Page 15

“Is everything okay?” Josie asks as I bypass the front desk, heading straight upstairs to the offices. “Ronan?”

I am fully aware I only have a short window of time to convince Bryce and Carter we need this girl on the team.

If I can’t offer her something in the next fifteen minutes—something that will convince her to stay—she’ll go home and there’s no guarantee I’ll ever see her again.

I’m not sure they’ll be ready to commit to something like this so early on.

Adair isn’t even a year old, and I’ve only been here a month.

We still have a lot we’re trying to build and grow, but this girl could help us achieve every goal we’ve set for ourselves.

What we don’t have with her, though, is time. I’m determined to give this kid a chance.

Bryce’s office door is shut when I approach it, but I can see Carter through the window. Perfect.

I knock on the door once, not even waiting before I push it open. “Hey, can I talk to you guys?”

Mia is sitting in one of the chairs off to the side, mouth open like she was in the middle of saying something when I interrupted.

I hadn’t even seen her there, but her presence doesn’t stop me from pushing further into the office.

She’s the one who said we needed to stay away from each other yet always seems to be around. She can get used to this.

“We’re in a meeting right now.” Exasperation drips from her tone while I shut the door behind me. “But sure, Ronan, come on in.”

If this were her office, I might feel a bit guilty, but it’s not. It’s Bryce’s and her opinion isn’t my priority right now. “I’m sorry, but this is important.”

“Yeah, of course.” Bryce shuts his laptop, giving me his full attention. “Everything okay?”

To my left, Mia starts gathering her things. “I’ll let you guys talk. We can finish our meeting later.”

“Actually,” I reply, “you should stay. This will probably end up involving you at some point, too.”

The Mia I knew also loved cheering for the underdog. If I can get her on my side, at least in this one instance, she can help me get Bryce and Carter on board.

“Oh.” She settles back into her seat.

Leaning back against the door, I cross my arms over my chest, and focus on the owners. “I want to talk about the scholarship program.”

They exchange a quick look, but they all wait for me to continue.

“I found the kid who should get to the first one.” Quick and straight to the point is the best way to get things to go my way. “She’s downstairs right now.”

For whatever reason, Mia is the first one to speak. “There is no way we can make something like that happen right now.”

To my annoyance, Bryce nods. “That’s still at least a year out, Ronan. We’re doing great, but this is our first year and I can’t be investing in a scholarship fund. Not right now.”

An opportunity like this could open so many doors for this young woman.

She could get into a good college, travel, and more.

Plus, I can see it in her eyes—she loves being in the water, even if she’s not doing it in a competitive way.

The drive is there and a future full of whatever she wants is within reach.

This is what I do. This is what I came to Adair to do.

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’s really good. 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, your boss .”

“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 her before—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 shallow judgments. Turns out you’re not the only one finding out people aren’t who they seem.”

Her cheeks flush, whether in embarrassment, or anger, I’m not sure. Still, fire flares in her eyes. “You think you’re doing something noble here—”

“No. I’m supporting talent, Sheridan. Talent who might never get another chance without this. You can think whatever you want of me, but don’t belittle this.” I look back at Bryce and Carter. “Now, will one of you please come with me to see what I’m talking about?”

Bryce looks at Carter, who motions him to go ahead. “Your judgment is as good as mine. I’ll wrap things up with Mia.”

Bryce stands and heads toward the door. I take one last look at Mia, wondering if I’ll ever have anything I want to say to her again, before I follow him.

We’re halfway down the stairs when Bryce breaks the silence. “You’re going to have to tell her, eventually.”

I smirk to myself. “About what? My real job or the real reason I retired?”

He glares back, pulling open the door. “Both.”

“Maybe.” I shrug. “But not today.”

“Holy shit, dude.”

Bryce’s eyes are tracking every movement of the girl pulling herself through the water with practiced ease.

He’s stunned in the same way I was the first time I watched some of the biggest names in the sport swim in person for the first time.

Forget about racing against someone that good—that kind of raw talent will always take your breath away.

She could be the goldmine a small club like this needs .

“I really hate it when I have to say you were right.” He rolls his eyes when he sees the smug smile on my face. “Don’t get too cocky; she’s not on the team yet. You said you talked to her?”

