Love's Courage Read Online Free PDF Page B

confusion. Lesego takes a seat across from the review panel, distributes her hand-outs, smooths down her jacket and waits for the proceedings to begin.
    Kenneth looks at the proposal he has received, then checks the contact name on both the hand-out and the proposal – Lesego Khumoetsile. The Lesego he has fallen for is the same person who has submitted the Batshweneng cultural village proposal, the one he has been advocating! How cruel can fate be?
    Should I declare my interests and excuse myself, or just give up on her? he asks himself. He thinks back to the power of their kiss and to how he has been feeling since he met her. How can he give that up?
    When his turn comes to introduce himself, his voice sounds hoarse. “My name is Kenneth Tumaole; I am a fund manager and supervisor . . .” He takes a breath, looks into her face, suddenly feeling unsure about what to say next, but his colleagues look at him questioningly and he shocks himself by stating, “And I have no vested interest.”
    Lesego stares at him. Kenny is Kenneth Tumaole . . . a fund manager for Sefalana . . . Kenny is out of bounds . . . God! She should have had lunch with him when she had the chance.
    She sighs sadly and gives him a wan smile. She looks across the boardroom and sees Thandi looking at her smugly and wonders if this woman could threaten her chances to land funding for the project . . .
    The panel hands over to her. Lesego takes a minute to gather herself, then moves forward to do what she must.
    The presentation goes well. Lesego is articulate and makes her points clearly and concisely. She talks only about what she knows for sure, and on areas where she lacks confidence, she brings up their assistance programme and how she intends to utilise it. She comes across as calm and sure of herself. However, her breath catches every time she gets a glimpse of Kenny; their eyes cling to each other and she blushes slightly, struggling to compose herself.
    Kenneth fidgets throughout the presentation, his eyes roaming over what he can see. The little frilly black shirt that dips into that luscious cleavage, those full, glistening lips . . . He remembers how they tasted and keeps releasing tense breaths until Jane casts him a concerned look; he gives a taut smile to assure her that he is okay. Meeting Thandi’s deeply annoyed gaze, he frowns. She has no right to be upset; they only went for lunch and then to the bookshop, that was all. There and then he decides that she is definitely a stalker.
    By the end of the presentation, both Lesego and Kenneth are exhausted from keeping it together and not letting their emotional turmoil show on their faces. The project team leader thanks Lesego and promises to let her know within two weeks whether she has been successful. She leaves and as she reaches the door, she looks at Kenneth, silently letting go of the possibility of anything developing between them.
    * * *
    Like most people in the South African film and television industry, Lesego does extra work on the side. And since Tuesday was a complete bust, she agrees when her agent calls her for a voice-over. So she heads off to the recording studio, knowing that the extra cash will go a long way towards securing her some peace of mind. Maybe she will invite Joy to that movie they never went to so that she can tell her all about Mr Almost.
    Lesego sighs and repeats the same words over and over to herself: Why? Why? Why? He was perfect . . .
    She wonders whether her presentation went as well as she had thought and hopes Thandi won’t jeopardise her chances, chewing on her bottom lip as she starts agonising about Kenneth again.
    When she gets back to work, the atmosphere is frantic.
    â€œLesego, thank God you’re here. As if we don’t have enough problems, one of the leads was involved in an accident and isn’t available for the next few weeks. We have to rewrite all the scenes that feature her super fast. Please, be a