Ethan turned his gold signet ring around his finger once, then stopped and laid his hands flat on his knees.

“What made you pick this design over a suspension bridge?” Ethan asked.

“A suspension bridge needs anchor towers that cost forty percent more to maintain over thirty years,” Lucas said.

“A truss span is efficient.”

Ethan listened without interrupting and asked three more quiet questions about the weight ratios.

He didn’t offer to buy a better kit or talk about his defense consulting work in Denver.

He sat in the hard chair for forty minutes, listening closely while Lucas explained every joint and angle on the board.