Page 30 of For the Boys
He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say you had to.”
“Can we go eat?” Nate said. “I love a veggie tray and some wing dings as much as the next guy, but I need real food.”
“Yes, please,” Brent said, rubbing a hand over his stomach.
“Where are we going?” his mom asked.
“Nate?” Brent asked, knowing exactly where his brother would choose to go.
“Island Grill.”
Brent smiled. “Perfect.”
The Island Grill was classic American cuisine. It wasn’t particularly fancy, but the food was excellent, the service always impeccable, and they had good draft beer.
When they were seated, drinks and food were ordered before his mom turned to Brent. “So…” she started.
“Here we go,” Nate said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair, a grin spreading across his face. His mom smacked him in the arm.
Brent internally groaned and shifted slightly in his seat to face her. “Yes, Mother?” he asked politely.
She smacked him next, and he grinned. “I was just curious if you’re dating anyone.”
“Not yet,” Brent said, then slapped his hand over his mouth. He hadn’t meant to phrase it like that, and he knew by the way his mom’s eyes narrowed that he had screwed up. She was like a dog with a bone when she sensed something was up.
“Tell me about her.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Brent turned to take a long chug of his beer, thinking over his next move. He had to give his mom something, or she would never let it go.Play it cool, Jean. That’s your best bet.“She’s just a girl that I’m sort of interested in. I’m hoping it goes somewhere.”
The waiter delivered their food then, and his family spent a few silent moments digging into the meal in front of them. Salt and pepper, ketchup, napkins, and silverware were passed around the table in a well-choreographed dance the five of them had long since perfected.
“Well at least tell me her name.”
“Berkley,” Brent said, holding up his hand. “And before you even ask, I am not telling you her last name or Mackenzie will know her whole life story before we even leave this restaurant.”
He looked across the table at his sister, who was already tapping furiously on her phone. Brent groaned. Berkley wasn’t exactly a common name, and he had a feeling Mackenzie would be able to find her social media accounts even without the benefit of a last name.
“Found her,” she said a moment later. She turned her phone screen toward the table, flashing a picture Berkley had posted a few weeks ago. The shot had been taken outside, the leaves on the trees behind her were just beginning to change, and she was grinning widely at whoever was taking the photo.
“Oh, wow,” Brent’s mom said, taking the phone from her daughter to get a better look. “She’s stunning! And so tiny from the looks of it!”
“She is,” Brent said. “But she’s just a girl. No need to get all excited.”
“Oh, honey.” His mom placed her hand on Brent’s arm. “She’s obviously not just a girl or you wouldn’t even be talking about her. When do we get to meet her?”
“Well…”
“Let me guess,” Nate said, “she doesn’t even know you exist.”
Brent threw a balled-up napkin at his brother. “No, she knows I exist. We just haven’t actually met.”
His entire family stared at him like he had sprouted a second head. Sighing, he launched into the whole tale, explaining how he had helped Berkley and her friends when they’d been drugged, how he’d reached out to her over Instagram, and how he was helping her friends throw her a surprise party.
“Okay, first of all, your mother and I definitely did something right with you,” his dad said, joining the conversation for the first time since the topic of Berkley had been introduced. “That was incredibly kind and generous of you to help those girls out when they were in need.”
“Well, we couldn’t just leave them at the bar to fend for themselves,” he said, shrugging.
“I can’t believe you’re throwing a birthday party for this girl,” Nate said. “That’s so—”
