Page 58 of In Too Deep

Katie nudges me and laughs. “She’s amazing!”

“Thanks… I pushed as hard as I could… I’m just so happy with the results… but I couldn’t have done it… without my support group… they know who they are… including Katie here… and especially my coach, Tuck… who forced me to believe in myself… when no one else did…” My eyes well up again, and Katie cuddles into me.

“Well, the whole of the world believes in you now, Lacy. And Katie, a wonderful silver swim from you, too. Congratulations, you must be so happy.”

She smiles. “You have no idea what it means for Australia… to get the gold and silver medals in this event…. To get the silver is a dream I couldn’t even imagine… and to be doing it with Lacy by my side… is such an honour.”

I smile at her and think about how far we’ve come, from her pushing me over at the trials to Caro handing her the silver medal by giving her, her suit. Our relationship is a strange one, but it’s come full circle now, and I’m glad we’re finally on the same side.

“Well, congratulations again, ladies. Great swimming, and we’ll see you on the podium for your medal presentation.”

“Thanks, Grant!” we both reply in unison. I link my arm with Katie’s, and we rush toward the marshalling area. As I step toward it, I see Caro, East, and Coby. They jump from foot to foot, waiting for me to get to them. I glance at Katie. She smiles, letting my arm go. I give her a broad grin and then run off toward my foursome and into their waiting arms. A giant group hug—their warmth encases me and we all laugh.

“Oh my God, you did it!” Caro chimes in.

“I did it!” I repeat as they all let me go, and then Coby takes me in his arms, holding me so tightly. I wrap my arms around him and nuzzle his chest.

He leans in, kissing my head. “I’m so proud of you.”

Sniffing, trying to hold back the emotion, I glance up at him and smile. “I never thought I could do it. Honestly, I thought silver maybe, bronze quite possibly, but gold?”

Marta walks in, pushing her way through the crowd. “Cheaters never prosper, love,” she sneers before storming away.

We all furrow our brows and shake our heads. “What the hell is that about?”

“She’s just trying to pull an excuse as to why she sucked so badly,” East quips.

We all chuckle.

“Miss LaBelle, Miss Reynolds, could we have a sample, please?” an official cuts in.

I nod and let go of Coby as he smiles and winks. Moving over to the official, I grab the test container and walk with Katie toward the bathroom. She smiles, and I raise an brow.

“What?”

She tilts her head. “Coby likes you.”

Wincing, I take a deep breath. “Sorry, that must be weird for you.”

She raises her shoulders. “It’s fine. We would never have worked anyway. He moved back to South Australia, and I’m still in Victoria, so long distance isn’t my thing. Plus, he never liked me anyway. I can be kinda… intense.”

I smile and push open the bathroom door. “I think you just like to get your way.”

She giggles. “True. But I learned that there’s a way to go about getting it, and I was doing it all wrong. Pushing you into those chairs and treating you the way I did…” She shakes her head and glances down. “I’m sorry. I was super jealous… of Coby, of you—”

“Of me?”

“Yeah. You’re super talented and drop-dead gorgeous. You’re everything I want to be, and I was threatened and took it out on you. Not cool. I am sorry.”

I slump and sigh. “Water under the bridge.”

She shakes her head. “This is what I mean… you’re so nice. I treated you like shit. Even after everything, you still came to find me for the final and you still chose to help me. That just shows what type of person you are. You’re an amazing woman, Lacy.”

I shrug and smile. “Thanks, but you’re a good person too, Katie. Swallowing your pride isn’t an easy task and most people can’t do it as well as you have. I’m glad we can be friends.”

She smiles. “Me too.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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