"You mean her replacement's replacement's replacement," he clarifies.
I freeze in my pursuit of a sip and glare at him over the tan liquid I'd much rather toss in his direction than swallow. "Right," I say simply.
"And what was wrong with the last one again?"
I pull my hands away from my face and shoot my eyebrows up. "Oh, you mean the one who was supposed to be polite and punctual?" I ask in my most proper voice.
Levi nods.
"She was neither."
He takes a slow sip, holding back laughter.
"What?"
"Nothing," he dismisses. He leans onto the island casually.
"Just say it."
He shakes his head, the corners of his lips turned up. "It's always something."
I tilt my chin down. "She showed up late on her first three days, then on day four, she asked if theblondewas part of the job description."
"Blonde?" he asks, rightfully confused.
In perfect timing, Sammy comes waddling over, his nails tapping against the kitchen floor like keys on a keyboard.
"No," Levi says, connecting the dots.
"Yep."
"That's not rude. That's fucking weird."
I raise my brows, taking another sip. "It's fucking annoying is what it is."
Levi all but chokes on his drink. "Woah," he says when he finally catches his breath. "Look at you."
I set my mug down and pick the resumes back up. "What now?"
He shakes his head and cracks his neck side-to-side. "It's just kind of nice being thesunshinebrother for once."
I scoff. "You arenotthe sunshine brother."
"Well, no…" Levi runs his finger along the porcelain rim. "But it's at least partly sunny over here. You've got those dark-ass clouds hanging over you lately."
I groan, dropping the papers and taking a much-needed gulp. "You wouldn't understand. Your experience with preteens is… well, Cooper."
Levi smiles at the sound of his stepson's name. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"He's a boy. And you have Alex. I'm over here raw-dogging Girl Dad Land all alone, fighting every day for survival."
He laughs before his face goes serious. "You're not alone."
"No, I know. But you get what I'm saying."
"I do," he admits.
"And with this being my last year playing, I just know it's gonna be a lot." I pause, getting momentarily lost in the thought of life as I know it coming to an end. "I need someone I can trust to be here with Ruthie so I can fully commit this season."
