Page 127 of For the Boys
Finally, Berkley pulled out her textbook on the subject in question, flipped to the section where the term was defined, and shoved the book in their faces.
“HA!” she yelled. “Told you.”
A blush rose onto Reece’s cheeks as he read, and Harper mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Okay,” Berkley said, “I think that’s enough for tonight. Brent plays soon, and I want to clean this place up since someone trashed it with popcorn.”
Reece looked sheepish. “Sorry,” he said. “Hey, are you bringing Brent to Treasure of Detroit?”
Berkley paused by the hall closet, where she was heading to get the vacuum.
The Treasure of Detroit Ball was Wayne State’s version of a Barrister’s Ball. It was basically a law school prom. The third-year law students got all dressed up and descended upon the Colony Club to rub elbows with their classmates, as well as practicing lawyers and political elite from the area who had made a lasting impression on that year’s class. Berkley was on the organizing committee with ten of her classmates, and they had chosen to keep that year’s event classic. There would be a sit-down dinner and a walking buffet of appetizers for later in the evening. Local businesses and wealthy individuals were donating items to a silent auction, the proceeds of which would go to a local women’s shelter. They had also booked a live band for post-dinner dancing and were offering a cash bar.
“To be honest, I’ve been so busy I kind of forgot about it,” Berkley said.
“Forgot? Berkley, you’re dating the hottest man alive and you forgot about an opportunity to dress him up and parade him in front of our classmates? For an event, mind you, that you helped plan.”
Berkley shrugged. “I don’t even know if he’ll be home.”
“He will be,” Reece told her, holding up his phone. “They play Nashville the night before, and then New Jersey on Monday, both at home.”
“Why did you look that up?”
“I really want to meet him,” Reece admitted.
“That makes two of us,” Harper said.
“Reece, you don’t even like hockey.”
“Maybe after three years in Michigan, it’s time to change that,” he said. “You know I want to stay here after graduation.”
True, he had told her at the start of this semester that he loved Michigan and wanted to start his career here. He didn’t want to go back south, not yet at least.
“Okay, you’re right. I’ll ask him, but he’s a busy man, so no guarantees.”
Harper snorted. “He also worships the ground you walk on and would do pretty much anything you asked.”
Also true, she thought.
Once Reece and Harper had gone, Berkley curled up on the couch to watch Brent’s game. He was in Colorado, taking on the Chargers. It was nearly nine, and Berkley’s eyelids felt like sandpaper every time she blinked. She laid her head down on a throw pillow and pulled her blanket up to her chin, drifting slowly off to sleep just as the puck dropped to start the game.
She woke several hours later to her phone buzzing on the coffee table.
“Hello?” she said, her voice cracking.
“Berk?” Brent said. “Are you okay?”
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was well after midnight, and her TV had switched from the game to some late night infomercial. “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I fell asleep.”
“So you didn’t watch the game?”
“No, babe, I’m sorry. I slept through the whole thing.”
“So you missed my four goals,” Brent said.
That woke Berkley up. “Four goals? Brent, are you serious?”
Brent laughed. “No, but I did have one. And we won, thank you for asking.”
