29. Chapter 28 Carter
M ay 2024
Groaning, I reach out a hand in search of the phone that’s being extra obnoxious. Before I reach it, though, the ringing stops. Both Kat and I sigh in relief. She snuggles closer, her palm resting flat on my bare chest as we both start to drift back to sleep.
The phone starts ringing again.
Groaning, Kat rolls away from me to bury her face in the pillow. “Who is it, and why do they hate me?”
“It’s Bryce,” I tell her, sitting up a bit to grab my phone from my nightstand. Sure enough, the name on the screen confirms it. “He’s the only one who will keep calling me until I answer.”
She whines in anger, or disgust, I’m not sure. “Why can’t he leave a voicemail like a normal fucking person?”
I laugh at the mere idea of Bryce being normal, but still answer the call. The quicker I get this over with, the quicker I can spoon my girlfriend. My girlfriend who’s only wearing my shirt and a pair of lacy boyshorts. “This better be good, man.”
“So, I might have done something drastic without talking to you.”
I sit up straighter, ignoring Kat’s protests at being jostled. “What did you do?” He remains suspiciously quiet. “Bryce?”
“Thomas called me this morning,” Bryce explains. “He informed me that he’d given the project to Chad, who would be down over the weekend to touch base with us both before he starts overseeing the project remotely.”
“He’s overseeing the project remotely?” My question seems to get Katrina’s attention because she’s sitting up, motioning for me to put the phone on speaker. I hesitate for just a second before I do as she asks. “You’re on speaker; Kat’s here.”
Bryce is quiet for a moment. “Hey, Kat.”
“Bryce,” she greets. “Who’s taking over the project?”
“Chad.” She drops her head on my shoulder. We’d gone through her whole team, deciding who the best-case scenario would be. He was not at the top of our list. “That’s not the reason I’m calling, though.”
“Yeah, you said you did something drastic,” I remind him, which only makes Kat’s frown deepen. “What’d you do, man?”
Bryce lets out a disgruntled sounding groan, which usually means he let his mouth get ahead of his head. Which could mean many, many things. “He started talking shit about Katrina. Apologizing for the overdramatic, emotional mess of a contractor he provided us with the first time. He was being a misogynistic asshole and was trying to get me to join in, making jokes about my girlfriend and relationship he knows nothing about.”
Commiserating with toxic masculinity was something I was more than aware of. I also knew how much Bryce hated it.
“That’s Thomas, that’s just the way he is,” Kat says, but I can tell by the way she’s looking up she knows it doesn’t make it better. “Please tell me you didn’t do something stupid, Bryce.”
“He did something stupid,” I reply. “I’m just not sure what.”
Bryce’s silence is just further proof of what I already know.
“Dude,” I warn, “we already know you did something, so just tell us.”
“I fired Thomas and Dalton Enterprises.”
Katrina gasps beside me and I can feel my eyes widening, my lips pressed in a firm line, unsure how to process this. It’s not that I’m necessarily mad about the decision, but it’s something we probably should have talked about before he fired them. Plus, the pool is over halfway done. It’s going to be harder to find someone to take over the project with the remaining balance we have set aside for it.
“You signed a contract,” Katrina argues. “When I quit, I didn’t want this to happen. I made sure everything was in place to hand things over to someone else. This is supposed to be a simple trade. I can’t believe you would just—”
“I know we signed a contract.” Bryce raises his voice ever so slightly, making sure he’ll be heard over Kat. “We signed a contract that Dalton Enterprises is technically in breach of, as we signed it with you as the contractor. Yes, you left the company, but that doesn’t mean he can just assign someone new without our approval. It falls into our rights to withhold payments, should we find the work lackluster. He had ample opportunity to inform us of your exit yesterday and he chose to make decisions for his clients instead of with. There’s a reason we didn’t sign a contract until we spoke to him about who we’d be working with, Katrina. I read the whole thing, multiple times, and we’re well within our rights to dissolve the agreement.”
My eyes are still focused on Kat as jaw drops in surprise. I can’t help but laugh. “You wanted proof that Corporate Bryce Clark existed.”
Her jaw snaps shut, and she glares playfully up at me. Before she has the chance to say anything else, Bryce continues on.
“He didn’t seem too happy with the idea of dissolving the contract based on those reasons alone, so then I made it a bit more personal. I told him how pleased we were with the work Kat has been doing on the club and that she’s become such a close, personal friend that integrated herself into our little group.”
“Oh, my god, Bryce,” I groan, knowing where this is going.
