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I can feel my phone vibrating in my pocket as I sign a cap for a kid who’d stopped me in the lobby of the hotel as I was checking in. I don’t swim until tomorrow and was hoping to get some relaxation in before I had to head to the pool, but I’d been spotted by a bunch of age groupers as soon as I’d stepped through the door. Their parents had held them back while I checked in, but once I had my room key in hand, it was game on.

“Thank you,” the young girl said, giving me a toothy grin as I handed her back the cap. “I can’t wait to cheer for you at the Olympics.”

I was hearing that more and more, even though we were still months away from the qualifying meet. My phone vibrated again. “Well, let’s hope I make it then.”

“We’re sure you will!” The mom grinned as she placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Thank you for taking the time to sign for them.”

“Anytime,” I assured her, and it’s not a lie. Anytime a kid asks me to sign something or if they can get a picture, I do my best to accommodate them. I love hearing about their own races and goals for their life; it’s a reminder I was in their shoes once. “I’ll see you guys around.”

My phone vibrates a third time when I step into the elevator. Sighing, I fish it out of my pocket and see it’s Bryce calling. I answer it. “Hey, man, I just got to the hotel.”

“Shit,” he curses. “I forgot you have a meet this weekend. Forget I called. We can talk on Sunday.”

“You called me three times; it’s clearly something important,” I reply, leaning against the wall. “What’s going on?”

He hesitates for a minute and the doors slide open on my floor. “I need to tell you something.”

“That’s usually why people call.” I make my way down the hall, keeping my voice low, and checking the numbers on the doors as I pass.

“Look, it’s not my business, but I think you need to know this,” he rattles, not making a whole lot of sense. I stop outside my door. “Just remember, I’m looking out for you.”

I push the door open, ignoring the way my heart rate quickens at his nervous tone. “Dude, you’re freaking me out here.”

“Kat’s boyfriend picked her up from the pool.”

“Yeah, so?” I sat my bag down on the spare bed, then catapult myself on to other one, shoes be damned. “She told me she was going to Charleston this weekend for some charity event he wanted her to attend. I thought she was driving, though.”

“He decided to surprise her.”

That’s surprisingly romantic of him, but I’m still not getting Bryce’s point. “Is that all?”

“No.” He takes a deep breath. “Dude, her boyfriend is Will Jacobson.”

I sit up straighter, my blood running cold at the name. The one person I never thought I’d have to see again is suddenly back into my life in a matter of seconds. I haven’t seen him since 2016, and that was only from a distance because Bryce made sure to keep us away from each other. After that, he left the sport, and went to med school. I was supposed to be free of him.

“Carter, you there?” Bryce asks, obvious worry in his tone.

“Y-yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“Look, Carter, this doesn’t have to mean anything.” In typical Bryce fashion, he jumps right into protective mode. He has a plan, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to keep me as far away from Jacobson as possible. “You never have to see him. We’re working with Kat and her stepfather, not him. I can tell Kat he’s not allowed on the premises.”

“That’s not fair to her.”

“I don’t give a shit, man,” Bryce snaps back. “My priority is keeping us all sane, and we can only do that if Jacobson stays the fuck away from us all.”

“She’s going to want to know why.” The idea of telling Kat about what happened back then was less than appealing. It was something I never wanted to rehash again. I’d handled it and moved on. “I can’t do that, Bryce.”

“She doesn’t have to know anything,” he insists. “I know you’re friends with her, Carter, but for your own good, maybe you should back off a bit.”

“What do Josie and Mia have to say about this?”

Bryce lets out a small sigh. “You know them. They’re fiercely loyal.” That’s a trait that runs deep in our circle. “They know we want nothing to do with him and they’re not fond of him either. They did say the trouble she’s been having with her relationship makes a lot more sense.”

I hadn’t even realized it until he said it, but they’re right. “Bryce, we need to tell her to leave him. He treats her like shit, and we know what he’s capable of.”

“Hey, that’s her choice to make. The girls have both told her the relationship sounds toxic, but we can’t make her leave him.” I hate it when he’s right. Besides, convincing her to leave him would mean telling her what happened, and I can’t know if it would be enough. “You gotta stay out of her relationship, man.”

Groaning, I lean back into the pillows. “How did someone like him get someone like her?”