Page 65 of For the Boys
“How’d last semester go?”
“Good as always,” Berkley said. “I’m just ready to be done so I start actually practicing, you know? It’s been an incredibly long three years. I’m ready for it to start paying off.”
“You’ll get there, baby,” her mom said, reaching out to give Berkley’s free hand a squeeze.
“Thanks, Mama.”
“We’re proud of you no matter what. As long as you’re doing what you love.”
Her mom got up and made her way to the kitchen, presumably to kick Logan out and help her dad with the breakfast, as she did every year. In her mother’s defense, Logan had a bad habit of burning the shit out of eggs. Berkley secretly thought he did it on purpose.
Logan came into the sunroom a minute later and dropped down into the vacated seat on the couch. Jessica made a noise of protest, rolled to her other side, and fell back to sleep.
“How is it that this little shit is allowed to sleep and we’re not?”
“We’ve both survived law school,” Berkley said. “We’re capable of surviving on three hours of sleep and endless cups of coffee.”
“And Red Bull. I drank so much Red Bull in law school I had to start buying it by the case.”
Berkley made a face, disgusted. “I forgot you used to buy it in bulk! It’s honestly a wonder you’re not dead.”
“Speaking of law school, you haven’t exactly completely survived yet. Are you ready for your final semester?”
“Like I was just telling Mom, I’m ready to be done. I can’t wait to start practicing.”
“Are you still planning on moving home after? You know I’ve got a job lined up for you at the firm as you graduate.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Logan,” she said, leaning forward to set her coffee mug on the table in front of her. “I still have five months before that happens. A lot can change in that time, not to mention the four it takes for results to come back.”
Logan looked at her. “This isn’t about Brent, is it?”
Berkley sighed. She loved her family, and she never wanted to do anything to disappoint them.
“No, this isn’t about Brent,” she said. “Not entirely anyway.”
Logan sat forward and opened his mouth to respond, surely about to launch into some rant about not considering the feelings of someone she barely knew when making life-altering decisions, but Berkley cut him off.
“Logan, don’t even say it. It’s too soon to be making any decisions with him in mind. I’m looking at this logically. I’m about to graduate in the top five of my class. I’m going to have my pick of law firms across the country, not just in Michigan. I’m just trying to keep my options open for as long as possible.”
Logan sank back into the couch. “You’ve always been smarter than me, kid. I just don’t want you to throw away something you’ve been working so hard to achieve for some guy.”
Berkley snorted. “Staying in Detroit and joining a firm there would hardly be throwing away anything.”
Logan laughed in response. “That’s fair. Just…keep me in the loop, okay? I’d love having you home, but I won’t hold my breath, okay?”
“Deal.”
Logan got up from the couch, probably to get some work done before the festivities of the day required his full attention.
“Hey, Logan?” she called after him.
“Yeah, Berk?”
“Like I said last night, don’t tell Mom and Dad. I’ll tell them when I’m ready.”
“I expect to meet this dude the second it becomes serious,” Logan said, pointing a finger at her.
“Okay,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. “Last time I checked, you weren’t my dad.”