“I think he thought she was lying about that part to them,” he says. “Anyway, I told him we knew all about her relationship with Will and the sexism she experienced on a day-to-day basis at Dalton Enterprises and would hate for word to get out that he took her off a project simply because she was happy and doing a good job.”
The room is silent as the two of us just stare at one another. She looks completely stunned at the idea of Bryce standing up for her like that, but I’m not even a little surprised. This is what Bryce does for the people he cares about, and he’s never one to back down from bullshit.
“As of an hour ago, we are no longer working with Dalton Enterprises and all work has been halted,” Bryce says cheerfully. “Oh, and Kat, Thomas says you need to be out of your place by Friday.”
“What?” Kat exclaims, looking at the phone with wide eyes before sighing. “I guess I’ll text Nadine and see if she can help me.”
“Goodbye, Bryce.” I watch as Kat reaches over to her nightstand to grab her phone.
“Don’t you think we should talk about what we’re going to do now?” Bryce questions.
Kat is already typing away at her phone. “We’ll talk when we’re at your place later.” Without giving him a chance to reply, I hang up, and turn all my focus onto my girlfriend. “What’s Nadine saying?”
She’s squinting at her phone. “She actually has my spare key, so she’s going to get a head start on the packing this week, and I’ll head down on Wednesday when you’re back in Georgia.”
“We can go today if you want to,” I argue, wanting her to understand I’m on her side and willing to help her, whatever she needs. Especially because my idiotic best friend is the reason she needs to vacate so quickly. “I can also push it back a couple of days—train at the club.”
“No, absolutely not. Carter, you’re less than two months away from Trials. I’m not going to be the reason you’re not training the way you should. Nadine and I can handle this. I honestly don’t have that much stuff.”
I relent, not because I like the plan, but because I want to make sure I give Katrina the space she needs. Her relationship with Will was stifling, he was always wanting to know where she was and to be the one fixing her problems, but that’s not my style. Yes, I want to be there to support her and help her, but I can also recognize when she needs to do something for herself, by herself, and I respect that decision.
Which is how, a couple of hours later, I found myself in the empty living room of Bryce and Josie’s house. Mia, Kat, and Josie were off adding sticky notes to things, marking what we need to get rid of and what was staying; Bryce and I were standing in the living room, waiting to be pointed in the right direction.
“We’re going to need to find a new contractor.” Neither one of us had brought the topic up since Kat and I arrived, but I know we can’t put it off any longer. “What about the design? Do we have the right to the design anymore?”
Bryce nods. “Yeah, that was part of the stipulations I set forth.”
“Wasn’t that whole thing blackmail?”
Bryce shrugs casually, like the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. “That’s the world of business, Carter. It’s full of blackmail.” My brow arches because who was this man? Certainly not my kind-hearted best friend. He groans, busted. “It’s more karma. He lives for making other people small. I thought he needed a taste of his own medicine.”
Bryce is struggling with what he did, worried he caused someone harm or alienated someone from their family. I know him well enough to know the thoughts running through his head, but he can’t ruin what was already ruined, and I want to make sure he knows that. “So, we have the design. We’ll have to talk to Kat and see if there’s anyone she can recommend.”
His eyes light up at the thought, which sets me a little on edge. That kind of look in his eye either means he has a great idea or he’s about to do something stupid. Again. “I have a great idea for that.”
My arms cross over my chest, eyes narrowed at him. “I’m listening.”
“So, you know how Kat quit her job and will be wanting money?”
“Obviously,” I reply dryly.
“What if we hire her? She already knows the plans like the back of her hand. We’d be giving her the money instead of someone we don’t know, and the subcontractors she hired aren’t barred from working with us or her. I asked Carl.”
It was a good plan. A great one, in fact. I’m kind of mad I wasn’t the one to think of it first. I know it’d take a lot of stress off Kat’s shoulders and Carl seemed loyal to her. If she got him to stay, I think he’d get the rest of the crew to sign on, too. “That’s a great idea.”
“Right?” he asks, grin brightening. “When we walked through the house a couple of weeks ago, I told her she’s good enough to branch out on her own, whether it’s working on houses or on businesses. I stand by that, and honestly, there’s no one else I’d want to trust with the project.”
“I agree.” I nod. “We’ll talk to her about it when she gets back down here.”
“Talk to who about what?” We both turn to see the girls walking back into the room, Mia leading the group with a dark eyebrow arched. “What were you two talking about?”
“Kat, can we talk to you for a minute?” Bryce asks.
She looks at me, worry about what it could mean reflected in her eyes, so I give her a reassuring smile. “Sure, what’s up?”
