Page 107 of Sliding Into Love
“Misogyny?” Lawrence interrupted. “It’s not misogyny if it’s true. Women should not manage baseball teams! Or play on them.”
Jen’s molars ground audibly in the mostly-still night air.
“And another thing—” Lawrence was really on a roll now, and Ethan wondered what else the man could possibly have left to shout about. “The agency should be mine. It wasmylegacy. Mine!” Lawrence’s scowl deepened as he raised his voice. The few team members who’d been pretending to ignore gave up the pretense and turned to watch the spectacle. “It should have gone to me!”
“So you could run it into the ground the way you’ve ruined your team?” Laura scoffed in her brother’s face.
Ethan winced. His mother certainly knew where to land her verbal blows to inflict maximum damage.
“Bitch.” Lawrence spat the word with as much venom as Ethan had ever heard.
“Asshole,” Laura fired back.
If it hadn’t been so terrible, Ethan might have laughed at seeing his mother and uncle behaving like stereotypical siblings.
“And you,” Lawrence’s attention shifted to the door where Emily stood, having taken half a step out. “You’re the problem here. Why don’t you take this mess you call a team and go home before you embarrass yourself, huh, honey? Let the men handle this.”
Emily bit back a smile, which Ethan found rather startling, given the situation, until she pushed the door completely open and stepped out, the League officials still on her heels as they filed out behind her.
“Mr. Lorne, we need to have a conversation,” one of them said, gesturing for Lawrence to follow them back inside.
“Well, that was fun,” Derek said conversationally.
“I’m sorry you all had to see that,” Laura called to the small crowd that remained after Emily, Lawrence, and the suits went back in. “I apologize to both teams. The Lornes were in fine form tonight.” She gave a contrite smile.
“Nothing to apologize for.” Jen’s voice was gravelly as she glared toward the door.
Ethan worried that she might go after Lawrence too. And while his uncle deserved whatever he got, Jen was too good to get suspended before the final game.
“Doyou want to talk about it?”
They’d returned to a meeting room inside the stadium, where Jimmy, Frankie, and Lily waited with Jase and Janna. Janna was nearly asleep, curled up on Jimmy’s lap.
Ivy still didn’t quite know what happened on the field, but Ethan was still so pale and tense, she knew it was bad. He looked at her gratefully as she rubbed circles over his back in an effort to calm him.
“I’m okay.”
He didn’t sound okay.
With a sharp tug, he pulled her against his chest and buried his face in her neck. Definitely not okay, then. His muscles were taut beneath her hands, but his breathing began to slow after a few moments.
“What happened?”
“Just…Lawrence. Being awful, as always.” Ethan clamped his jaw closed so hard, Ivy thought he might have cracked a molar.
“He’s a sad old man,” Ivy said, glaring at him over Ethan’s shoulder. A trainer had brought a towel, and Lawrence held it pressed to his face. “I thought your mom was going to punch him.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Jimmy interjected. Frankie nodded in agreement, still looking a bit menacing.
“Good.” Ivy’s voice was vicious.
Ethan backed up a step to stare incredulously at her.
“What? Sounds like he deserved it.”
Ethan gaped.
“Too bad I didn’t get to him first. But it’s probably for the best." She gestured at the kids.
