Stirring Up Trouble

by Andrea Laurence

  Logan Anthony hung up the phone, sat back in his leather executive chair, and smiled the grin of a very satisfied man. His sister, Pepper, had been right. It’d taken a few months to find his niche, but his newly established law firm in Rosewood was doing excellent business. The best part was that he was stealing those clients away from Norman Chamberlain.

  His windfall had come over the summer, when someone tripped and fell inside the local women’s clothing boutique, Dressin’ Up. The woman who fell threatened to sue the owner, Beverly Perkins, and Beverly came running to Logan for help. He’d gotten the customer to settle for far less than a judge probably would’ve awarded her. When it was all over, Beverly asked what she could ever possibly do to thank Logan. At first he dismissed it, knowing good service was its own best advertising. Then he realized that Beverly’s shop was directly across the street from the Chamberlain Law Firm. She let him put up a huge sign on the side of the store facing Second Avenue, so everyone who walked in or out of the firm would see it. The banner declared that he offered free legal consults and second opinions and he could help them for less than other firms charged.

  It was absolutely true. He charged a fraction of what the prestigious and stuck-up Chamberlain firm billed their clients. Since he put that sign up, he’d had a steady stream of people in his office. Not all of them opted to go with him, but enough did to make him seem like a credible threat. The Sunday after the sign went up, there was a full-page color ad in the Rosewood Times advertising the Chamberlain Law Firm and all the services they offered. They touted their years of experience and dedication to the community. That was nice and all, but every client that ad brought to Norman’s front door would see Logan’s sign, too.

  Logan might not get business from the fanciest of Rosewood families, who dined and golfed with the Chamberlains, but he was getting everyone else. Logan would damn near work for free to underbid the Chamberlains. This wasn’t just about business. It was about revenge against the father who refused to acknowledge him.

  Glancing down at his phone, Logan noticed he had another text from Pepper. She had been adamant about having him over for dinner one night. That wasn’t his idea of a good time, so he’d carefully dodged her requests. He had been busy at work, no doubt, but considering she lived across the street with Norman’s legitimate son Grant, he could probably make the time if he wanted to.

  Learning the truth about his father was a hard adjustment, especially with his sister and Grant engaged. His mother had raised Logan and Pepper to despise and avoid the Chamberlains. While the whole family wasn’t to blame for Norman’s actions, Logan wasn’t about to give them all a pass. He tolerated his half brother Grant only because he had to. That didn’t mean he wanted to have dinner with them and act like everything was hunky-dory.

  His office phone rang then, surprising him. It was pretty late—and a Sunday at that—for a client to call, but people got into trouble at all hours, he supposed. “Anthony Law Firm, this is Logan speaking,” he answered.

  “Hey, Logan. This is Emmett Sawyer over at Woody’s. I was wondering if you had time to come by the bar and talk to me about a legal issue I’ve run into with Madelyn Chamberlain. I could use some lawyerly advice. Beer’s on me.”

  Logan perked up in his seat. If this involved his snotty half sister, he had all night. “Sure thing. I’ll be right over.”

  Logan hung up the phone, a smug smile curling his lips. Stealing his father’s clients and battling him in court was just the first step in chipping away at Norman Chamberlain’s empire. In time, he hoped to expose the truth to Norman’s family and watch his own children, Maddie included, turn on him. And then, when Norman was at his lowest point, Logan would find a way to deliver a fatal blow to the man’s reputation and let the whole town realize the truth about the man and the family they’d practically worshipped.

  It would take time, but as they say, revenge was a dish best served cold.

  Chapter Six

  Maddie put on her most professional outfit—a pale gray pantsuit with a gray-and-pink-striped blouse—and headed to the courthouse early on Monday morning. She walked there in a practical pair of pink ballet flats since it was after Labor Day and her white sandals were packed away for the winter. Her parents and her grandmother were going to meet her out front at eight forty-five, fifteen minutes before her case was scheduled.

  As she walked down First Avenue toward the square, past her store, she felt a flare of irritation lick at her cheeks. Madelyn’s Bakery was closed today, by necessity. She hated posting the sign in the window telling customers they’d have to come back tomorrow. They shouldn’t have to. They should be able to get their tasty treats today just like always. It was lemon tart day.

  Perhaps she needed to look into getting an assistant. She was avoiding it, the cost would eat into her ability to pay back her father, but she didn’t really have a choice. It wouldn’t be that expensive to hire a teenager to work after school. They’d work for minimum wage and she’d get her afternoons back. A small price to pay in the scheme of things. Today, she made zero money because no one was there to run the bakery.

  And it was all Emmett’s fault.

  Maddie could only hope that the judge saw her side in all this. She hadn’t had the chance to ask her grandmother if she’d spoken to Judge Griffin after church yesterday. She’d sworn she would, so Maddie just had to hope for the best.

  When she arrived, she saw her father’s black Mercedes parked out front. Her parents stepped out of the car when they saw her, gathering on the sidewalk to each scoop her into their arms in a supportive hug.

  “I’m so sorry you’re having to go through all this, baby,” Norman Chamberlain said. “Sheriff Todd is running a mockery of a police station if a sweet, law-abiding girl such as yourself finds herself in handcuffs.”

  “Norman,” her mother, Helen, warned, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “Please remember to hold your tongue in the courtroom today. You’re not at trial and it won’t help matters for Madelyn. And remember, your son is an officer. You don’t want to put Simon in an awkward position by starting a war with Sheriff Todd.”

  “Simon is just as guilty,” Norman snapped bitterly. “I didn’t raise my son to do something as callous as arresting his own sister.”

