Page 45 of Levi

“What do you mean, Crosby?” he grumbles, obviously annoyed that we’re still having this conversation when he tried to kill it.

“I know Cooper was incorrectly scheduled, so he wasn’t given the full time needed, which is all fine and dandy, except it was an absolute pain in the ass for him to find childcare that day after Ally rescheduled what Quinn had already worked with him on. He stressed and stressed about trying to find a sitter for Lucas, and thankfully at the last second he found someone. It was a huge inconvenience, especially because Ally had double-booked a few of the times already, which meant not only were the appointments cut short, but Quinn’s time had to be divided, so it was just a huge waste of people’s time, including Quinn’s.”

“I can see how that would be frustrating,” my uncle replies.

“Especially when it had already been handled. I think, just like you tell us players, we all need to remember to stay in our lanes.”

Ally deflates, her big ego from before now shrinking. My internal cheerleader does backflips at the fact that Ally got knocked down a peg or two—for me.

“Fair. Next time, though, Cooper can just bring Lucas if there’s a challenge like that. That five-year-old is cute as shit, and Ally could hang out with him for an hour if she needed,” Uncle Ronnie says, and Ally looks disgusted.

She’s not big on kids…like, at all, so if this actually happens, it’ll be fun to watch.

“I mean, I guess,” she says with a shrug, looking over at Wilson with her nose crinkled. “Can you imagine me spending time with kids?”

“Nope,” he says with a dry laugh. “Kids aren’t exactly your thing; they’re too soft and can’t handle your humor.”

You mean her bitchiness…

“But you get me,” she says with a giggle, and Wilson laughs, but I don’t miss the subtle eyeroll as he turns back to my uncle, changing the subject.

Thank God. At this point, I want to take this as a win and move on for the night.

“So, how is work going?” Aunt Sylvia asks as we all sit, staring at each other. “How’s the transition into the Head Trainer role been?”

She’s looking at me, her warm smile filling me with happiness as she seems genuinely interested in hearing how it’s going.

“It’s been great,” I tell her excitedly.

“She's starting to get the hang of it,” Ally says, interrupting as usual.

My aunt’s eyes widen, darting back and forth between me and Ally as she watches in shock.

“Excuse me?” I snap, and I can see my uncle watching me intently. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Quinn,” my uncle says, his voice steady, but it's anything but calm.

He hates our fights.

“Sorry Uncle Ronnie, but Ally, the girl who can’t even answer emails or the damn phone, wants to critiquemeon how I do my job, one that took me years to get a degree for? Yeah, hard pass,” I say, my voice trembling with anger that Ally always feels like she can interject herself into every conversation. It’s bullshit, and noteverythingrevolves around her.

“Can you just get along with your sister for once?” Uncle Ronnie seethes, and I’m almost positive I see Ally smirk, but in a blink it’s gone, her pathetic deer in headlights look back in place.

Me?I’mthe problem I think, not even sure how to respond, but thankfully Levi beats me to it.

“Coach, with all due respect, Ally has been nothing but rude and passive-aggressive to Quinn all evening, and somehow you’re dismissing it as acceptable. It’s not okay, and I’m not going to sit back and let Quinn get disrespected by her own family,” Levi says as he sets his napkin down and stands up.

I sit there with my mouth hanging open, my eyes bouncing between Levi and my uncle as they continue having a silent stare off—one not suited for the weak with those looks they’re serving. I’m so lost I hardly even realize his hand in mine as he brings me with him, already having my purse in hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Home. We’ll see you at practice on Monday.”

With that, he gathers my jacket and purse, grabbing my hand in his as we start to walk away from the table. Some people are watching us, but that’s not surprising. First off, I’m with a hockey player. Second off, they probably just watched that whole situation go down and are wondering what’s going on.

Same, dude…same.

But fuck it.

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