Page 10 of Just Let Go

“Stuart Landen. Attorney for Grady Benson.” He said it like it was something to be proud of. As if he’d been picked first for the dodgeball team in gym class. As if he’d forgotten nobody else was offered as a choice.

“I think we can handle this quite simply, Mr. Landen. Mr. Benson, before I decide on your punishment, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Grady glanced at Stuart, whose eyes went wide, urging him to speak up. But what could he say? He wasn’t sorry for clocking that idiot.

Betsy Tanner’s face appeared in his mind. Hewassorry for messing up her restaurant.

Grady pushed himself up out of the chair as the back door to the courtroom opened. Before Grady could speak, Jimmy stormed into the room and glared at him. A trail of bruises lined the space just underneath his eyes, and he had a bandage on his face.

“That guy broke my nose,” Jimmy said. The reporters scrambled to write on their little notepads, and the sheriff sat, stoic, one eyebrow raised as if there might be some part of him, buried deep down, that found this whole thing amusing.

“Mr. Hanner, sit down. You’ll get your turn in court.” The judge was clearly no fan of Jimmy’s. At least he and Grady could agree on that.

Jimmy pointed at Grady. “I want to make sure this guy gets what’s coming to him.”

“That is not your job, Mr. Hanner. That is my job.” The judge peered down at Jimmy, then glanced at Walker. “See him out.”

Walker grabbed Jimmy by the arm and dragged him up the aisle and out the door.

The judge turned his attention back to Grady. “You were saying?”

“Your Honor, I’m not from here,” Grady said.

“Yes, I know,” the judge said.

“I was trying to enjoy a bite to eat after many hours in the car, and this man—a stranger—provoked me.”

Beside him, Stuart groaned.

“As you can see, the man is easily worked up,” Grady added.

“You did break his nose,” Judge Harrison said wryly.

Grady shifted. “Sir, I will write a check to pay for the damage to that restaurant.”

“You will, huh?” Judge Harrison didn’t look impressed.

“Of course, Your Honor. I’ll have my business manager wire the money if that’s better.”

The judge lifted his chin. “That does seem like an easy way to settle this dispute.”

“I’m all about easy.” Grady’s off-the-cuff comment was met with an elbow to the ribs from Stuart.

“I bet you are,” the judge said. “Which is exactly the problem I see with so many young people today.”

Grady glanced at his lawyer. “Now you’ve done it,” Stuart whispered under his breath.

“I’d like to make amends for my mistake, Your Honor,” Grady said, wondering if there was any way to get back on the man’s good side when his mere presence seemed to have put him on his bad side in the first place.

“And you think throwing money at this will do that?” The judge still eyed him, perched several feet above where Grady and his dodgeball buddy of a lawyer stood.

“My client isn’t suggesting he would throw money at Ms. Tanner, Your Honor,” Stuart said. “He would issue a formal apology and truly make this up to her and the rest of the town.”

This was the part when the judge slapped a fine on Grady, he called Pete and had him wire the money, and finally—finally—he could get out of this town, which had proven to be far more trouble than it was worth.

The burger was good, but it wasn’tthatgood.

“We’re a small community here in Harbor Pointe, Mr. Benson. We aren’t accustomed to this kind of attention from the press.”

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