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“Baseball stadiums and football fields, not a pool,” he argues.

“All they need is a pool, and you already said that.” I wave him off. “The rest is detail. Right, Nadine?”

“Actually, there are a lot of things a well-equipped natatorium would need that you might not be thinking of.”

Her tone is so quiet, so reserved, that I’m not sure I even heard anything she said, but then the realization dawns on me that she knows something about this sport. At least, something more than both Liam and I combined. He and I exchange a look of surprise. Then I focus back on Nadine, who’s focused on her lunch.

“What are we missing, Nadine?” I press, wanting whatever wisdom she can offer us.

“And how do you know anything about this?” Liam adds, his surprise more evident in his tone than mine. “Are you a swimming fan or something?”

Looking up, she looks between the two of us and nods. “I used to swim in high school and college. I do some volunteer coaching and lessons at the community center downtown.”

When I look back at Liam, I can see it clear as day. The incoming insult, meant to be a joke, is visible on his face before it can come tumbling out of his mouth. I try to catch his eye, clear my throat—anything to stop him before he makes a huge mistake.

But it’s too late.

His brow arches as he takes in her body, looking her up and down as if he is seeing her for the first time. “You used to swim? What happened?”

I kick him in the shin, ensuring the slight heel of my bootie is the thing making impact from under the table. He hisses, glaring at me.

“Damn, Kat,” he whines, bending down to rub his leg. “What the hell was that for?”

I nod to Nadine, but the damage has already been done. In the time it took me to kick him, she’s stood and gathered all her stuff. Her head is ducked, but I can see the heat coating her cheeks. Realization dawns on Liam’s features as he stands, attempting to stop her. She barely looks at him as she takes a step to the side and walks back toward her desk.

Leaning back in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest as I glare at the only good guy in this whole damn building.

His shoulders sag as he takes his seat again. “Kat, please don’t. I know, okay, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the person you should be apologizing to.” My tone is icy, my view of Liam changing right before my eyes. “Fatphobia isn’t funny, and it’s not cute.”

He looks like he’s ready to make an excuse or say something to argue with me, but he doesn’t. “I know,” he sighs out instead. “And I know I owe her an apology. I promise I’ll make it up to her.”

“If she lets you,” I challenge back, standing to gather my things. “You were supposed to be the one who’s different, Liam.”

“I am! I messed up,” he pleads. “Are you seriously that mad at me, Kat?”

I shake my head. “Not mad, disappointed.”

I’m disappointed in the way I am when people turn out to be something other than what I thought them to be. Disappointed to know my friend was crushing on a man who could make cruel jokes. I don’t want her in a relationship like that, don’t want her in a relationship like the one I have. I can handle mine, because I’ve developed thick skin, but I never want her to have to do that.

“You know, it’s really not that hard to not be a dick,” I tell him. “You’ve done such a good job up until now.”

“I’m going to make this up to her—prove to you both that I’m not that kind of guy,” he insists. “I made a mistake.”

I shrug. “Mistakes have consequences, Liam, and now you have to face them.”

There’ssoftmusicplayingas I stand at the stove, focusing on the chicken breasts I’m searing in the pan. My boyfriend, Will, sits at the island, reading something on his phone. He hasn’t said much since he got to my apartment, except asking when dinner will be ready. I’d barely been home for five minutes when he walked in asking the question, so my response had been a little snippy. I should have known it’d cause him to go quiet.

In less than two months, I’ll be heading to Columbia for the next six months and I haven’t told him yet. I know him well enough to know he’s going to be mad. Angry about how I made the decision without talking to him, but we haven’t seen much of each other in the last few weeks, so I’m not sure when I would have had time to say anything.

Besides, it’s not like I’m going to a different state. Columbia is less than two hours away from Charleston, which is an easy distance to visit each other. Although, I have the feeling I’ll be the one making the drive the most often, as Will’s job as a resident at the best hospital in the city keeps him occupied. It’s not like I’m moving away. I’ll still have my tiny guest house on the back half of Thomas and my mom’s lot, and he’ll still have his apartment.

We could do long distance. Hell, sometimes I feel like most of our relationship has been long distance, despite living in the same city. We’ve never been the couple who constantly need to be around one another.

“I have some news I want to share with you!” The smile on my face is as big as it can be when I glance over at Will, who doesn’t give a single indication he’s heard me. “Hello? Earth to Will?”

At my raised voice, his gaze snaps up from the phone with a scowl. “Yes, Katrina? I was reading something.”