A silence settles over the boardroom like a layer of snow. Josh looks at Fleur, whose eyes have lowered to her screen as she sits and adjusts her clothing. She clears her throat. 

Josh chuckles. 'Awkward.'

'Sorry,' she says, her cheeks glowing red. 'Let's get started then.' 

She turns her screen. Fleur's light hair falls past her shoulders. Her grey eyes alight as she begins; images flash across the across the screen of the layout of the house as it stands, all the disarray and chaos. 'This is what we have to work with,' she says. 'This is what I would like to do.'

She moves through the house, starting with the entrance hall, dining room and kitchen. Her transformations are modern, light and clean - she's removed the carpets, the old colours, even one of the walls, to create a more open space. Her presentation moves through the house, into the bedrooms and bathrooms. Minimalist paintings speckle the walls, blinds replace musty curtains. The master bedroom looks like it's from a different house altogether. She ends off with the view coming back out. 

She stops on the last slide, an overview, and peers up at Josh.

'What do you think?' she asks, turning to take a sip of her coffee, the coffee he brought her, he thinks with a smug internal grin.

'Honestly. I think you are so talented.' Josh says, taking the last sip from his cup.

'Thanks, but can we be specific? What do you think about the entrance hall? Let's start there.' She flicks to the slide depicting the design. 

Josh glances at the screen and is quiet for a few moments. 'Show me the budget.' he says. 

'Oh, sure,' she ruffles through some papers, and hands one to Josh. He scoots his chair closer. Fleur swallows and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Josh takes the paper and peers down at the numbers. He reads quietly.

'This is just an estimate,' Fleur says. 'We can adjust things as needed, based on what you'd like to change.'

A silence settles over the room as Josh's eyes skirt over the budget.

'And obviously if I find a cheaper quote on something, I can adjust.'

Josh's eyes peer up at Fleur. She watches him with stormy grey eyes. The corner of his mouth sliding into a grin. 

'What?' she asks.

'What what?' he says. 

She drops her head to the side and smiles.

'You know, Fleur, you believed in me when nobody else did.'

'Oh, I don't think that's true.'

'You know that it is.' Josh's eyes are soft in the corners. 'I know it might not seem like it because of... well, what happened. But that scholarship saved me. I never would have gone if you didn't believe in me. Trust me.'

Fleur's eyes drop down, she takes her cup and swallows the last few sips. 'Mmm hmm.'

Josh takes a pen from his shirt pocket and signs the budget. He hands her the form.

'Wait,' she says,  'I need your input about-'

'I trust you.'

Fleur takes the paper, her mouth still open. 

'Let's meet this time next week, let me know what the progress is. I will make the deposit.'

'Josh, I-'

'I trust you, Fleur,' Josh says, leaving the boardroom.