David Pierce walked into the office expecting the worst. A loud, balding man in an expensive suit, or an old bastard with nothing on his mind other than to keep a young guy like him from getting a job. The past few months he’d run into both; one he couldn’t stand enough to work with, the other wouldn’t give him the chance.

Third time’s the charm. I wonder if they give out awards for this stuff? World’s Greatest Ass Kisser, Professional Job Searcher. As long as they paid him, he’d be willing to get called just about anything.

But the guy was all right.

“Welcome to Hydro Development, David. Michael Olmstead. Call me Mike.” He stuck out his hand, and David took it. The hand was smooth and dry, but the grip was firm. “Glad you could make it.”

Olmstead released his grip and flipped through a file folder on a neatly organized desk. “Please, sit down.”

David smiled and nodded, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. Showtime.

He sat in the wide, comfortable chair offered to him, and waited until Mike settled down in the leather seat behind the massive oak desk. He took a quick glance around, admiring the dark wood of the walls, the soft lighting and thick carpeting. Lots of money here.

“Let’s get right down to it. We want to know what you can do for Hydro.” Mike leaned forward and put his elbows on his desk, hands steepled in front of his sharply defined nose. Every little detail of this man is sharp.

“Well, I’ve worked on two other hydropower plants, one right out of school, and one for six years, which ended last July.”

“EPC?”

“That’s right. I was involved in development with them, primarily doing research on the possibilities of pumped storage and overseeing the reservoir construction plans.”

“Well, this job will be overseeing exactly that kind of thing. We’ve been a little old-fashioned in the past, but now it’s time to take the big plunge, so to speak.” Olmstead smiled.

“You’re going to harness a portion of the St. John River through an underground storage facility.”