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I do feel a bit like a dick to just barge into Bryce’s office and demand these two new business owners to take a chance on someone who could end up costing them a lot of money. There are ways to prevent that from happening, though. And the chance for this to go right far outweighs the likelihood it’ll go wrong.

“You know how we feel about implementing a scholarship program, Ronan. We discussed it at length when we hired you.” I focus on Carter, but don’t miss the way Mia’s jaw drops open a bit. Does she not know what they brought me on to do? “Give it another year and we can—”

“We don’t have a year with this kid, guys!” I can picture the way my mother would purse her lips at my raised voice, but I press on. “She’s a sophomore in high school and she’s had no formal training. It is literally now or never.”

Bryce looks at Carter, his frown deepening, and I know I said the wrong thing. I just made them even more concerned about what this could do—time and money could be wasted.

I have to fix it. “But she’s good. She’sreallygood. Her form is almost perfect. We all know what it means to see a kid who has that fire—something in them that tells you they’re gonna be someone and do something incredible. She has that. All she needs is someone to give her a damn chance!”

Bryce lets out a sympathetic-sounding sigh, fingers roughly combing through dark blond curls. He’s conflicted. The businessman in him is at odds with the swimmer who chased a dream. “Look, man, I get it, but the funds aren’t there right now.”

“And they won’t be for years.”

I turn to glare at Mia. “I thought you handled marketing, not money. Or coaching, for that matter.”

She meets my glare with one of her own. “Well, you’re not listening to the man in charge of the money. You know, yourboss.”

“She has a point,” Carter cuts in. “Yes, we’re starting to see a profit, but with four salaries, it’s still tight. We don’t have a lot of room to work with.”

“Then stop paying me.”

Mia chokes on air. A ragged cough overtakes her, and she reaches for her water. I clock her movements from the corner of my eyes, but my focus mostly stays on Bryce. I’m wearing him down.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “We already told you we’re not doing that, Ronan. We aren’t hiring you, moving you across the country, and not paying you. Your salary is already way less than it should be.”

It had taken months for the three of us to come to an agreement on that. I didn’t need money. I managed and invested my earnings from my professional career well. That’s what I live on, and I do so quite comfortably. There’s not always a lot of money in swimming, but if you can get sponsorships and take on other side gigs like modeling, it adds up.

“And I told you I don’t need it,” I push back. “If my salary is the only thing preventing us from giving her a shot, then I don’t want it.”

Bryce glowers at me. “We’re not doing it that way, Ronan. If you work for us, you get paid. That’s how we’re running this business. End of story.”

I have never felt the urge to scream at the top of my lungs so strongly before.

“Bryce and Carter are running their business the way they want to,” Mia says. I’ve also never felt this amount of frustration with herbefore—like she’s purposefully getting in my way and making things difficult for me, no matter who else it could hurt. “It’s ultimately their decision and you have to respect it.”

“Fine.” I cross my arms over my chest. “If that’s how it’s going to be, then I accept it.”

Bryce raises a brow. “But?”

“I’ll pay for her training.”

With a groan, he drops his head in pure defeat. “Are you kidding me right now, man?”

“Seriously,” Mia adds. “Is this really the time you want to throw your money around? We get it, Ronan, Mommy and Daddy are rich. Why do you always have to prove it to everyone around you?”

Her words sting, right down to my core. Nothing she’s ever said to me has hurt this badly. I can see it written all over her face. She doesn’t see me anymore. She sees the same person almost everyone else in the world does—the spoiled, rich kid party boy who has had everything handed to him.

I wish I knew what made her opinion of me shift like that. And more importantly, why does her believing this hurt me more than it ever has before?

I stare down at her, shoulders tense, and mouth pulled into a thin line. “I’m not trying to prove anything, Mia. I want to give her a shot. Isn’t that what Adair Swim Club is supposed to be about?”

“No, you want the glory of paying for that kid’s success,” she seethes. “Let her finish the career you threw away.”

Ouch.

“Now, wait a minute—”

I cut Bryce off before he can get into something I don’t want to get into. “If that’s really the way you see me, nothing I say will change that, but I always thought you were better than to stoop to shallowjudgments. Turns out you’re not the only one finding out people aren’t who they seem.”