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The portacabin was full. Tara and Tom were rifling through cardboard boxes trying to find something and bickering about where the other saw it last. Amelia was on the phone to someone barking orders. Even Rich was here. He and Marco were in the thick of the adoption process so the fact that he was here today made Jesscia feel very loved. Rich was currently examining the project plans and schematics plastered all over the walls, and telling everyone, loudly, about how impressive it all was that they got this done so quickly. Amelia finished her call and then started typing on her phone.

Jessica was working on her speech but getting nowhere. She’d drafted something already, she was never not prepared, but it was lacking something. With all the noise and commotion in the cabin, she was struggling to concentrate. They were stressed about today. So was Jessica. People were starting to arrive. Their event was starting imminently. There was a time when she would have asked them all to leave her alone so she could finish her speech but seeing their earnest and familiar faces reminded her of how close they’d got over the course of the project, how much they cared about this project and how much she cared about them. Her whole body relaxed when she reminded herself of that. “Hey, everyone.” Jessica’s voice cut through the noise.

Everyone in the portacabin turned to look at her. Silence descended quickly. They looked wary of what was coming next, as if being asked to do one more thing might break them.

“Before today gets going I wanted to say how much I appreciate each of you. You’ve all been a pleasure to work with on this project and I’ve valued your input more than you’ll ever know. Thank you so much for making this a success. Everything’s going to be fine. Let’s have a great day today.”

There were surprised faces at Jessica’s heartfelt moment. But judging by the subsequent smiles and more relaxed atmosphere in the cabin, it might have helped a bit.

“Aren’t you a big soppy mess today,” Rich said, hands on hips, smirking.

Jessica ignored him.

“Thanks, boss. Oh, and the press has arrived. I’ll handle them,” Amelia said, marching out to get them. Noah couldn’t make it today, so this was a great opportunity for Amelia.

Bright sunshine met Jessica’s eyes when she stepped outside the portacabin. It was a lovely day for being outdoors and it would help present the park in its finest glory. The grounds staff were taking down the metal barriers surrounding the perimeter, opening up the space one fence at a time. People spilled into the park as if stepping onto an unexplored world for the first time. Balloons tied to tree trunks and hanging from tables gently lapped in the breeze. Jessica strolled towards the middle of the park, feeling like her chest was bursting with happiness. The whole site looked stunning. It had the perfect blend of grass and flower beds, all leading to the central feature of the bandstand. Getting that thing moved was one of the most expensive parts of the build, but it was so worth it. The crane was majestic today, glistening in the sun above its newly installed visitor centre. That the visitor centre would create jobs was such a good feeling. The pride she felt in her heart about how good the new site was could not be compared. Going in this new direction with her company had never felt better. Even George, her biggest architect, was on board, now. Nothing she’d ever done in her whole life had ever given her this much satisfaction and sense of meaningful accomplishment. Maybe she should add that into her short speech.

There was a queue for the takeaway window of the café at the restoration yard. A few families were having picnics on the grass by the yard. People mingled and moved around the park as if the space had always been here like this. The sense of pride and excitement that this was theirs was palpable. It touched something in Jessica’s soul seeing how naturally and positively people were taking to it. The feeling made her want to speak from the heart and throw her wooden speech away.

Rosie was talking to Patrick in the middle of the park. It was the first time she’d seen Rosie after her promotion.

“Jessica,” Patrick said, opening his body to invite her into the conversation. “Rosie and I were just talking about the cycle path along the waterfront and how well used it’s already been. It’s been open unofficially to the public for a week and the numbers are off the charts. It’s incredible.”

“It is. Let’s hope it continues.” Jessica let her eyes fall on the person who had ignited so much in her. The gratitude she felt could never be taken away from her. Jessica would always hold a special place in her heart for Rosie. “Hats off to Rosie who insisted we install the cycle counters. Making a difference to people’s health and wellbeing is quite the feat.”

