Page 32 of For the Boys
“Mitch and Parker.”
“Did they behave?”
“We had fun.” That was all she said. Brent didn’t want to push his luck, so he didn’t press for more details.
Brent looked around. “What do you need us to do?”
“Brent, will you help me blow up balloons? We have helium tanks, but it’ll go faster with two people. Cole, will you go over there and help Amelia hang the banner from the balcony?”
Cole saluted and walked off to help Amelia, who could be no one except the tall brunette standing with her hands on her hips, staring up at the balcony. Behind the bar, a curvy blonde girl was opening packages of plastic cups, plates, and silverware, then artfully arranging them near the end, where a table was set up to hold the food. That had to be Kimber.
The next half hour passed uneventfully while he blew up balloons, chatting with Lexie all the while. He learned that Berkley was about to graduate law school. Berkley had spent the last three years preparing to become a litigator, but her dream was to be a sports agent. Lexie told him Berkley was from the northwestern area of the state, and they’d met during their first week of college at Michigan State. Berkley and Amelia had gone to high school together and had been friends for years.
“So what do you do for a living then?” he asked her. They had moved on from blowing up balloons to creating a balloon arch, and Brent had been tasked with holding the balloons up while Lexie tied them together and created the arch design.
“I’m a headhunter,” she said simply, a piece of twine between her teeth.
Brent laughed. “That suits you.”
Lexie tied the next balloon on, a small gold one, and shrugged. “I am very good at it.”
A laugh rang out across the room, and Brent looked up to see a wide smile stretched across Amelia’s face, while Cole leaned on the wall next to her, grinning. He had taken his hat off, his shaggy blond hair falling in his eyes. Brent watched as Amelia reached up and tucked a piece behind his ear.
Lexie sighed next to him. “What was that for?” he asked.
“She always does this,” Lexie said.
“Does what?”
“Goes all in on the first guy that tosses a smile and a few compliments her way.”
“You call that going all in?” Brent said, gesturing to where Cole was leaning down to press a kiss to Amelia’s cheek.
“Oh you just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Brent snorted. “To be fair, Cole has a bit of a playboy reputation.”
“And you don’t?” Lexie quirked an eyebrow at him.
Brent winced. “Ouch. I thought we were friends.”
“No. Berkley is my friend. I hardly know you. So if it takes calling you out on your bullshit to make sure you’re not going to fuck her over, then I’ll be the bad guy and do it.”
“Fair enough.” Brent raised his hands in mock surrender. “To be fair, I was a bit of a playboy when I first made it to the league. I had just got out of a relationship that left me pretty fucked up, so I drowned my sorrows in alcohol and women. Not my finest hour, but it is what it is.”
“Look, I get that we’ve all had our moments. Trust me, I’m no saint. I’m just looking out for my girl.”
“So trust me when I tell you she’s safe with me.”
Lexie surveyed him for a moment. “What prompted this, anyway?” she asked, waving her hand at the party preparations going on around them.
“Like I told her, I’ve seen her around. She caught my eye, and she seems to want nothing to do with me. It’s intriguing.”
“So you’re looking for a challenge?”
“Okay, no. That came out wrong.” Brent scrubbed his hand through his hair. “What I mean to say is that she’s beautiful, and after a thorough stalking of her social media, she seems exactly like the kind of girl I want in my life.”
Lexie laughed. “I can’t believe you just admitted you stalked her online.”
