I smiled.
“That sounds like a maybe.”
“It is a scheduled reconsideration.”
“Very sexy.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“I am leaving now.”
“See you Tuesday, Price.”
She walked away carrying the application. I watched until she turned the corner. Then I sat down again. Low emotional risk. The category was beginning to look less credible.
Rose was treating a college volleyball player when I arrived at the gym. I waited outside her office until the athlete left. Rose opened the door, took one look at me, and said, “No.”
“I need professional advice.”
“You have proposal face.”
I followed her inside. “I asked Amy to enter the challenge with me. As fake girlfriends.”
Rose removed her glasses. “You asked your marathon client to commit eligibility fraud because you need certification money.”
“When you compress it like that—”
“I am stating it.”
“She is reconsidering. I told her Miguel takes the file before any application. No conditional transfer. No waiting to see whether attraction becomes inconvenient.”
“Has Miguel agreed?”
“He has capacity. Amy still has to meet him and consent.”
“And Blake?”
“Gets a former-client conflict form before the application. They can believe the relationship is real without controlling her training.”
Rose’s expression did not soften. “That is harm reduction. It is not approval.”
“Understood.”
“Did you tell her you have never finished Lake City?”
I stopped. “Not yet.”
“Then you have not discussed trust. You have discussed logistics.”
“My result does not change whether I can coach a beginner.”
“True. It also does not give you permission to let her assume the answer you prefer.”
I paced to the treatment table. “I will tell her before we apply.”
“A date.”
“Thursday.”