“It was always in Jessica’s plan to do that. I just made sure it happened.” Rosie finally met Jessica’s eyes.

Jessica kept her cool while feeling a fire burning inside.

Patrick nodded, oblivious to their unspoken interaction. “I’m so glad you chose to take this on. Working with you guys has been amazing. Seeing you revive the project after I thought it was dead and buried was something else. I know I’ve said it before but thank you. Today is like a dream come true. The place looks cracking.” His voice quivered at the end.

“I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” Jessica stepped forward and opened her arms to Patrick, requesting a hug.

Patrick nodded, his lower lip trembling for a second. His face went as red as his hair.

Jessica wrapped her arms around him in a friendly embrace, so grateful that she’d found this project when she did. If she hadn’t had a dark night of the soul after winning a RIBA award and not feeling anything, she would never have known about it.

“Thanks,” Patrick said, wiping the side of his eye as they parted. “I needed that. Right, I’m going to go and get a can of coke or something.” He nodded his head and walked away.

“That was very sweet,” Rosie said.

Jessica opened her arms again for a hug. “Congratulations in real life.” Jessica stepped forward to hug her.

Rosie squeezed Jessica back in a full body embrace.

Jessica held onto Rosie for a second or two longer than necessary. She didn’t want to let her go.

“Thank you,” Rosie said, over her shoulder.

Jessica pulled out of the hug, remembering where they were. “Principal Architect, eh?”

Rosie smiled, widening her eyes in a mixture of disbelief and delight, it seemed. “It looks that way.”

“It suits you.”

“Thanks.”

Jessica opened her mouth to suggest they spend some time together soon to celebrate Rosie’s promotion and the completion of the project but the sight of her mum walking into the park, under the original archway, grabbed her attention. Like the park, her mum was transformed. A lump formed in her throat, and her eyes watered. She dabbed her eyes dry, as discreetly as she could.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Her mum appeared beside her and Rosie.

The sight of her was instantly comforting during such an intense day. “Mum! It’s so good to see you.” She hugged her mum, feeling so emotional.

Her mum pulled out of the hug, smiling. “You haven’t invited me to any of your things like this in a while. Not since your third award at that posh ceremony thingy. I knew this one had to be special, and it is.” She waved her hand as if the place were magical. “It’s incredible.”

“You think?”

“I absolutely do.”

“Sorry.” Jessica shook her head. “Mum, this is Rosie. Rosie this is my mum, Linda.”

Rosie was full-on beaming at them. “It is so lovely to meet you, Linda.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” Her mum hugged Rosie as if she already knew her. It was strange introducing them, but good.

“Really? What have you heard?” Rosie seemed totally confused at the prospect of Jessica telling her mum about her.

“Tons of stuff. Jessica hasn’t talked about someone so much in a long time.”

“Mum,” Jessica said, giving a mild warning not to make her sound like a loved-up teenager. She was the boss of a huge company in the public eye today.

“Congratulations on your promotion,” her mum said to Rosie, ignoring her. “It sounds very well deserved.”

“Thank you.”

“The park looks wonderful. I’m happy to see it like this after all those years gone to waste. It has a second chance at life. Something everyone deserves,” her mum said.

Jessica looked at her mum. If anyone knew about getting a second chance at life, it was her mum. That the park resonated with her meant a lot. “That’s very true, Mum.”

“I totally agree,” Rosie said.

The band were still setting up inside the bandstand. Tara and Tom were helping them test out the microphones now. “One two. One two.” A few rows of chairs faced the stage of the bandstand sitting on top of temporary mesh flooring to save the grass. Some seats were already occupied. More people were standing, dotted around the bandstand. Jessica checked her watch. They were approaching the start of the ceremony.

“I’d better make my way over now.”

“Good luck, Jess.” Rosie smiled.

Jessica joined Mary and Patsy the celebrity in the bandstand, next to the band, who were milling around their instruments looking ready to go.

