“It’s not the same thing,” Daniel said, sipping his coffee.

I sat staring at him, incredulous. How could he say that? Did he think that taking me to a coffeehouse would convince me of what they had tried to argue in the office?

“Of course, it’s the same thing. Iris and Markos made the EPA change their minds through corruption. You guys are going to do the same thing.”

“Corruption’s a heavy word, Nicole.”

He looked out the window at the people walking by, and I saw a flicker of something in his eyes.

“You know,” I started slowly, not exactly sure of where I was going with this. “When I first started here, Devon sat me down and gave me a speech about how business is people.”

“Oh yeah,” he laughed. “We all get that one. It’s true, though.”

“I know. And that’s why I think you’re the weak link in Devon’s chain.”

“What? No, I’m not. Believe me, I’m behind him completely.”

“I don’t think so. I think you’re only here to convince me that everything is okay because Devon told you to. You wouldn’t be here otherwise, because deep down, you know it’s not.”

“Geez, who made you the new Devon Carell? Believe me, I’m fine with how things worked out.”

He wouldn’t make eye contact with me, so I knew I had him. I just had to be careful with how I worded the next part. “Look, I’m not trying to offend you. I’m just saying that I think you’re uncomfortable with what Devon’s doing, even though you would never admit it.”

I held my hand up as he began to splutter. “Don’t bother, I know you’re only going to deny it. But here’s the thing: I think Devon agrees with you. Neither of you know it, but I don’t think either of you want it to go this way.”

“So, what, you think Devon doesn’t want the land? This was all just a game?”

“No, of course not. But I think that at some point, getting the land became more important than what would happen with it. Now that he has it, he’s going to do what was originally planned, even though he knows the plans have to change.”

“And how are you so sure of that, Nicole? Do you have a crystal ball?” He was getting annoyed, and I could tell I was getting through to him.

“Because in my research,” I said firmly, “I discovered that the EPA’s own records on that land were only released after Devon began trying to buy the land. When he first made an offer, he didn’t know it was so screwed up from all the chemicals.”

Daniel didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. The way he looked back out the window told me all I needed to know.

“But when Devon found out how bad it was, he was too involved already. It had become a contest between him and Markos, and he wasn’t going to lose that no matter what. Now he’s won, so he’s continuing on with the plan despite this new information.”

I sat quietly, watching Daniel process my theory. I knew I was right, and I could tell he did, as well. It was the only thing that made sense, because of the bombshell I was about to drop on Daniel. It felt strange to be revealing the news that had rocked me only days earlier.

“You know about Devon and my dad, don’t you?” He shook his head. “My dad ripped him off. He tried to steal an idea, and the only reason he didn’t get away with it was because he couldn’t get investments. But when Devon had the chance to destroy him, he didn’t. Not only did he agree to pay royalties on the idea that was originally his, but he hired me because my dad asked him too. He didn’t refuse to ever speak to him again – he allowed him a favor even after dad had tried to screw him over.”

“I didn’t know that,” Daniel said quietly, the information obviously sinking in. “I knew there was something, but not that.”

“Well, that’s what it is. And what it proves to me is that Devon likes the game, and he likes to win, but he also likes to do the right thing. The problem is, there’s no one there right now to tell him that he’s about to do the wrong thing.”

“He’s too busy winning the fight any way he knows how,” Daniel added. “You might be onto something, I guess.”

I watched him staring at his coffee, slowly rolling the cup to make the liquid swirl in circles. It couldn’t be easy for him to admit that he wasn’t completely on board with Devon’s plan, but at least he was listening.

When he invited me for coffee a few hours after I stormed out of Devon’s office, I thought Devon had sent him to fire me. Devon had forgiven me storming out after sleeping with him, but I didn’t think he was going to forgive me for storming out after learning of his plans for the land.

I was pleasantly surprised when Daniel told me he only wanted to see if I was okay, and that Devon hadn’t said anything about firing me.

“We can come up with a plan that works for everyone,” I told Daniel, who was still sitting silently. “One that uses the land for something good without forcing Devon to do the wrong thing. And you.”

“Maybe you can,” he sighed, “But I’m probably too involved. Personally, even though it would be wrong to buy or blackmail the EPA – or whatever Devon plans to do – I can’t say I hate it. I don’t like it, but I get it. It’s what every business does. If Pristine starts holding back for high-minded principles, we’re going to lose ground fast.”

“Well, give me some time to come up with the right plan. Get Devon to wait, and I’ll think of something.”

“Alright, fine,” he said without stopping to think. “But you won’t have long. Devon’s got a meeting scheduled with some senators the day after tomorrow, and it’s about the EPA. After that, it’ll be too late.”

“I’ll have a plan by the end of tomorrow, then.”

I wished I felt anywhere near as confident as I sounded.

* * *

“You can go in now.”

I stood up from my seat in front of Maureen’s desk and walked past her, ignoring her icy stare. Ever since I had left for a week, she had made a habit of being even more unwelcoming – I hadn’t even known that was possible.

But I didn’t have the energy to care about her. Not after spending the entire night working on this plan, researching things I knew nothing about. The idea came to me not long after I had met with Daniel, but actually figuring out how to make it work had taken all night.

