30. Chapter 29 Katrina
M ay 2024
Carter goes back to Georgia the next day. It’s a weird feeling to be saying goodbye to someone you don’t want to see go. I’m literally seeing him at a meet in less than two weeks, but watching him pull out of the driveway made me feel like he was leaving for years and to a destination much further than a couple of hours. Still, I was a mess of emotions—giddy from a new relationship, stressed about not having income after the club is done, and unsure about what I want to do with my life—and I’m handling it in one of the unhealthiest ways possible. By throwing myself into my work.
Just as Bryce has said, all the subcontractors I’d hired easily followed me, wanting to finish the job they’d started. Apparently, Bryce had a lawyer friend draw up new contracts for all of us, using the previous ones from Dalton Enterprises to make sure he had everything covered. Between the club and their house, I had plenty to keep me occupied rather than constantly wanting to distract Carter. He had more important things to focus on.
Things were moving forward at a rapid pace I didn’t expect after I kind of imploded my life. I wasn’t complaining, but I did feel like I was on a hamster wheel, constantly running with no direction or progress.
Right now, for example, I’m at the house, overseeing the expansion of the kitchen, which is the first thing we’re really focusing on. Liam had looked over the plans I’d come up with, made some slight adjustments, and strengthened them, but overall gave me the go-ahead to move forward. Thomas would have a fit if he knew Liam was helping me on the side, a fact my friend knew. It didn’t stop him, though; he just shook his head and told me not to worry about him.
“Building up like this is going to give them more room upstairs, too.” Carl and I are standing in the backyard, watching as his crew works. “But it’s expanding the main bedroom, right?”
“Nope, it’s going to give them more storage and an office space for Josie,” I explain, hands in my back pocket, trying to ignore the prickling sensation of the sun on the back of my neck. “She doesn’t really have that right now, but Bryce wants to make sure she has a space all her own.”
“Smart man,” Carl chuckles out.
One of the guys calls him over to check something, so he gives me a quick nod before heading over to assist them. I pull my phone out to take some pictures in case I need to use this project to help find another job, before heading around the front to check to see if Josie is here yet. I’m surprised to find her chatting with another woman, motioning to the house excitedly. When she sees me approaching, her smile widens, and she calls my name, waving me over.
I smile at the other woman as I approach, who just grins back at me like she was about to be overly polite in that totally patronizing way. I fight back the frown as I look over at Josie. “Is everything okay?”
We’ve been respectful of the neighbors as we work on the house, ensuring anything with loud noises didn’t start too early or run too late. I’ve done my best to keep the site as clean as possible. Still, I’ve done enough home renovations to know that at least one neighbor is almost always annoyed when work is being done. I’ve gotten good at handling it, but I’d rather not deal with it today.
“Everything’s fine.” Josie grins at me, placing a hand on my arm before turning back to the woman. “This is our contractor, Katrina Dalton. She’s been fabulous! She has tons of experience and is also the contractor for the swim club my boyfriend’s opening. Kat, this is our new neighbor, Lucy.”
Lucy’s already sticking her hand out before I fully process what Josie’s saying. “It’s so nice to meet you, Katrina.”
“Yeah, you, too.” I shake her hand, but I’m still completely lost on what’s happening.
“Do you have a card or something?” Her question surprises me, but I try not to let it show. “I was just telling Josie that my husband and I are looking to add an apartment above our garage. We’ve talked to a couple of big firms, but I don’t like how cold they are. I’d much rather work with a local contractor and, if it’s a woman-owned business, even better.”
I glance at Josie, who’s grinning with accomplishment. I can’t believe this is happening. It’s not at all what I expected, but maybe this is what Bryce and Carter really meant when they told me this group is big on chasing dreams. It’s always been in the back of my mind and having another project would mean that I need to stay in Columbia, at least for a little longer.
Lucy is waiting patiently for an answer. “I don’t have a card, no. I’m just starting out on my own, but I’d love the chance to talk more with you and your husband, figure out what your needs are. Do you have a design?”
Somehow, she gets even more excited. “Yes!”
As Lucy dives into the logistics of the project she has already planned out, Josie quietly slips away to let me handle the rest. As Lucy talks, she informs me she has several friends who are looking to hire someone as well, and with each potential project mentioned, something settles in me. I can do this. I can branch out on my own. We talk for about twenty minutes to go over the basic premise of the design. She doesn’t even hesitate when I shyly admit that I’d want to wait until at least one of the projects I’m working on is done and that I wouldn’t be able to start until after the Olympics.