I nod. “Briefly, before I came into your office. She told me how old she was, and that she has no formal training, but has always loved swimming. Her technique is natural, Bryce. I asked if she’d be interested in swimming on a team, and she told me it’s not something they could afford.”

“Hence the scholarship program.” His gaze has gone back to the young woman. “But she’s interested?”

“She said it’s always been a dream of hers. I’ll work with her. Give her private lessons to help her get caught up with the rest of the team. This could work.”

“Well, then, let’s get her on the team.”

Our time must be running out because Emmie has pulled herself from the water to wrap a towel around her shoulders, heading toward her stuff. Bryce and I follow.

“Emmie!” I call, hoping not to startle her. She looks up, eyes widening when we reach her. “This is one of the owners of Adair Swim Club, Bryce Clark.”

“Nice to meet you, Emmie.” Bryce holds out a hand. She stares up at him with a look I know well. It’s the look that came whenever a young swimmer has met not one, but two Olympians in the span of twenty minutes. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t bring Carter with us.

She snaps out of it, shakily reaching forward to shake Bryce’s hand. “Oh, my god, I’m sorry,” she mutters, her gaze bouncing between the two of us. “I didn’t think he was telling the truth. It’s really nice to meet you, Mr. Clark. ”

He flinches in the same way every newly thirty-year-old basically gets told they’re old by the younger generation, but he recovers quickly.

“Bryce.” He smiles. “I’m surprised you didn’t see all the headlines about two Olympians opening a club in Columbia. My marketing manager made sure to make a pretty big deal out of it.”

She flushes. “Honestly, I didn’t even know this place existed until my counselor told me you were letting high school students use the pool and gym for free.”

Bryce glances at me quickly. “So, you don’t have a pool or team at your high school?”

Her laugh is harsh and short. “No, not at all.”

“How would you feel about swimming on a team?” Bryce presses, gently. Which is good, because Emmie is still looking at us like she’s a deer caught in headlights. “Specifically, here, at Adair, on the team Ronan coaches.”

“You seem to favor freestyle, and I have a lot of experience,” I remind her. Bryce shoots me a “ Really, dude?” look, but I don’t care. I want this girl on my team. “And they agreed. You wouldn’t pay for anything. We can handle talking to your parent or guardian, if you’re worried about that.”

She shakes her head, biting her lip. “No, I can talk to my mom. She won’t mind, as long as she doesn’t have to pay anything.”

“It’s a scholarship,” I lie. “Tell her there’s nothing that needs to come out of her own pocket.”

She looks at me with vulnerable eyes. “And you really think I’m good enough to get a college scholarship?”

I hold her gaze, refusing to waver. “I do, but I don’t want that to be the only reason you join this team.

I want you to join it because you want to, because you love swimming, and want to see what you’re capable of.

The quickest way to burnout on something you love is to put a monetary value on it. ”

“He’s right. You have to want to do this, Emmie,” Bryce chimes in.

Her smile brightens. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted, if I’m being honest.”

Bryce takes that as her acceptance. “Great! We have some forms your parents will need to fill out. Ronan wants to do some private sessions with you before he pulls you into the team, since you’ve had no formal training. Is that alright with you?”

Emmie nods excitedly, her hands twisting the towel around. “Yes, absolutely!”

“And I have some stipulations,” I tell her.

She nods again. “School is your priority. You have to keep your grades up. I require all my swimmers to give me quarterly updates on their grades. If you slip below a C in any course, you’re benched from meets until it goes up.

You have to stay out of trouble; getting caught drinking underage or being apprehended will result in an immediate suspension.

If you’re on this team, you’re committed.

You show up on time for practices and meets, and you do your best. Swimming may feel like an individual sport, but your team is invaluable.

And if you ever need something, you come to me, or any other adult working for Adair, okay? ”

“We want our swimmers to know this is a safe space for them,” Bryce adds. “If you’re in trouble or need something, we’re here to help.”

“Exactly. Do you agree to these stipulations?”

“Absolutely. Thank you so much for this opportunity!” She reaches out to shake both of our hands.

“Welcome to Adair, Emmie.” Bryce grins. “Let’s get those forms and do a quick tour of the place.”