Part of me wants to suggest we go into another room. I don’t want Kat to feel pressured to say yes to this if it’s not something she wants. We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about her plans for the rest of her life. Between the activities that transpired last night and her rapidly texting Nadine through breakfast, there just hasn’t been time. Maybe she’s not even sure she wants to do this anymore. Maybe she has a different career path she wants to go down. Of course I’ll be there to support her, whatever decision she makes, but I don’t want her to feel pressed into doing something simply because she feels like she owes us.
“Would you continue to be our contractor?”
Bryce asks the question so simply, no one is sure how to process it.
“What?” Kat questions, looking from him to me, face scrunched up in utter confusion. “I don’t work for Dalton Enterprises anymore and you fired them.”
“Right, but you still have all the licenses you need to be a professional contractor. Carl already told me he’d stick around to help you finish it. You know the plans like the back of your hand. We already have the money we were going to pay Dalton Enterprises for the rest of the project. We’d rather give it to you.”
“That is such a great idea!” Josie squeals, clapping her hands together.
“I don’t want you to feel like you owe me something,” Kat explains, looking from Bryce to me. For the most part, Josie and Mia have stepped back from this conversation, allowing us to conduct the business we need to, because this conversation is business, not friends, or a couple making plans. “You don’t owe me anything, either of you. I will understand if you want to find a bigger firm. I have some in the area I can recommend for you.”
Bryce is already shaking his head. “That’s the thing, though, Kat, we don’t want to work with a bigger firm. We want to continue working with the kick-ass contractor we’ve been working with because we know she’ll do the job right and do it well. It doesn’t matter that she’s not tied to a major firm anymore. We want her to finish what she started.”
Kat’s gaze drifts over to me. “What do you think about all of this?”
“I’m firmly with Bryce on it,” I reply, trying not to let my emotions get ahead of me. It’s not like I don’t realize what this would mean for her, for us. She’s staying, at least for a couple more months. “You’ve done a really incredible job, Kat. What do you say?”
She nods, eyes bright with joy. “Yes, of course I say yes!” Bryce relaxes, and I know I’m feeling the same way. “I’ll want to do this properly. I think we should have an updated contract with the new terms outlined and everything. It has to be legitimate.”
“Of course,” I assure her, unable to hold back my own grin.
“Absolutely,” Bryce agrees. “Besides, you’ll want to make sure you do it properly, as we’ll hopefully be the first clients after you branch out on your own.”
“What?” Josie gasps, looking at Kat. “Are you serious?”
“Bryce, I never said I was going to do that!” Kat’s shaking her head, but she’s still smiling.
“I know.” He grins back. “Now, are we going to beat the shit out of my house or what?”
We end up dividing into teams. The only person who’s not partnered up is Mia, but Kat seems confident in her ability to break things alone without getting in trouble. Apparently, Bryce needs to be supervised. I can’t help but grin when Kat comes toward me with a sledgehammer in her hand.
Her brow arches. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
My gaze roams over her from head to toe, soaking in every inch of her. “Is this what I missed out on when we were doing demolition at the pool?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, because me in a pair of ratty shorts and a paint-splattered tank top is the epitome of sexy.”
“I was talking more about the tool belt.” Grinning, I latch my finger into it and pull her toward me.
Her cheeks flush a light shade of pink that only has my grin widening. “I have a lot of stuff to carry with me, Carter.”
“Hmm,” I murmur, pressing my lips against her temple. “If that’s what you’re going with.”
“Hey!” We spring apart at the sound of Bryce’s voice, both of us flushing when we see him standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. Behind him, Josie looks gleeful. “There will be no canoodling in my house!”
The laugh escapes me before I can stop it, which only results in me partially choking on it. Kat pats my back until I can gain control over myself. Josie’s biting both of her cheeks to hold back her laughter. Kat’s eyes are shining with mirth.
“Don’t say canoodling, Clark.” The sound of Mia busting shelves down in a closet follows her groan from the hallway. “It’s weird.”
Bryce scowls, gray eyes drifting from me to Katrina. “That’s it, we’re changing partners. I’m working with Carter.”
“Hey,” Josie protests. “What did I do to deserve that?”
“Someone needs to watch them,” Bryce warns, moving to stand next to me. “So, I’ll take Carter and the two of you can work together.”
“Aw, man, if you want to spend more time together, all you gotta do is ask,” I tease with a slight shove.
Kat’s grinning as she makes her way over to Josie. “That’s fine. We’ll work together and get more done than the two of you combined.”
He should know by now that we take competition seriously. Bryce and I exchange looks, nodding to each other in unspoken understanding, before looking back at our girlfriends. “You’re on. Loser buys drinks.”
