Page 44

When Josie called and told me I had someone at the front desk wanting to see me, a million different people ran through my mind.

Each more unlikely than the last. Because the truth is, the longer I'm in Columbia, the tighter-knit my circle becomes.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I've never felt more supported or as much a part of a family as I do here.

In this job, being surrounded by these people every day makes it harder to keep up fake friendships and appearances.

The only person outside of our group that I talk to consistently is Mel Segal, and that's only because she's second-in-command at Operation Fly.

Honestly, I don't mind that my circle is dwindling to the people who really matter.

The one person I should have expected to see, however, is the one waiting at the desk when I get down to my office.

"Liam," I greet warmly, shaking the younger man's hand when I reach him. "How's it going?"

"About as well as it could be," he replies with a sheepish shrug.

"Yeah, I can imagine." It's true, though. As much as Emmie's life was thrown upside down, so was his.

"Do you have a second to talk?"

Confused and a bit curious, I lead him up to my office, where he takes the seat across from my desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I think we should talk about Emmie almost quitting?"

"I agree," I say with a slow nod. "She and Mia talked in the locker room after she made the declaration, and she ended up changing her mind. Did she ever talk to you about it?"

"Not ahead of time," he confirms my unasked question. "I had no idea that was even a thought running through her head. I'm glad Mia was able to talk her out of it, though, and I wanted to stop by to personally thank you for it. And thank you for the call."

When Emmie had talked to me about quitting, I was worried she might have had something to really be concerned about.

That maybe Liam was guilting her into taking on more responsibility because of everything he had given up.

The more I thought about it, though, the less likely it seemed.

Liam hadn't even questioned any of the decisions he was forced to make.

He had listened to what we thought were the best options for his sister and went above and beyond with it all.

While it isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility, I doubt Liam will be one to go back on his word like that.

"I want to make sure we're on the same page. As two people who care about her success, you don't want her to quit the team?"

"Not at all," he assures me. "From the first day we were reunited, all she could talk about was the team and how much she loved swimming.

It made me so happy to see she found an outlet, to find something she loves, and is passionate about.

It's something I could never do for myself until I left home. "

"Emmie mentioned that you tried to come get her when she was younger?" It's not a question I should necessarily be asking, but the more I know about the situation, the more I can help Emmie in the future as well.

He nods. "Straight out of college, I graduated and drove to their house.

I thought my mother would be thrilled to not have to worry about a child that she never wanted to take care of in the first place.

But then she heard I graduated with an architectural degree and decided it meant I had instantaneous money.

Like you graduate and they hand you a check with your diploma or something. "

"That would be nice," I joke.

"Yeah." He chuckles. "But needless to say, I had nothing. I wanted to save my little sister from dealing with the same shitty life I had. I had a place to live, a job that kept me stable through college, but I knew I'd never get a judge to sign off on it."

"Which is why you attempted to get your mother to see reason. It makes sense. I would have done the same thing in your shoes. Especially if you could get her to sign her rights away and put you as Emmie’s sole caregiver."

"I had all the paperwork, man." He groans. "I had a lawyer friend draw it up, all it needed was her signature, but I failed Emmie."

"No, your mother's selfishness failed Emmie. You can't blame yourself for that," I remind him. "Did Emmie tell you anything about what her and Mia talked about?"

"Yeah, she did. Which was a hard conversation to have, because it was literally history repeating itself. She was doing the same thing for our mom that I did for years. She saw me getting out of there as an accomplishment."

"And it was." He doesn't look convinced. "Liam, if you hadn't gotten out of there, you might not be in a position to take care of her now. No one knows what would have happened if you had stayed. You can't change the past, so show up for the future."

"You're right. I know you're right. I just…I don’t know how to do that. I don't know how to make her understand that I want her to be a kid. I don't want her to worry about paying bills or making sure I have the freedom to do whatever she thinks I need to do."

"I've owned Operation Fly since 2019, and I've worked with a lot of kids in very similar situations. All they want is someone to say those exact words to them. To say, ‘hey, I've got this, don't worry.’"

"And you really think that'll get through to her?"

"Maybe, but I also know she's been doing this for a long time. The words are a great place to start, but follow it up with actions. And try to show up for her."

"Oh, I'm planning to," Liam promises. "I already gave Katrina the meet schedule and the school schedule, so she knows when I won't be available. Though in hindsight, she probably doesn't need the meet schedule because she could ask you for it."

With a laugh, I nod. "Yeah, she helped write the schedule."

"Can I ask you something as someone who knows Emmie better than I do at this point?"

I know it's going to be something that seeks validation, because as unstable as Emmie's life is, Liam's is as well.

He needs to know he made the right choices, that he's doing everything he can to help Emmie. He’s including her in big moments like finding an apartment that caters to both their needs, helps her both feel in control, and capable of letting it all go.

"If you're about to ask me if you made the right decisions, I say yes," I tell him. "This can be a second chance for both of you, if you let it. Plus, I have some bad news for you."

"What?" The panic on his face makes me grin .

"You're Emmie's guardian, which ties you to Adair; and you're Katrina's friend and new employee," I say. "These people adopt people. You're not getting away from this group."

He looks a little uncertain as he lets out a nervous laugh. "It sounds like you're saying it from experience. Should I run?"

Through the window of my office, I see Bryce and Carter arguing about something and then Mia hits them both with a folder, flashes me a grin, and heads into her office. I look back at Liam with my own grin. "Nah, I wouldn't run."

From the moment Emmie walked back through the doors of Adair Swim Club after quitting, she's been on fire.

Putting in extra work, pushing herself harder, and doing whatever she can to prove to me she's taking this seriously.

Knowing that so many people—both here and at home—want to see her achieve whatever dreams she has seems to have ignited more sparks in her.

She's not ignoring instruction or allowing her teammates to distract her.

She's shown up early to practice with races queued up on her phone, some of them mine or Carter's, asking why certain technique decisions were made or what could have been changed to achieve a better outcome.

Hell, she even showed a brief interest in the IMs. Bryce ran her through a quick training session, assessing her skills in the other strokes, and then had her race Carter.

They were both dead on their feet by the end of it, and Emmie loudly declared she was never doing it again and asked Bryce why he had a death wish. A question I still ask most IMers.

At least I know she's interested in other strokes, though. As long as I don't put them together in one race .

She's proven to me how stability at home can impact kids. It's given her the freedom to start finding herself and to chase her dreams. It's a constant reminder to all of us about why we do what we do.

Although, she's not happy when I announce I need to head to California for a couple of days.

Neither is the rest of the team. Because they're kids and I'm about to upset their routine.

They don't understand why the trip has to interfere with their practices.

Or maybe they don't associate the state of California with having real business hours. Either way, they aren't happy.

Mia agrees with them, if her distant behavior is anything to go off of.

The way the light faded from her eyes when I told her about the trip was almost enough for me to break and tell her all about my plans.

About how I can’t promise it would work out the way we want, but this is what I want.

I held myself back, though, determined not to disappoint her if this doesn’t go the way I want it to.

It would hurt more than holding in the truth for a few days.

I know what they’re all worried about, and yeah, I should tell them; but there’s still the smallest chance the board gives me a reason not to step down as president, or Mel decides she’s not ready for the step up. Both of them seem highly unlikely to me, but I’d rather not get anyone’s hopes up.

My plan is to get to San Francisco, get through the meetings, and not let anything else hold me up. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be back in Columbia before anyone can miss me. This time, for good.