Levi (Nashville Firebirds #1)

1. Quinn

CHAPTER 1

QUINN

Lack of food and being surrounded by ignorant people are going to be the reasons why I snap and shank a bitch—or two, depending on the day.

Today, target number one just so happens to share fifty percent of my DNA, although that’s about the only thing she and I have in common lately.

My sister has been a thorn in my side for years in most aspects of my life. Lately, it’s becoming all aspects of my life since she, of course, decided to work with our uncle the second I showed interest. Only this is more annoying than just her refusing to order the colored athletic tape I requested or getting extra mustard on my sandwich when she ordered for everyone. Coming back to the facility and having it in complete disarray after she said it was ready?

Yeah, this is pretty fucking irritating.

Our uncle, Ronnie Sullivan, coach of the Los Angeles Stingrays, threw a fit yesterday when we walked in and all the training equipment, including medical supplies and exercise equipment, were spread throughout the hallways past his office, and back towards the locker room. He was livid that nothing was where it was supposed to be after the arena was repainted this off-season.

As soon as he saw the place, I think his blood pressure started to rise by the second, his face getting redder and redder until, finally, he threw his hands up and said we were done for the day. He looked pissed at Ally, but of course she said the areas they showed her were perfect, so she believed them…it just so happens that meant the only areas she saw were hers and my uncle’s.

The whole thing has been just one big pain in the ass because at the end of last season, we had to pack everything and label it all to be moved into storage so they could do the work without damaging anything. It was supposed to be the painters’ job to put everything back together, and my sister was the one tasked with making sure that happened. Now we’re basically having to go on a scavenger hunt around the whole damn place looking for boxes.

Oh, and when I say we, I mean me, because of course Ally is nowhere to be found.

Plus, my sister was supposed to be here at the same time as my uncle and I got here, only she didn’t show up until after nine a.m., coffee in hand—for only herself, of course. Ally isn’t good at thinking about other people, which is evident from the fact that she’s been standing next to the secretary outside our uncle’s office chatting away, even though Linda looks less than thrilled to be talking to her while actively trying to multitask, answering the phone and emails while trying to be polite.

This is a total nightmare, especially when there’s so much actual work I need to be doing to get ahead for the season. I wanted to get an early start on studying up on the athletes so that I could be prepared for any injuries we’re already aware of. At least that way, I can be proactive with training plans, and hopefully, we can avoid long-term injuries.

Instead, he had us come back at seven this morning to organize and put everything back together. Although we’ve been doing this for hours, I still feel like nothing’s done, and it’s honestly really frustrating.

I still find it hard to believe that my sister somehow convinced our uncle to hire her as his personal assistant. I mean, she’s smart—she went to college and got a degree in marketing. But street smarts? She has none. Plus, she knows nothing about hockey or about being a helpful person in general. I’m pretty sure my uncle just pays her to stay out of the way, although I’m sure he’d never admit that.

But she would never realize it.

I’ve been walking around my office looking for the box of tape I asked my sister to move when she was helping me, and it seems that she couldn’t even do that right. In the process of getting everything organized, I’ve been trying to stock my supply bag, and now I can’t find the tape, which is the last thing I need.

My stomach growls, reminding me the only thing I’ve had today is a banana and a twenty-ounce Americano. Great for my productivity—not so much for my attitude.

Making my way back down the hall, I pull Ally away from her one-sided conversation with Linda.

“Where did you put that box?” I ask, earning a blank stare from my sister. It’s crazy; we used to look like twins as kids—same dark hair, same bright blue eyes, like twins, according to everyone. But as we got older, she kept the dark look while I totally changed—my hair went dirty blonde and my eyes faded to this weird light blue, almost gray.

I used to joke that as we got older, we evolved into our true selves…her the dark devil, me the light angel. She never found it very funny, but if the shoe fits...

“What box?” Ally deadpans, looking annoyed that I’m interrupting. She has a knack for making me feel like an inconvenience, but at this moment, our uncle asked her to help me, so she’s really messing with my productivity here...and my lunch.

“The box of athletic tape I asked you to put in my office.”

“Oh…the white tape? It’s over there,” she says with a smirk as she points to the closet down the hall where there’s a stack of boxes thrown outside, definitely not where I had asked her to put it.

“Where, Ally? I don’t have time to go through all those boxes again because you’re doing a half-assed job of helping me, just like you did with ordering the tape I requested.” I groan, and she just rolls her eyes.

“I told you, it’s over there. Stop throwing a temper tantrum.”

