, my devoted team.
Kate’s bright-eyed with an encouraging smile, and I do exactly as she showed me, speaking to her as opposed to the massive crowd before us.
“On a recent trip with the company to Tiger Falls, we were told there was magic here in Topica Bay.” I pause, heart pounding steadily. “I’ve never been one to believe in things of that nature, but after spending the last two weeks exploring the island with my friends, co-workers, and a beautiful woman, I’ve come to know in my time here—I think I’m starting to.”
Chuck cups his hands over his mouth, making a loudwhoopsound.
A shaky laugh slides between my lips. “This one’s for you, Kate.”
Faint clapping sounds from the far end of the room, with even more to follow. It forms a crescendo that morphs into hoots and hollers, and then Kate and my friends are joining the applause.
Patrick claps along, moving the mic toward him once more as the crowd settles down. “Before we make our exit, I’d like to make an announcement.”
I hadn’t expected him to take the stand again, but he grabs the crowd’s attention with another charming smile as I take a step back.
“It’s been hard for me and our board of directors to keep this under wraps… but Triggerz has been laying the foundation for extending our company internationally for quite some time now, and we’re excited to have Mr. Carlisle join our London branch as Associate Director in application developments starting next month.”
Both Patrick and the crowd applaud me, but the elation I felt just moments ago crashes and burns. I flick my gaze back to Kate to see her staring intently, brows furrowed with confusion.
