The First Time Again: The Braddock Brotherhood, Book 3 Read Online Free Page A

cup. Again she hesitated, but when he picked up his utensils, she stepped away.
    He glanced around the restaurant in time to see one or two patrons sending speculative looks in his direction.
    He piled everything except the grits onto one plate and mixed it all together. He’d loved doing this as a kid and now there was no one to stop him. He’d been taught manners, but he couldn’t see what difference it could possibly make to anyone if he liked to chop up his bacon and shove it into the eggs until they ran all over the plate and into the hash browns. Who would care if he added biscuits and gravy to that mess?
    He read the rest of the paper while he ate. The waitress stopped by one more time, but he declined her offer of another refill.
    He threw a generous tip on the table and went to the counter to pay. She was there, too, and took his money. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
    He looked at her full-on then, since it didn’t seem like he could avoid it. What could he say? “No, can’t say that I do.”
    “Terry Miller. We went to high school together. You were a year ahead of me. I sat behind you in World History my sophomore year.”
    “Did you?” Trey racked his brain for a memory, any memory of a younger version of this woman, and came up blank.
    “Yeah, well, you never noticed me back then, either.”
    Trey fought the urge to apologize. He didn’t owe this woman anything other than civility and the tip he’d left on the table.
    She handed him his change. He smiled at her. “Great to meet you, Terry. I’ll probably see you again.”
    He decided to walk to Ryan’s office. He needed to use his leg, keep the muscles moving, even if it pained him to do so.
    The law office of Ryan T. Reagle was a step above what Trey expected for a small-town lawyer, decorated in muted tones of gray with burgundy accents. An opaque window on a far wall slid open as soon as he closed the door. A chubby redhead smiled in his direction and asked if she could help him.
    “I don’t have an appointment, but I was wondering if Ryan’s available.”
    “Does he know what it’s regarding?”
    “No, but it’s a legal matter.”
    “What’s your name? I’ll see if he can see you.”
    When Trey gave her his name she showed no indication of recognizing it. He remained standing after she slid the frosted panel closed. A minute later she held the door to the inner sanctum open for him. “End of the hall, turn left,” she told him.
    The hallway wasn’t very long and was carpeted in dark gray with burgundy-and-cream-striped wallpaper covering the walls below a chair rail. The top half of the walls was painted the same cream as the stripe in the wallpaper.
    He tapped on the open door to Ryan’s office, but the other man was already on his feet and coming around his desk. Ryan hadn’t changed much. He was still tall, thin and bookish. He offered his hand.
    “Trey Christopher, as I live and breathe. Back in town for less than twenty-four hours and in trouble with the law already.” He grinned when Trey’s mouth dropped open and then indicated the chairs in front of his desk. He went back to the other side and dropped into a burgundy leather swivel chair. The furnishings were cherry, the upholstered pieces carrying through the same color scheme as the outer office. “Come on, have you forgotten how small towns operate? Word of mouth. Gossip on the street. Better and more accurate information than that newspaper will give you.”
    Confounded, Trey could only stare at Ryan. “Are you saying—?”
    “That I know Justin Spoley pulled you over last night and threw a whole bunch of citations at you? Sure. As soon as he logged them in, they became public record. Clerks over at the courthouse are all abuzz with it.”
    “Damn. I hope that doesn’t mean my mom and dad already know he cited me for indecent exposure.”
    “They may not know the particulars, but I’d be willing to bet by now your dad knows you got pulled over for