“I. Am. Hangry. Just get the damn box so I can go eat my food in peace, Ally,” I snap as my sister stands there like a useless paperweight in a pair of ridiculous stilettos. Talk about impractical for cleaning this place up—but that tracks for her. She'll probably stand around for a couple of hours before magically disappearing to go shopping or get her hair done or something.

We both got jobs with the L.A. Stingrays after college, although mine required a degree. Her degree wasn’t necessary for her to be a personal assistant—but that’s not the point. I’m proud that I earned my place, but I won’t pretend that having my uncle as the head coach didn’t offer me a bit of an in.

At the end of the day, though, none of that really matters. Being one of the few female athletic trainers in the NHL is an accomplishment I’ll always be proud of, especially being offered a position to work with my uncle. I’ve always dreamed of the day that could be a possibility, so I’m excited I reached that milestone when I joined his staff in Los Angeles.

At the time, I needed an escape from Nashville, but I won’t lie and say I wasn’t extremely grateful to have Uncle Ronnie put in a good word for me once I finished school. Still, I’d like to believe I would’ve been able to get the job without his help.

“Like…today?” I finally snap when she just stares at me. With an exaggerated sigh, she walks away to grab the box for me.

Turning to look at Linda, I laugh when I catch her rolling her eyes at my sister.

“I’m sorry,” Linda says, blushing. “She’s just…a lot.”

“A lot?” I smirk. “That’s the polite way of saying my sister is an absolute pain in the ass. My aunt used to call her Pita growing up.”

“Pita?” she asks, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.

“Yeah. Pain In The Ass. It was her nickname, and it fit her perfectly.”

“Oh,” she says with a giggle before turning back to her computer quickly as Ally returns.

“Here,” she snaps as she shoves the box into my chest.

Instead of fighting her, I just give her a saccharine smile and walk back to my office. The fact that I’m able to do this right now shows real growth. When I’m this hangry, I’m usually unable to think rationally and end up biting everyone's head off. That’s why I almost always have a snack or three in my bag, so that I never actually get hungry. This time, though, my sister took the last of my beef jerky and only left the chips I don’t like.

I can’t wait until I don’t have to live with her anymore because I know she does all of that on purpose. She’s always been like this—jealous of the things I have or the things I enjoy. Whether it was the job I wanted, the clothes I wore, or even the guy I liked, she took it all by being a backstabbing twatwaffle.

Unfortunately for me, I had to live with her in the house she rents from our parents while I was in school. I didn’t really have another choice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that I didn’t have to stress over finding a place to stay and paying for it—but my sister is difficult at best, and living with her is a nightmare.

Now that I’m done with school and officially have a full-time job, I’m ready to get my own place. I just haven’t had the chance yet.

With her attitude, I’m going to find the time even if I have to pull it out of thin air.

Sitting down at my desk, I grab my sandwich and the subpar bag of chips from my bag then settle in to watch New Girl on my phone for lunch.

I’m not even five minutes into the episode when I hear my uncle’s voice coming down the hall, and I can tell I’m not supposed to be hearing this conversation. Quickly standing up, I move behind my door…obviously eavesdropping, but I have no shame.

“Yeah, the deal’s done. I’m getting my way and will be back in Nashville,” my uncle says in what I’m assuming is a phone call.

What the fuck does that mean?

“No, I'm bringing the girls, too. I told them we were a package deal if they wanted me to coach. I'm telling the girls at dinner tonight, but we’ll be moving in two weeks, right before the damn season starts. Ally's boyfriend plays a couple of hours away from Nashville anyway, so they’re used to the distance. She probably won’t be too concerned. Quinn, on the other hand, doesn't take anything in life seriously, definitely not serious enough for her to be dating—she doesn’t exactly seem like the commitment type. Which is why I'm hesitant to keep her in the head trainer role. If she can’t commit in other areas of her life, why should I believe she can do it when it comes to her job? But I told her I'd give her this year to prove it.”

What the fuck.

Is this man really moving us cross-country without warning? And is he really talking this much shit about me, his own niece, right outside my fucking office?

I guess it's good to know what he thinks about me.

I'm glad he's not just abandoning us to go back home, but a heads-up would have been nice.

And why the fuck am I cleaning a place we aren't even going to be working in next month?

The pause stretches longer, and I almost think the conversation is over. I'm about to go sit back down and finish eating when I hear him again.

“No, she's not letting him know we’ll be working there. Ally is dating someone new, and she's not concerned with her ex-fiancé,” he says, and my blood turns cold at the mention of him. “He won't be a concern for anyone—he'll be on the first plane to L.A. as soon as I'm in charge. I don’t tolerate cheaters on my team.”