“Deal.” Then she and Kat are bounding out of the room.
H ours later, I’m sore in places I’m not sure I’ve ever been sore before.
“Aren’t you the one who exercises eight hours a day?” Kat teases. She drops her keys on the table by the door as I collapse on the couch with a groan.
“That’s different.” They’re not all that different, both extremely physically taxing, but I used different muscles today and in ways I haven’t used them for years. I can’t remember when I was last on my feet for that long.
Unsurprisingly, the girls won and, honestly, seeing the determination on their faces while holding sledgehammers was a little humbling for both Bryce and me. We parted ways to shower and change before meeting up at Brick Tavern for dinner. I’ve only been there a handful of times, but half the staff knows the rest of them. It’s going to become our spot here in Columbia. Which is reassuring because it means we’re all putting roots down.
Kat sits beside me, curling against me, and resting her head on my shoulder. I sling my hand around hers, tilting my head until it can rest on hers. We sit in total silence for what could be seconds, minutes, or even an hour. Still, I let us float in it for a little longer before breaking it.
“You said yes to staying and helping us.”
“I did,” she agrees, shifting to get more comfortable. “Are you okay with that?”
I brush my lips against her forehead. “I’m more than okay with it. I don’t think it’s a secret that I’d rather have you here with me. With us. What are you thinking about doing after the club’s done?”
“I haven’t really thought about that yet,” she admits. “Everything happened so fast, but I couldn’t pass up your offer. I want to finish this project, see what it’s going to be, and spend more time with you.”
My finger brushes against the soft fabric of her shirtsleeve. “Have you thought about staying?”
She’s shifting to face me then, tucking both her legs beside her. When she’s having a serious conversation with me, she always wants to make sure we’re facing one another. That we’re close enough to touch, should we need to, but the real focus is going to be on the words. Wanting to put her at ease, I shift to face her better.
She’s fiddling with her hands as they rest in her lap, but says nothing for a couple more minutes.
“What are you thinking, Kat?”
“I’m thinking that I’m worried we’re moving too fast,” she begins, but I can tell this is going to be one of those moments where once she starts, she’ll just keep gaining momentum. “I’m worried what leaving everything in Charleston behind will mean for me. I don’t want to feel like I’m stepping into someone else’s life, or their dream. I want to find my own thing.”
“Which is exactly why I think staying will be a good idea.” The last thing I want to do is make her feel like I’m taking options away from her, so I choose my words carefully. “We’re not moving too fast. I’m not asking you to move in with me. I’m asking you to be in the same city with me, to give us a real chance. I know it’ll still be months before I’m here full time, but that’s not something that’s changed.”
She bites her lip. “I know. I know you’re not trying to push us into anything we’re not ready for, but after the disaster that came before, I can’t help but worry. We dove into the serious end.”
“Did you really just hit me with a swimming pun about a man I hate?”
She giggles, shaking her head while waving the comment off. “You know what I mean!”
I catch her hand mid-air, lacing my fingers with hers to lower our joint hands to the couch. She tracks the movement with her eyes. “I do, and you know what I mean, too. I won’t let what happened then happen to us. There’s too much at stake for both of us here. We’re adults. I want this to be a real, adult relationship. Which means working at it. I’m ready to do that.”
“So am I,” she promises, quick to make sure I know where her intentions are. “I want that.”
“Good, then we’re on the same page about that.” I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “I know I’m looking at things from the perspective of your boyfriend, but I don’t really know if there’s anything left for you in Charleston. You’ve lost your job, your place, and you’re not exactly anxious to make amends with anyone there. Maybe starting off somewhere new is what you need, and don’t you want to do it with people who care about you? I know what Bryce told you after the walkthrough, and he’s right, you’ll have such a great support system here.”
She goes back to biting her lip. I can see the millions of questions running through her mind and I want to pluck each one out, answering them until the stressed-out look leaves her features. Until the slight worry line in her forehead fades into the tanned smoothness I’m used to. I don’t want her to be freaking out about what comes next; I want her to know and believe that things will turn out okay. And, even if they don’t, she’s not facing it alone. I’ll be there with her, every step of the way.
“You don’t have to make a decision now,” I promise her, which helps to ease her nerves. “Just promise me you’ll think about it? And think about knowing I want you here. We all want you here, and whatever comes next, we’ll be by your side.”
She doesn’t say anything, just turns back to face forward, sinking back against my side. Seamlessly, flawlessly, we’re cuddled back up on the couch in the same position we were in previously, the silence washing over us once again. There’s no place I’d rather be.