-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.

"He's really talented and he cares a lot about this project," he continued. "I've watched him work on it for hours. If you give us fifteen minutes, we'll get everything set up and can show it to you."

He grabbed Avery's hand and pulled him away from his dad and in the direction of the shed.

"What are you doing?" Avery hissed, yanking his hand away. "Haven't you done enough?" He looked more wounded than Devin had ever seen him, and it made his heart hurt.

"Please trust me. I need to show you something."

Avery reluctantly followed, and when he opened the door to the shed, he watched the confusion and surprise on Avery's face as he stood looking at everything Devin had put together.

"What's all this?"

"Your prototypes. They're finished."

Avery walked around gently touching everything, in shock at the quality materials. "This is amazing. It's all exactly how I wanted it." He turned to Devin. "Where did you get these? How...?"

"I built them. It took a lot of planning, but I wanted to get the best material for everything and I wanted to get it right."

"You did this? You did all of this?"

He nodded.

He saw tears in Avery's eyes. Avery stood there looking around, clearly overwhelmed. "Why?" he asked.

"For a lot of reasons. Because what I did was one of the worst mistakes of my life, and you didn't deserve that. You worked so hard on it and I destroyed it because I was immature and a bad person. But I fixed it because I care about you." He could feel himself blushing. "I care about you a lot. More than I ever thought I would. You're incredible and the world needs to know how talented you are, and how much you care. I've never met a better person in my life. The way you treat people, and your heart....you've inspired me to be better. I know I don't deserve to know you or -"

He stopped when Avery threw his arms around him, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you," Avery whispered.

He squeezed Avery back, his heart beginning to race. He had Avery in his arms again and it felt amazing. He never wanted to let go.

But after pressing his nose into Avery's hair and breathing in deeply, he forced himself to let go. This moment wasn't about him. It was about Avery.

"If you need a few minutes to look everything over and make any adjustments, I can go talk with that engineering team before bringing them in."

Avery shook his head. "It's perfect. It's exactly how I had it, but better, and it's all finished. You did a great job," he said, beaming. "I have so many questions for you, but we probably shouldn't keep the team waiting."

"Agree. We can talk later."

As Avery spent the next half hour showing his dad and the other employees his prototypes, Devin watched like a proud parent. Avery knew so much about this topic, and his passion for engineering and the salmon clearly showed. He could tell that his dad was impressed. The entire plan was falling into place. Avery was getting the recognition he deserved and was about to be presented with the opportunity he deserved.

"I'm impressed by what I've seen," Logan said to Avery. "You've got a lot of passion for this cause and your ideas are well thought out and solid in the engineering. We'd like to collaborate with you and use a few of your designs. I had someone in mind for project manager at my firm, but I think you're better suited for the position. How would you like to contract with my firm and lead the team on this?"

Devin watched as Avery's jaw dropped slightly and his eyes lit up. "Really? You want me on the project?"

"We'd love to have you." Logan gave Avery an encouraging smile. "We can talk specifics later, but before you give me an answer, there's something you should know first. From what I've heard, my son hasn't treated you very well, so I understand if you'd rather not work with me and my firm."

Avery's brows knitted together in confusion. "Your son?"

"Devin. He's been working for me at the firm since he graduated, and he's the one who got us involved. I've been trying to get him interested in something, and you and your project are what finally made that happen. I was going to put him on this project, but he told me about you and your work here and asked me to take a look at it."

Avery turned to stare at him, and Devin gave him a small smile and then looked down at his feet.

"Who told you that?" Avery asked his dad. "About Devin not treating me well?"

"Oh, he did. I know what happened and I'm aware that he rebuilt the prototypes for you, which by the way, are the best work I've ever seen him do. But they're your ideas and it's your project, and I'm hoping you'll agree to join us. I think you'd be a great asset to our team. You've already managed to motivate my laziest employee," he said, glancing over towards Devin with a raised eyebrow. "I've seen positive changes in him since he started here, even if it took a few months for those changes to take place. I'm rather proud of who he's become. After meeting you, it's clear that I have you to thank for that."

Stunned, Avery's gaze darted between Devin and Logan. He appeared to be thinking it over for a moment, then, to Devin's relief, he smiled.

"I'd love to work with you," he told Logan. "Engineering and the outdoors are both huge passions of mine, and this project is a perfect way to merge them. I've been able to work in forestry quite a bit, which is great, but I haven't been able to explore engineering as much as I'd like. This is an amazing opportunity." A flash of worry crossed his face, and his smile faded a bit. "Would you like to see my resume? Will it be a problem if I don't have my degree yet?"

"Are you in the process of getting it?"

"Sort of," Avery replied, fidgeting. "I have my Associate's, but I haven't gone back for my Bachelor's yet. Would I be qualified to work as a project manager for your firm?"

Logan gave him a reassuring smile. "Something I've learned over the years is that a degree isn't always the best indicator of a person's skills, creativity, or problem solving ability. Usually our project managers do have at least a Bachelor's, but I think you're qualified without it. You've obviously made the best of the education you've had so far and it shows in your work. It won't be a problem, Avery."

Avery's face broke into the smile that Devin loved. "Thank you, sir! I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Call me Logan," his dad replied, clapping Avery on the shoulder. "We can speak with Mitch today, and then I'll set up another meeting with you next week." He fished one of his business cards out of his pocket. "If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to give me a call."

Devin watched as the other two firm employees said goodbye to Avery, with Avery enthusiastically shaking their hands and thanking them again. Then, they got into an SUV and left, and Mitch came outside to take Logan and Avery to his office. With a smile, Devin turned and began walking back to his cabin. He was happy for Avery, and right now, that's all that mattered to him.