Page 7 of On the Line
The situation was hardly comical, yet Lexie couldn’t help but laugh. She had always been a master of schooling her features, keeping her true feelings locked away and maintaining a calm, cool, and collected exterior.
Rarely, if ever, did Alexandra Monroe let anyone close enough to know what she was truly thinking.
But Berkley could read her like a book. It was a testament to the strength of their friendship that Berkley inherently understood things about Lexie that others never did and never would.
“Alexandra,” Berkley scolded. “This isn’t funny!”
“I know it’s not, Berk,” Lexie said with a sigh. “It’s just funny how easily you can read me.”
Berkley giggled. “Sometimes I wish I couldn’t. And let’s not forget you’re notalwayseasy for me to read.”
Lexie tried not to wince, but her eyebrows drew together anyway. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
Berkley reclined back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee, giving Lexie a knowing look. “You never do. But one day you’re going to have to.”
“Well today is not that day.”
The screen door from the kitchen slid open, and Chris asked, “Not the day for what?”
“Jet skiing,” Lexie lied easily. “Berkley and I are going to go into town and do some shopping so you boys can bond.”
Berkley raised an eyebrow at Lexie, dubious. “We are?”
Lexie silently pleaded with Berkley to go along with this ruse. She needed time away from Chris, from this cabin, for a few hours. If only so, she could regain some piece of her sanity.
Chris opened and closed his mouth a few times, and Lexie held her breath, waiting.
If he fights me on this or shows any inkling that he has a backbone, I’ll reconsider ending things. Just…please, Chris. Give me something to work with here.
In the end, all Chris did was nod and turn to go back inside.
“Okay,” Berkley said. “I can see why you’re ending it.”
“Right? Thank you,” Lexie said with a laugh.
“I mean…when we were younger, a dude that let us get away with shit always seemed like the dream, right? But now…”
“But now, I don’t want some docile man who never wants to stand up to me.”
“Exactly. Trust me, that one fights with me constantly,” Berkley said, tilting her head toward the kitchen window at Brent, looking out at them and sticking his tongue out. “But it’s good for me. Keeps me honest. If I had a man who just let me have free reign over our entire lives, I’d be a horrible person. Especially considering the type of money mine makes. If Brent and I were different people, that could be dangerous.”
Lexie snorted. Berkley had never wanted or needed Brent’s money. She worked her ass off in undergrad to put herself through law school, with a little help from her parents and a trust fund, and in the year since graduation, she had been doing very well for herself, working for the same firm that represented Brent.
Except now Berkley was going back to school. Berkley’s dream has always been to be an agent and represent athletes like rookies and women who tend to be taken advantage of in contract negotiations. She would still be practicing law part-time while she took business and other necessary courses at Wayne State so she could open her own agency, and Brent was bankrolling the entire thing.
When she told Lexie about it, Lexie genuinely thought it was some big joke. The Berkley from two years ago would never. But she and Brent were getting married eventually, and what was his would soon be hers anyway.
It was a big moment for Berkley and said so much more about how safe she felt with Brent and how much she loved him than words ever could.
“You know what else we can do today?” Berkley asked, dragging Lexie’s attention back to the present.
“I’m assuming this is a rhetorical question,” Lexie said.
Berkley rolled her eyes but said, “We can start wedding planning!”
That got Lexie’s attention. “You two finally settled on a date?”
“Sure did,” Berkley said proudly. “July 22, 2023.”
