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Thank you for reaching out. Bryce and I are looking forward to working with you both on this project as well. I appreciate your willingness to relocate for the duration of the rebuild. It shows a level of commitment we’re used to but rarely see in other people.

With that being said, I’m not sure how often our paths will cross. You will primarily be working with, and getting approval from, Bryce. He’ll be the one on site, as I’ll be remaining in Georgia to continue training for the Olympics. I’m sure I’ll be around occasionally, but he will provide most of the updates to me.

If something important does come up, or you need me specifically, I can be available, so please don’t hesitate to reach out when needed. All I ask is for your understanding, since my schedule might not allow me to have a prompt response time.

Let us know if you need anything else from us,

Carter Abrams.

I’m caught off guard by the email. Thomas had told us one of them was still swimming, but there was no mention of him not being available during the construction process. Most of the time, I’m fairly hands off with the clients but with a project this large, and me relocating for it, we’ll end up sharing the same spaces at least every so often. I’m sure they’ll want to utilize any of the rooms they can during the construction, as they’re trying to grow a business. Which is fine, as it means they’re easily available when I need to run something by them, but it’s not helpful when only one owner is present.

And what did he mean his schedule doesn’t allow him to have a prompt response time? He’s a swimmer! What more could he possibly need to do other than swim? I know I’m out of my element with this job, but come on, even I’m not that dense.

At least he told me I could reach out to him if I need to. I know better than to rely on only one owner to make decisions. Someone always ends up mad when we end up cutting the one thing they were dying to have. Communication is key in business, and I’ll be damned if Carter isn’t part of this and ends up disappointed with the results. He’s not messing this chance up for me because he’s too busy to answer a phone call or email.

NovemberandDecember2023

“Hello, ladies,” Liam greets, sliding into the empty chair across from me. “Mind if I join you?”

“Can we say no if you’re already sitting down?” Nadine teases, earning a playful glare from him. “Don’t look at me like that! I can still be a jerk if you want me to.”

“You a jerk? Never.”

As their playful banter continues, I watch with a small smile on my face. They don’t need me to participate. The two of them have been heading toward something since they first met. Neither of them is willing to make the first move. For now, I get to enjoy watching it all unfold. I don’t intervene, confident that one day they’ll figure it out on their own.

We might have to wait a lifetime for it to happen, though.

“We’re finalizing the plans for the Columbia project next week.” Liam pulls me back into the conversation moments later, unwrapping his burrito as he does. “Then everything should be good on my end, until something inevitably comes up.”

I don’t even try to hide my surprise. “Wow, that was fast. Did they not want to make a lot of changes?”

In all actuality, it’s not that surprising. How many ways can you change designs for a swimming complex? Besides, Liam is damn good at his job. I’d be more surprised if they did have a lot.

“Not too many,” he admits. “Some things we had to compromise functionality over design on, but I’m used to that happening.”

I make a face at the mention of my least favorite aspect of the job. There’s nothing worse than having a beautiful design torn to shreds because the structure of the building won’t allow it to happen. Usually, I’m the one giving Liam news like that. It’s kind of nice not to be the bad guy this time around.

“Wow, and I haven’t even gotten in there yet.” It’s my turn to tease him as I stab at my salad with my fork. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just his burrito looks—and smells—better. “Just wait until that happens.”

Groaning, he turns to Nadine. “Do you see what she does to me? Kat loves to ruin my best plans. I’ll never forget the first time we worked together. She was in there for one day and I had to change my whole design.”

I gasp, pointing at him with my fork. “That is not my fault! You didn’t even attempt to see if that was load bearing, and it clearly was. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked in the door. After that, everything else unraveled.”

Nadine grins, looking between us. “To me, it sounds like Kat is good at her job.”

I beam at her. “Thank you!”

Liam playfully rolls his eyes. “I should have known you’d take her side.”

“Women need to stick together!” She nudges me with her elbow, and I nod in agreement. “Especially in a men’s club like this.”

He shakes his head. “Do not lump me in with those assholes, please.” He knows neither one of us ever would. He’s nothing like the rest of the guys who work here. Which should be obvious because he’s eating with us, not with them. “In all seriousness, Kat, their changes aren’t that big of a deal and have more to do with their functionality than the buildings. Which is probably a good thing, because we’re kind of out of our element here, right?”

Still picking at my salad, I frown at him. “How do you mean?”

“Neither one of us knows what to do with a pool! I have no idea what a training center ran by professional swimmers needs. Sure, I can do research, but it’s not the same thing as actually knowing.”

I look at him like he’s crazy. “What are you talking about? You’ve worked on sports complexes before.”