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“It was my dream to enter this kind of competition,” she said dreamily to herself.
“It’s many people’s dream,” Shyrele Playns replied. “But very few make it this far. Of course, the drawings you submitted got you through the preliminary rounds. Your design is one of only ten that will be visited in person for the final round.”
“Thank you,” Emilia murmured.
But she hadn’t submitted anything. Obviously, Ra’as had planned all of this.
“Now I like very much what you’ve done with the pond,” Shyrele Playns said. “But I’d like to ask you about some of the other features.”
Emilia pulled herself together and began discussing the aspects of her design with the judge, telling her all about the teams she’d worked with to bring the idea to life.
The whole conversation seemed so surreal. It was one thing to plan a careful landscape, and another to discuss it with someone who had obviously been a student of exquisite gardens for a lifetime.
“Your work here is very thoughtful,” Shyrele Playns told her. “You should be proud of all you’ve accomplished, and I appreciate the way you’ve credited your collaborators today. Having the humility to surround oneself with local experts is the key…”
Suddenly Emilia caught sight of Ra’as and the kids sitting on one of the floating stone benches around the pond. They were bent over something, and the kids looked very excited.
That was her family, the people who believed in her enough to do this for her - who believed in her the way she believed in them.
A pang of love shot her through, and she felt tears prickle her eyes.
“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” Shyrele Playns asked sympathetically. “Watching your dreams come true?”
The judge obviously thought Emilia was moved by her kind words, and she certainly wasn’t going to correct her.
“Thank you so much for coming here, and for sharing your wisdom with me,” Emilia said.
“It’s been my pleasure,” the judge told her warmly. “No matter what happens in this competition, I know your career will take you far.”
“Thank you,” Emilia told her.
“Also, that man over there is a keeper,” the judge confided.
Emilia’s eyebrows went up in surprise.
“I know you didn’t enter yourself in this competition,” she went on. “None of us could figure out how you came up with a design like this and yet your cover letter was so short and simple. I did a little detective work and put two and two together.”
“He knew that entering was something I’d always wanted to do,” Emilia told her.
“That’s a relationship to nurture and cultivate,” the judge suggested, winking before marching away.
Emilia smiled at the woman’s use of gardening terms.
“Emilia,” Mimi sang out from her spot on the bench. “Come sit with us.”
“Is there room for all of us on this bench?” Emilia asked as she approached.
“You take my seat,” Ra’as suggested, hopping up from his place in the middle.
“Oh, no, that’s okay,” Emilia protested.
“I insist,” he said.
She sat, the kids pulling her down between them.
“Close your eyes, Emilia,” Mimi said.
“It’s okay,” Dyrk told her, grabbing her hand. “It’s just for a second.”