My heart starts racing at his words as his voice gets further and further away until, finally, it’s silent, except not in my mind. Now my head is spinning at a million miles an hour stressing about everything I just heard. My uncle’s not that big of a dick, right? He wouldn’t purposefully fuck over Levi…would he? Well, I'm sure he would, but it’s stupid to ship him away from his home when he hasn't done anything wrong. Although based on the cheater remark, it sounds like he still believes Ally’s version of their breakup, which pisses me off even more.

But why would my uncle want to get rid of Levi?

Levi is incredible on the ice, even if it pains me to admit that I watch him. Beyond that, he’s a good teammate, his friends all love him, and I know he’s good to his family. Making him out to be a bad guy is bullshit, and getting rid of him would be a horrible move for the Firebirds.

But what can I do about that? It’s not like I’m exactly in a position to make big decisions for the team; that’s way above my pay grade. With my mind starting to quiet, I begin pacing my office trying to digest this new information.

It’s not like I can really fight for Levi either, especially when I’m not even supposed to know this information yet. Not to mention—that might make it weird with Ally, and the last thing I need is to give her another reason to make my life hell.

But why? She doesn’t give a fuck about your feelings…

Neither does my uncle though, seeing as he still treats me like an immature child not ready to make big-kid decisions when all I’ve ever done is chase my dreams. Why isn’t that enough for him? Does it make Ally so much better because she has a job and a boyfriend?

Not my fault I work a lot and the only guy I spend my time with isn’t interested in dating me.

But what if it was for a good cause? What if…

No, this is a horrible idea.

But is it?

I mean, it doesn’t seem like a better idea to let him ruin this team by pulling Levi away from Nashville and his family.

Fuck.

I mean…he might go for it, if it was all just for show…maybe?

Just call him…the worst he can say is no.

Begrudgingly, I pull my phone from my bag, looking around to make sure that Ally and Uncle Ronnie are still gone before pulling up the name I rarely contact. I can’t believe I’m doing this. With my thumb hovering over the name, I take a deep breath before clicking it and typing out a quick text.

Me: Hi. We need to talk.

Levi: Talk? We don’t really do that.

Me: I’m serious. I need to see you.

Levi: You in town?

Me: No.

Levi:…

Levi: We don’t make plans, Q. That’s not part of our deal.

Me: Fuck our deal. I’m in town in two weeks and we need to talk.

Me: In fact, if we don’t talk, it could cost you your career.

Not wanting to see him start typing his response, I toss my phone like a hot potato into my purse with a squeal I’m sure my sister could hear, but truthfully, I don’t think she’d be concerned.

The anxiety of not knowing what he’ll say to that is almost enough to send me into a full blown spiral. Levi and I have a very complicated relationship that doesn’t exactly fit into a neat little box. He was my best friend—and almost my brother-in-law.

But he’s also the guy I meet up with a couple of times a year for mind-blowing orgasms when we’re in the same city.

So yeah…there’s that.

That’s the kicker about Levi. He’s my ex-best friend and my current fuck buddy, and both come with their own set of memories that I’m very fond of. The way his messy brown hair falls over his eyes as he buries his face between my legs, or the savage little smirk he gives me when he knows I’m about to come.

Even more are the memories of the way he’d look when he received a text he didn’t like, whether from my sister or about his nana. I could always tell when it was one of those because he would get a look that told me he was overwhelmed. Over the years when we would “hang out,” he’d periodically get those messages—but I could never say anything because it wasn’t my place.

Plus, I wasn’t supposed to know about his nana.

No one else noticed these changes though, or at least if they did, they never acted like it. They all just sort of figured he was just quiet, but I knew better. The way he’d bite his lip as he’d read the messages over and over, his foot bouncing in a way that I knew meant he was overwhelmed as he typed out a response. He was a ball of tension just ready to snap, but once the conversations were done, he was usually back to his happy-go-lucky self and making everyone laugh.

Grabbing my phone, I flip it over with another squeal, covering my eyes with one hand when I see that he responded.

Levi: Fucking hell, Q. Call when you’re in town.

Me: *Finger gun* gif

Fuck. Usually, when I meet up with Levi, it’s good for really hot sex with the promise of a handful of orgasms, but that’s definitely not what this is. Levi and I don’t talk, we fuck. That’s been made clear on more than one occasion, and it’s something I’ve made peace with.

Hell, it’s one version of him that only I get, and that’s had to be enough.

But this time when I see him, sex is probably off the table because we need to have a serious conversation about a horrible situation—and a potentially even worse idea of mine that won’t be handled well by anyone.

I mean, dating my sister's ex-fiancé is a pretty bold move, even if it'll be fake. But it’s a win-win for both of us, as long as I can get Levi to agree.