Page 11 of Well Played

“No, I’ll call Alex in the next few days.”

Sure you will. “Whatever.” I didn’t bother to say goodbye before swiping my phone off. Honestly, he was lucky I didn’t hang up on him the minute he told me about the bounced check.

I drove home with a giant knot in my neck, grumbling a string of curses about the Miller men. If there were ever a day I was entitled to an afternoon glass of wine, it was today. And since Alex wasn’t being dropped off until later, that’s exactly what I was going to do—sit on the couch, prop my feet up on the coffee table, and let the wine take the edge off. Yep, that was my plan.

At least it was until I walked in the door and promptly slipped and landed on my ass…from the flood.

***

“What the fuck?”

“Don’t just stand there!” I yelled. “Find me another bucket!”

Levi disappeared back out the front door. He jogged in ten seconds later holding a garbage can and shook his head. “Really? You couldn’t find anything else?”

I’d been using Alex’s football helmet to catch the water pouring from the ceiling. This was the third leak that had sprung in the half hour since I’d gotten home. I was starting to worry that the entire ceiling was going to crash down on my head. Since the helmet was almost full, I pulled it away, and Levi slipped the can into its place.

He looked around at the disaster I’d been dealing with. “What the hell happened?”

“I have no idea. I walked in the door and fell on my ass. The ceiling was leaking in two places. It finally started to slow down, and I’d just finished mopping the floor when this third leak started pouring water.”

“And the best thing you could find to catch it in was a football helmet?”

“It was the closest thing I could grab!”

Levi thumbed out front. “Got six empty cans right outside.”

This day had really gotten to me. It had chipped and chipped at my sanity, and I finally lost it. I stood and glared at Levi. The look on my face must’ve forewarned him that I’d snapped, because he smartly took a step back.

Though I followed and jabbed a finger into his chest.

“I’m.”Jab.

“Doing.”Jab.

“The.”Jab.

“Best.”Jab.

“I.”Jab.

“Can.”Jab.

Levi held his hands up. “Okay. Okay. Calm down.”

“Calm down! You’re telling me tocalm down?!”

The six-foot-three man of muscle actually looked a little scared. “Just…take a few deep breaths. Everything is going to be fine.”

I growled at him.Literally growled.

Levi’s eyes widened.

Feeling like I might explode, I did what I always did—though usually, my self-calming breathing technique was reserved forthe otherMiller brother. I shut my eyes and took a few deep breaths, inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. When that didn’t help, I decided a much stronger remedy was in order.

I stomped to the refrigerator and whipped open the door. Inside was an almost-full magnum of white wine. Using my teeth, I uncorked it and spit the top on the floor. Then I swigged straight from the bottle.

Levi didn’t budge as I continued to glare at him while I drank.

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