Bad Decisions

Chapter Twenty-Eight

-Avery-

He peered out the window of the main building, staring anxiously at the gravel road. A few people from the engineering firm were supposed to arrive any minute. He didn't know anything about them or what firm they were from. He hadn't asked Mitch. He'd been too busy worrying about not having any prototypes to show them.

Seconds later, two SUVs pulled up, and two men and a woman got out. He took a deep breath and blew it out. He was nervous, but he had to do his best. He straightened his clothes and went outside to greet them.

"Hello!" he called out. "Are you here regarding the culvert replacement project?"

"We are," answered a slim, older man. Something about him seemed familiar, but Avery was pretty sure he'd never met this man before.

"I'm Logan," the man said, offering his hand. "President of HGD Group."

"Pleased to meet you," Avery replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Avery Peterson."

After meeting the other two engineers, he invited them to walk down to a section of the creek with an old culvert. As they set off, the president of the firm walked beside him.

"Tell me more about what you do here," he asked.

"I've been here a little over two years and I help with research and maintenance. We collect a lot of water samples for studies, and we also test out different techniques for tree removal, planting new trees, and thinning the forest to reduce wildfire spread. Basically, whatever the state needs. My interest is in salmon conservation, and I've spent most of my two years studying how culverts impact fish passage. A lot of the current culverts are a barrier to salmon."

Logan nodded. "That's our understanding as well. We work mainly with buildings, but recently I've been trying to expand into infrastructure. I thought culverts would be a good place to start, but it turns out they're more complex than they appear. It'd be really helpful to us to get a rundown of the current situation and see the problem firsthand."

"Of course. I'm happy to help," he replied, truly meaning it. He was starting to perk up a little and focus on what he was passionate about and how he could still make a difference, rather than focus on his lack of prototypes.

He spent the next hour showing them two culverts in the creek, thoroughly explaining what the problems were and what would be better for the salmon. He included some of his own ideas and tried his best to talk through some of his designs. The engineers from the firm asked a lot of questions, but fortunately there wasn't anything he couldn't answer.

When they walked back to the camp, he noticed Devin lurking around the main building. He didn't know what he was doing, but now was not the time for him to cause any trouble.

-Devin-

As Avery and his dad talked, he walked closer, wanting to hear what was being said. He knew his dad was going to ask about prototypes and he had to make sure that Avery knew he had something to show after all.

"I am interested in some of the concepts you told us about," his dad said to Avery. "You mentioned blueprints, but do you have any models or prototypes you can show us?"

Avery had seemed confident so far, but now his cheeks reddened slightly and he looked at the ground. 

"No, sir. I was working on a few, but there's been a delay and I don't have anything to show at the moment."

"Yes he does," Devin cut in.

Avery shot him a look, clearly expecting Devin to embarrass him or make things difficult for him.