If I had learned one thing, it was that I would never be an architect.

Opening the door to the conference room, I walked as confidently as I could to the front of it. I didn’t look at either Daniel or Devon, because I didn’t want to shake my resolve. I had worked hard to find the courage to do this, and I wasn’t going to allow a glance at Devon to kill it.

Besides, if I looked at Devon, there was a good chance I would have the same thoughts I had been dealing with all night. Thoughts about whether I had been stupid in thinking that perhaps something might happen with Devon, right up until he announced his plans for the land.

The USB trembled slightly as I inserted it into the laptop on the table, and I subtly took a deep breath as I navigated to the files I needed.

Both Devon and Daniel watched me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were less than enthusiastic.

But they were there, and I was going to impress them. Devon especially.

Maybe impress him enough to restart your non-business relationship, a tiny voice in my head whispered. I dismissed the thought.

“Okay,” I eventually said, standing as tall as I could and facing them both. “This is an image of the land as it sits right now. It’s from Google satellite, and you can see that it’s far from an easy building site.”

I switched to the view from the street, taking it all in as though seeing it for the first time. There was a kind of beauty in the wild, unkempt land – like it was transported directly from another time and place. I just hoped they saw it, too.

“And this,” I said, clicking the enter key on the laptop to move to the next picture, “Is the Thick-Billed Parrot.”

As soon as the image of the large green and red bird appeared on the screen, I saw Devon’s eyes light up. Until that moment, I was worried that Daniel had been joking when he talked about Devon rescuing birds, but now I was sure he wasn’t.

And that was good, because my entire plan rested on that. Perhaps it had been silly to rely on something Daniel had basically told me in passing, but I didn’t have much else.

“It’s endangered here with only a thousand pairs in the wild, and that number is shrinking quickly. The pet trade has hurt it somewhat, but clearing of its native land is the biggest threat.”

I paused to let the information sink in, watching Devon’s poker face reappear. He was good, but I was slightly confident I had him. Slightly.

“This next one is the Laysan duck. It was once thought to be extinct, but now we know it exists only on one small island near South Carolina. Again, its biggest threat has been the destruction of its habitat, but some groups are trying to restore areas for it to thrive again. Unfortunately, they’re struggling to find anyone with the finances and land to help them get any traction.”

My next image drew an audible, albeit quiet, gasp from Daniel, and I was sure I saw Devon twitch briefly into a smile. Only briefly, but enough to make my heart race.

The picture had been drawn by the same architect Devon was already using, and he had done an amazing job even while he complained about the impossible deadline.

On the half of the land closest to an interstate were buildings, in all shapes and sizes, with labels above them explaining what they were. One was called the bird hospital, another the observatory, and – my favorite – an incubating building.

The drawing showed the other half of the land covered by a giant, wire cage, designed to keep birds from getting in or out. Only the birds under our care would be inside, the others – along with predators – would be kept safely away. The lake took center stage inside the wire, and the architect had been good enough to shade the water a nicer blue.

I knew it looked stunning, and I could see Daniel agreed. I was dying to know what Devon thought, but I didn’t want to risk looking at him. It was hard enough to concentrate with so many other thoughts fighting for space in my brain, and seeing his bare hint of a smile earlier had thrown me. I wasn’t sure I could get my concentration back if I saw it again.

I couldn’t even imagine how I would feel if he wasn’t smiling. It was safer not to look.

“My plan is very simple. This land is perfectly placed to allow for easy transport of birds along the nearby interstate. It already has a natural water supply. The soil, although toxic, can be rehabilitated rather quickly if it only needs to be safe for birds, rather than humans.”

Daniel interrupted. “So, you’re saying, what? We build a bird cage?”

Don’t fucking ruin this, I thought, glaring at Daniel as he smirked ever so slightly.

“No, I’m saying we could easily turn it into a place where endangered birds can be bred, their eggs incubated, and the babies grown into adults within a cage that’s close to their natural environment. When they’re ready, they can be moved into the wild to rebuild the population.”

“Sounds like a money sink,” Devon said, his face showing no emotion.

“That’s why I’ve planned for the observatory and pathways through the cages. Most bird rescues struggle to get money because they only really focus on rescuing injured birds, but this will be different because it’ll be a bird sanctuary. People can learn about them, watch them in their almost wild environment, buy souvenirs, and donate directly to individual birds for their care. Just like other zoos which, you’ll note, make enough money to donate back to different groups.”

Daniel nodded, but Devon still showed me nothing. I was beginning to get annoyed, but I knew there was no point. In that moment, I wasn’t an intern but a salesperson, and it was my job to make sure I earned his “yes”.

I just hoped I could.

“Any questions?”

Neither of them said anything, and I couldn’t think of anything to add, so I removed my USB from the laptop and began to leave the conference. “Leave that,” Devon said, gesturing toward the USB.

A glance at Devon still showed no emotion, but I noticed him looking at the USB as I placed it on the table.

That he wanted the USB made me think I had won him over, but I forced myself not to get too excited. If I knew one thing about Devon, it was that he was unpredictable.