Playing by Heart by Cleary James

Author:Cleary James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cleary James
Published: 2017-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

The awards ceremony was being held in a beautiful old building in the east of the city. Lisa felt a little fluttering of nerves as they were ushered down a long corridor, through a set of double doors and into a vast, high-ceilinged hall where the drinks reception was already in full swing. They were greeted by the celebratory hum of chatter and tinkling glass. Above their heads, ornate crystal chandeliers shone down onto a sea of diaphanous silk and taffeta, catching the light of sparkling jewels and sequinned dresses. It was a long time since she had been to such a glitzy event, and she found it a little intimidating. She was grateful that Grayson kept his arm around her as he led her into the crowd and got them drinks. He seemed to know almost everyone, and as they began to circulate, she was introduced to so many people, she couldn’t possibly remember all their names. Everyone seemed so glamorous and sophisticated, she felt a little out of her depth at first. But they were all so friendly, she started to relax as they made their way around the room, moving from circle to circle. Grayson was very popular, and it was obvious that he was held in high esteem by his colleagues and peers. She felt incredibly proud to be with him.

At dinner they shared a table with three other couples. They were interesting and entertaining, and as the evening progressed, Lisa was surprised to realise she was having fun. She had wanted to be here for Grayson, but she hadn’t really expected to enjoy herself. In the past, she had only ever attended ritzy events like this when she was with Mark, and she had been too tense and anxious to take any pleasure in them. It had been a public performance and she had been entirely preoccupied with playing her role to perfection so as not to incur Mark’s displeasure, fearful that she would say or do something that would get her into trouble later. Tonight she could relax and be herself. She could enjoy the company and savour the delicious food and wine. She didn’t flinch when Grayson told people she was an artist, and she didn’t feel the need to change the subject when someone asked her about her painting.

The award presentation got under way after dinner, and all eyes turned to the stage as a hush fell over the room. As the MC announced each of the finalists, a screen in the centre of the stage showed a short film about the building they were nominated for. Lisa’s heart swelled with pride as Grayson spoke passionately about the inspiration behind his project and how he had tried to create a sense of magic and possibility in the design. His aim was for the building to inspire and uplift the local community who used it, and judging by the smiles on the faces of the children, parents and teachers who were interviewed, he had succeeded.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.