Page 18 of Yesterday I Cared
I bite back a smile. “Not high school, kid. College. I feel confident enough to say you could get a college scholarship if you took this seriously.”
The wide-eyed wonderment is back, but it dims almost as quickly. “Swimming on a team is expensive. It’s not something I can really afford.”
Which tells me she’s wanted this bad enough to look into it at some point.
Part of the reason Bryce and Carter brought me on is to build a scholarship. To give talented swimmers the chance to chase their dreams, even when their financial situation doesn’t allow it. And she’s right about swimming being expensive. It takes a toll on the swimmer’s family.
And that’s exactly why we want to push this scholarship. And I know who our first recipient should be.
“Would you want to swim on a team? More specifically here.” She goes to argue, but I don’t let her. “Let me talk to my boss, but there is a way we can get you on the team here—get you training and competing—without costing you a dollar.”
There’s something in her eyes that tells me she’s been let down before. She doesn’t want to hold on to too much hope around this. “I need to leave in fifteen minutes.”
It’s an opening; that’s all I need. “That’s all I need. What’s your name?”
She’s not convinced. “Emmie.”
“Emmie,” I repeat. “Great! Don’t go anywhere, please!”
Ignoring the fundamental rule of no running on the deck, I take off toward the offices, determined to not be another person who lets this kid down.
“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 tostay 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 notdoing 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.
