“Is someone laughing? Who’s there? Who’s whispering? Charlie?” he says, his hands flailing out in front of him, looking for me. I left him in the hallway while I set up the video and pulled the leather seats around for everyone.

“Jesus, for a guy who purposely drives off cliffs at high speeds, and flips over 200-pound bikes in the middle of the air just to blow off some steam—you’re freaking out over a little bandana on your face,” I say, kissing his cheek and loosening the knot in the back. As soon as he feels me start to untie his blindfold, he pushes it off completely, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head like he’s trying to regain feeling. When he stops, his gaze fixes right on me. He immediately breaks into a smile and kisses me.

“Okay, so…what’s this all about?” he asks, as I take his hand and lead him into Jeff’s office. He stops briefly when he sees Gabe and Jessie, then looks at me with his eyebrows pushed in.

“I wanted them to see your face…when you see. That’s all,” I smile, and then push him forward to his chair.

“You in on this…this…whatever this is?” Cody says, plopping down in the cushy leather chair and kicking his feet up on the giant ottoman while he folds his arms behind his neck, quickly making himself comfortable.

“Nah, man. I’m not in on it. I know what it is, but what you’re about to see…that’s all this girl right here,” Gabe says, tugging at my sleeve, while I lean on his arm rest and pick up the remote.

“Hmmmmm, highly suspicious,” Cody says, pulling me over to his lap and wrapping his arms around me possessively. My heart is literally singing inside my body, and I can’t wait to see what Cody’s does over the next five minutes.

“Okay, are you ready?” I say, pointing the remote at the giant screen in front of us.

“I don’t know…am I? Don’t you need to, like…I don’t know, set this up?” he says, his hands suddenly sweaty along my arms, showing his nerves.

I smile and shake my head no. There’s nothing to say that he won’t see in the video, so I push play, and then tilt his chin away from me so he see’s everything from beginning to end. I don’t need to watch the video. I have it memorized—by heart. So instead I spend the next five minutes studying Cody’s eyes.

The first emotion is pride, and I know it’s because he sees my name as a project leader. He gives me a squeeze, and his smile grows a little. It grows a little more when he starts to see my early sketches, the renderings of Mac’s home, the Craftsman styles modernized, and he actually lets out a prideful laugh when my images fade into the 3-D rendering.

What’s filling the screen is the beginning of the story—like we’re taking a walk, on a journey. The further we move along the fictional neighborhood street, the more real it becomes, with people and cars added to the busy streets, and children out on sidewalks laughing and playing. Soon, the storefronts come into play, and Cody shifts in his seat. Part of me thinks he can sense what’s coming, and he’s nervous.

We go through the mock-up of the grocery store, dodge in and out of the barber, and pass through the patio of a café. Then slowly, the entire rendering starts to slide, shifting over actual video of the real neighborhood in Cleveland, drawings of building fronts locking into place over the shuttered spaces that are there now. The large one in the center is grayed out, its drawing blurry and vague on purpose. It’s the final piece of the puzzle, and, according to Jeff, it’s the closer for this whole deal—the lasting image that is going to leave everyone nodding yes and begging us to break ground sooner rather than later.

The pink of the sign flickers on, a cool effect one of the graphic artists added at the last minute, and when it does, I feel the blood actually drain from Cody’s body. Locked on his eyes, I wait for the rest to come into view—first the green windows of the bays, next the vehicles up on blocks, and finally the entire building. Jake’s glows in the center of the screen—the heartbeat of a vibrant neighborhood, one designed purely with the intent of taking something broken and forgotten and making it new again—the perfect homage.

Cody is motionless, but his grip on me is tight. I have to stand, so I kiss his cheek softly and nudge his arms to let me loose. He moves his eyes to stare at me while I stand, his mouth stuck in awe. I know he’ll be embarrassed about crying in front of Gabe and Jessie later, but for now, he lets the tears pool up, and he forces his lips into a tight smile, trying not to cry more than this. He’ll be glad to know that Gabe is doing the same thing when I tell him about it later.