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It feels like my stomach drops to my feet at his words. Suddenly, embarrassment flooding my cheeks, I realize I can’t find any of my own. Desperate to get out of there, I snatch the plans back off his desk and leave the same way I just came. “Forget it!”

“Great talk,” he calls before the door swings shut behind me.

I storm down the stairs, the sound of my shoes hitting the concrete echoing. When I push my way back into the lobby, the heavy metal door clangs shut behind me, startling Josie. Her eyes widen as she looks at me.

I raise my hand to keep her from saying anything because I just can’t right now. “Your boyfriend is impossible to work with!”

“Wait!” she calls after me, but I continue to the front door. I need a minute. “What did he do this time?”

The door swings shut behind me, providing a literal wall between me and the thing—person—causing me so much stress. I just have to pull myself together and reiterate to myself that I can pull off this job. That I’m not going to let someone like Bryce Clark get under my skin. I’m good at my job and my instincts are solid, even if he refuses to see it. I just need one of them to listen to me.

Not knowing what else to do, I pull my phone from my pocket and scroll through the contacts until I find the one I’m looking for. I dial the number, purely on instinct, then press the phone against my ear. The longer it rings, the more frustrated I become.

He told me he’d be available if something important came up and now that there was something, he’s not answering. Bryce probably got to him before I could—

The ringing cuts off. “Hello?”

I freeze at the sound of his voice. I’m not sure what I expected Carter Abrams to sound like, but I was unprepared for this. His voice is deep, heavy with something that could be exhaustion, but it’s warm and smooth. I feel like his voice could wrap me up in a hug that I’d never want to go free from.

Some girls are attracted to biceps. Some girls are attracted to smiles. I’m a sucker for an attractive voice, and this man has one.

“Hello?” he questions, and I swear a shiver runs down my spine. Pull it together, Katrina! “Miss Dalton?”

“Katrina,” I dumbly correct, not even sure how the word manages to come out. “I’m sorry to bother you, I just need to run something by you and it’s a bit of a time sensitive issue.”

“It’s no problem,” he assures me. “I was just taking a nap.”

The anger comes back in me like a firecracker, snapping and sparking to life in a flurry of activity. He’s taking a nap in the middle of the afternoon while I’m here with his business partner, working our asses off to remodel a pool he foolishly bought. Now I’m not sure who to be madder at: Bryce, or him.

“Well, I’m sorry to wake you,” I snark. “This should be quick and then you can get back to your nap.”

He must not hear the ire in my tone because he laughs. He has the nerve to laugh, which sends another zip of something down my spine. “I needed to get up any—”

I don’t want to hear his excuses. “I want to talk to you about the main pool. The plan Liam drew up, and you approved, has an entire wall of stadium seats.”

“Yes,” he confirms. “Bryce and I are hoping to have the opportunity to host a lot of meets, maybe even some professional ones. What’s the problem? Are we unable to get the stands installed on time?”

“No, there’s no problem with the supplies. The problem is with the plan. I need you to talk to Bryce. I don’t know if he’s being all that realistic with this design element. You don’t just want to cater to those participating in the sport, you should be considering other people who will use this space. Having an entire wall of stands is a waste of valuable space.”

“I’m sorry, but what are we talking about here? Do you want to make a change to the design that was already finalized?” The reason they’re best friends is suddenly starting to make a lot more sense. “Katrina, I understand your concern, but the type of place Bryce and I are running isn’t going to be for leisure swimming. Yes, we’ll do lessons, and have open swimming, but people aren’t coming here to lie by the pool and read.”

He’s not being rude or chastising me the way Bryce had, but it feels just the same. It feels like neither one of them is taking me seriously enough. I may not understand what this sport needs, but I do understand what the public will want from a pool.

“Everyone keeps saying that, but I can’t imagine you’d possibly need that much space.”

There’s a sharp inhale on Carter’s side of the phone. “Look, I know you’re not familiar with this sport, but it is more popular than you’d expect. When meets are going on, those seats will be full. We need you to trust that we know how to accommodate the people who will be using this facility the most.”

There’s the chastising. “And I really need both of you to understand I’m just trying to do my job.”

“And you’re doing it fantastically, but we’re just doing ours, too.”

“Bryce is doing yours,” I snap back.

“Excuse me?”

“Bryce is doing your job, Carter.” I take a deep breath through my nose. “You’re in Georgia swimming.”

“I’m in Georgia doing my job,” he stresses, but I just roll my eyes. “Miss Dalton, do you think I’m just sitting in Georgia doing nothing?”