When she learns that my boyfriend is one of the swimmers opening the new club, her gears change to how excited they are to have an alternative to the school team for their son to join. Apparently, his current team doesn’t view swimming as a viable option for scholarship opportunities and would much rather put money toward football and baseball. The longer we talk, even when we bring Josie back into the fold, the more I see the future unfolding ahead of me.
Me running a business. Carter and Bryce running a business with Mia by their side. Josie finally having the space and time to write and publish the book she’s been hiding from me. This little found family we’ve created for ourselves could have it all.
A fter meeting Lucy, everything falls into place over the next few days. I decide to take the leap and open a renovation and construction company. When I tell Carl and Dave, they both make me promise to always come to them first for any project, which makes me feel even more confident in my ability to lead a project. Bryce sets me up their lawyer friend to help make sure everything is in place for my business and Mia offers to help with the marketing of the business, which I demand I pay her for because I’m going to do everything right.
Carter again surprises me by coming back up to Columbia for a night, despite the fact he has a meet in less than a week. He’s too excited about the prospect of the business, and we stay up way later than we should to talk about the details. He comes up with the name Effervescent Renovations, knowing that Thomas always complained about me being too much. Carter argues that my “too much” will be the thing that helps me succeed. It’s short, catchy, and flows. When I text Mia the official name, she’s immediately firing off ideas of an iridescent color scheme, something that will catch the eye without being too overpowering.
By the next morning, Mia already has a bunch of social media posts created to market my new business endeavor. I know she’s getting bored since the guys haven’t told her the name of the business yet, but I’m still amazed by everything she’s done in such a short time. When Carter comes bounding into the office, all grins, I realize I might not be the only reason he drove back to South Carolina on short notice.
“Hey! Can you two come with me for a second?”
He doesn’t give us the chance to answer before he’s happily going back the way he came. Mia and I exchange a look before she shrugs, sets her tablet down, and stands. I follow her lead, the two of us trailing my rambunctious boyfriend down the stairs, through the lobby, and out into the parking lot. It’s an overcast, rainy, chilly day.
“What are we doing out here, Carter?” Mia asks, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm. “It’s freezing.”
“Just wait a minute,” he admonishes.
A second later, Bryce and Josie, who are bundled up in warm sweatshirts, exit the building, and head our way. I’m relieved to see two sweatshirts gripped in Bryce’s hands.
“Oh, thank god,” Mia grumbles, taking one. I take the other. “I never thought I’d see the day Bryce Clark is more considerate than you, Carter. You could have at least told us we were going outside.”
He shrugs, a timid smile replacing the blinding one. “I didn’t want to risk ruining the surprise.”
“What surprise?” Josie asks, leaning against Bryce.
He clears his throat, his arm going around her shoulder. “You know how we’ve been quiet about the name?” Mia and Josie nod. “Well, we wanted it to be a surprise, and they just finished putting the sign up, so we thought now was a good time to reveal it.”
Bryce motions behind us, and we all turn to look up at the sign on the side of the dark blue building. It turned out beautifully. The logo is a swimmer, done in a beautiful mosaic of blues, coming up for a breath while doing the fly. Coming off the end of the wave in beautiful, but legible, script is the name of the club:
Adair Swim Club
Josie lets out a gasp, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth in surprise. “Oh, my god, you guys!”
Mia is staring up at the sign, looking a little teary-eyed. “Are . . . are you serious?”
“Hell yeah!” Carter wraps an arm around Mia’s shoulder; his other reaches out to tug Josie into his other side. They both go willingly. “You guys are part of this, too!”
“Besides,” Bryce adds with a smile, “I don’t think either one of you will ever understand how much your support has meant to us over the years. How much it means to us now. Just because the blog is done, it doesn’t mean Adair has to be.”
Mia leans her head against his shoulder, squeezing his side tight. In a second, the three of them have moved into a group hug that has me pulling my phone out to take pictures. It only takes some mild convincing to get Bryce to join in. It lasts all of three seconds before Mia complains her boobs are being smushed. All of us dissolve into a fit of laughter.