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“Sounds great.” I smile softly, wanting to ease his awkwardness. He’s not comfortable. “Look, Bryce, I owe you an apology.”

Gray eyes finally meet my gaze, his brow furrowed in confusion. “For what?”

I fiddle with the ends of my ponytail, debating whether I want to bring up something he isn’t ready to talk about, but I know I can’t avoid it forever. “About earlier?”

“Wait.” He frowns, shaking his head. “You seriously want to talk about that?”

“Of course I do! I was a jerk to you. I’ve been nothing but a jerk the whole time I’ve been here and, not to mention, unprofessional.”

“Whoa, Kat, hold on.” He’s giving me an amused grin, making him look boyish. “I’m not sure I’d go that far. You’re just out of your element here; just like I am. I don’t know anything about building things.”

“But you’re not questioning my ability to do my job, or my knowledge,” I contradict. Now that the apology has started coming out, it can’t be stopped. “You’re the professional athlete—you know what a place like this needs. I know how to build it, that’s it. I’m not even the one who came up with the design.”

The amusement drops from his face. “Hey, no. Don’t sell yourself short. Liam might be the one who came up with the design, but you’re the one bringing it to life. We literally can’t do this without you.”

Part of me wants to bring up the fact that I’m not even doing that, not really. I’m overseeing and managing the people bringing it to life. But something in Bryce’s demeanor stops me short.

“That’s the last thing I wanted to talk about, Katrina. I thought that was done and over with, but maybe I’m shit at communication.” He chuckles, like there’s some inside joke. “Actually, I know I’m shit at communication. Just ask my girlfriend and best friend.”

A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. “I’m not sure anyone is great at it all the time.”

“I’m working on it.” I’m not sure if he’s reassuring me or himself. “I had something else I needed to talk to you about. Can you hang out a minute more? This is related to work.”

I try to keep up with the slightly abrupt change of subject with a nod, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “Sure, what’s up?”

“Starting in early February, there’s going to be someone else around a lot more.”

There’s a swoop of something in the pit of my stomach at the thought of someone else being around, because who else could it be? Maybe Carter decided he wasn’t going to try for the Olympics anymore. Or maybe there’s a pool here he can train at instead. There have to be a million different reasons for him to be moving here permanently early, right?

Why is the thought of him being here all the time terrifying?

Over the last month, I’ve created this fantasy version of Carter Abrams from the phone calls, emails, and text messages we’ve shared. We haven’t talked about anything important, but he’s been easy to talk to. We’d crossed professional lines I’d set for myself more often than I care to admit, making it somehow different. There’s something pulling me toward him—an impulse that makes me want to know more. It’s a dangerous feeling, one I’ve spent weeks trying to ignore, and if he’s here, I doubt I’d be able to ignore it at all.

“Mia Sheridan is moving here.” The little Carter centric bubble pops around me. “She’s Josie’s best friend. Maybe she’s talked to you about her? Carter and I hired her to work on marketing the club. She wants to get started as soon as possible and use the construction process to help us build some hype.”

Now a whole new sense of worry crashes around me. He’s right, Josie’s told me about Mia, but I didn’t necessarily think I’d ever meet the woman. I know it’s ridiculous to worry that my new friend will ditch me, but it’s there. Building friendships hasn’t ever come naturally to me, and I tend to feel protective of the one I have with Josie.

“Is that a problem?”

Bryce is staring intently at me as I snap out of my thoughts. I blink up at him for a moment. “No, of course not. Why would it be?”

“I don’t know, but you were being weirdly quiet about it.”

Embarrassed, I look away. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.” I grab my bag, hosting it over my shoulder, hoping Bryce gets the hint that I’m ready to get out of here. “Josie’s told me about her. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“She’s excited to be here,” Bryce confirms. “I think the change of pace will be good for her. But I’ve kept you long enough. I’ll let you go.”

As I flash him a grateful smile, my stomach lets out a growl that has us both laughing.

“Okay, that clearly means I have to go.”

“One last thing.” I nearly let out a groan. How many more last things could there possibly be? “I’m serious. I just want to go back to your apology. There’s nothing to apologize for. Let’s just trust that each of us knows what we’re talking about and go from there. Sound good?”

Gripping the strap of my bag, I nod. “That’s what I should have been doing from the beginning.”

He nods. “Then we’re good. Have a good night, Kat.”

“You too Bryce.”