A decent sized crowd developed. Having a celebrity do the ribbon cutting was clearly helping with numbers, but then, the diversity of the crowd could mean many people were genuinely here for the official opening of the park. The thought heartened her. Her mum and Rosie were at the front talking to each other. Aunt Susan and the rest of the family were in the middle of the crowd. Martin’s teenage son stood beside him. He was his double. She couldn’t wait to meet him. Des stood at the back, takeaway coffee in hand, casually dressed instead of his usual suit and tie. Rich gave her a meaningful nod when she caught his eye. Everyone was there. She kept scanning the crowd, looking for her dad but she couldn’t see him, that familiar disappointment filling her chest.

She clasped her hands behind her, standing tall and squaring her shoulders. This was her moment and he wasn’t going to ruin it.

Mary got them started, thanking the crowd for being there and introduced Patsy as the ribbon cutter and the band, and Jessica. Jessica kept a straight face through the polite applause, already trying not to get emotional. Keeping it together while presenting had never been an issue for her before, so this was new. She looked at her mum and Rosie, which calmed her.

Mavis, the representative from the town’s residents’ association, spoke first. “On behalf of everyone in the town we wanted to say thank you to the council and to JF Architecture for giving us this wonderful space. We’re going to cherish this place for a long time to come.”

Smiling, Jessica clapped along with the crowd, feeling satisfied and honoured. Making an impact on her hometown was simply the best.

“Jessica, would you like to say a few words?” Mary invited her to speak.

Jessica stepped up to the microphone as Mary stepped aside. “Thank you, Mary.” Jessica looked out at the crowd, at familiar and friendly faces. Supporters during the town hall meeting had shown up. Some she recognised from chats on their doorstep. Others she simply had a feeling that she knew in some way. “We did it!” Jessica raised her hand in the air. She hadn’t planned to say that.

A few hoops and cheers were lobbed back at her. A more spirited round of applause burst out.

“You made this happen. Thank you for showing up when it was most needed. Thank you for being here today. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to design this space for you. It has been an honour and a privilege to get this done for you. Massive thanks to my team at JF Architecture and all the people who worked on the site in one way or another. Your excellent work is felt in every square inch of this park. The park is for everyone. I hope it will be enjoyed for many years to come, and if you see me strolling along the waterfront sometimes, please don’t hesitate to stop and say hello.”

A generous applause ensued.

Jessica stepped aside to let Mary back onto centre stage.

Mary winked at her before speaking. “Thanks, Jessica.” She faced the crowd again. “This space is dedicated to all the people who lived and worked in this town long before modern comforts and working conditions. To the women who ran the houses and worked in factories and who spent their lives toiling away in domestic labour. To the men who lived and died on this shipyard. Their efforts will never be forgotten.”

Jessica closed her eyes, feeling the protection of the wise old bandstand encompassing her. The faint smell of cherry blossom from the trees lining the park calmed her even further. It took her back to when she was a kid, roaming about the town which once used to feel so huge, free and curious to explore the world. Her grandmother’s face popped into her head. Hopefully today would have made her proud.

Mary continued. “We are delighted to have the inclusion of the memorial, located on the waterfront, to honour the site’s past. It’s a beautiful installation that we were fortunate enough to be able to include because of a massively kind donation from an anonymous donor. A local artist was commissioned to design the piece, and students from the Glasgow School of Art helped in its production. Isn’t it just wonderful.”

Applause reverberated around. Some people wiped their eyes with tissues.

“No child should grow up not knowing about the history of where they are living and having a safe and healthy space to play and rest in. We hope this park will offer all this and more to the children of this town. The adventure play park is a cracker. I might have a go on the swings myself when no one’s looking.”

Polite laughter and applause followed.

As the head of the local authority spoke at length of her love for what they had done, Jessica looked up and spotted him. Tall, like Martin, and with her eyes, he was right at the back of the crowd, looking directly at the bandstand, right at her.