  “He had to do his job.” Helen opened her arms wide to usher everyone up the stairs and silence her husband’s tirade. “I’m sure this will be just a little thing. If we have to, we’ll pay the fine and move on. The bigger the stink we make about this, the more people find out about it.”

  That was Helen Chamberlain for you. Maddie’s mother was never one to make a fuss about anything. Daddy had a temper, but Mama was the one who could reason with him and cool him down. She was soft-spoken but firm, and always chose whatever path would lead to a peaceful resolution the fastest. She wasn’t much for drama, so this situation with Maddie and Simon was probably giving their mother a tension headache.

  Maddie let herself be herded into the courthouse, following the long, narrow hallway to the only courtroom in Rosewood. Outside the large double doors was a bench where Emmett sat with Logan Anthony by his side.

  She stiffened immediately, reaching out to grasp her father’s sleeve and hold him back before he noticed and charged at them. Her daddy was furious with Emmett, but it didn’t hold a candle to how he felt about Logan.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” her father barked, the sound echoing down the hall. Fortunately, her mother had grabbed his other sleeve and, together, they held him in place.

  Emmett stood calmly, tugging down his suit jacket and adjusting his green silk tie. If Maddie was correct, and she was certain she was, she’d say that was a designer suit. Armani, maybe. And his watch was, at the very least, a convincing Rolex knockoff.

  Not exactly the kind of clothes she’d expected him to own after seeing his usual uniform of jeans and T-shirts. She figured he’
d show up today in a pair of poorly ironed khakis and his best polo shirt, maybe combing his unruly blond hair if they were lucky. Instead, she’d been caught off guard by his professional polish. He cleaned up very well.

  “He’s my attorney,” Emmett said, meeting Norman’s cold gaze without flinching.

  There was a different aura about him that Maddie immediately noticed. It wasn’t just about the clothes or the neatly combed hair. The laid-back surfer dude had stayed at the bar today. The man in front of her looked more like a lawyer than Logan did. He radiated a dangerous feeling of power, like some sort of courtroom barracuda or a corporate hotshot who was cocked and ready to fire.

  Something deep inside Maddie was ready to fire, too. There were few things she liked better than a man in a well-tailored suit. To see Emmett’s tall, well-built frame clad in designer clothes was more than she could take. She’d been attracted to him when he was the bad boy she shouldn’t want. Knowing the bad boy could look like this made her suppressed libido nearly explode.

  She sucked in a ragged breath, determined to ignore the feelings churning inside. There wasn’t a more inappropriate time for this, except maybe a funeral. Anyway, the attraction would be pointless if her daddy punched Emmett in his handsome, smug face.

  Norman didn’t seem impressed by any of Emmett’s attire, but he probably didn’t know how the bartender normally looked. “Good luck with that, Sawyer. With Mr. Anthony by your side, you’ll probably end up in the electric chair.”

  Logan made a lunging movement, but Emmett’s quick reflexes held him back.

  “Daddy?” Maddie asked, tugging at her father’s coat to distract him and diffuse the situation. The last thing she needed was a brawl outside the courtroom before they went in. “I thought you said I didn’t need an attorney for this.”

  “You shouldn’t,” he said with a brisk shake of his head. “Some people just have guilty consciences. You’ll be fine.”

  Maddie took a deep breath and hoped he was right.

  Either way, time was up. The doors opened and the court reporter stepped out. “Chamberlain and Sawyer,” she announced, turning to go back inside.

  They all filed in, taking their seats in the small courtroom. The space was a hundred years old, fashioned of polished wood railings and benches. There were two small tables up front, then the large, raised platform where Judge Griffin sat. The court reporter took her seat to the side and cued up her paperwork to begin the transcript.

  The bailiff stepped out from a door behind the bench and asked them to rise. “The honorable Judge Hugo Griffin presiding.”

  The door opened again, and the other man stepped out in his robe. He was bald except for the white tufts of hair over his ears that wrapped in a narrow band around the back of his head. He had bushy white eyebrows and a drawn, wrinkly forehead. He was frowning as he climbed the stairs to take his seat, making Maddie more nervous with every step.

  She’d never seen Judge Griffin at work before. She’d seen him only at social events. He’d always been pleasant and friendly when they ran into him at church or chatted with her family at the Fourth of July picnic. The man even sang in the choir at church and played Santa a time or two in the Rosewood Christmas parade. He was, by all accounts, a pleasant man.

  But that didn’t mean anything once he sat down at the bench.

  “Please be seated,” Judge Griffin said. As everyone sat down he settled in, opening a file and silently flipping through the pages for a few moments.

  “Mr. Sawyer, Miss Chamberlain,” he said at last, pinning both of them in turn with his dark gaze. “You’re here today to face charges of disorderly conduct, which is a class C misdemeanor in the state of Alabama, punishable by up to a five-hundred-dollar fine and three months in jail.”

  Maddie felt her heart stutter in her chest. Did he say jail? Maddie swallowed hard. She wouldn’t last a day in jail.

  “According to the statement I have here from Sheriff Todd and Officer Chamberlain, the incident in question seems to be the culmination of a long-standing feud between the two of you.”

  “Judge Griffin, my client was only responding to the constant harassment started by Miss Chamberlain. The—”

  “Stuff it, Mr. Anthony,” Judge Griffin interrupted. “This hearing is not to deal with why you two were fighting or who started it. I don’t care about any of that. What I do care about is that two grown adults have allowed this battle to reach a point where you’d scream at each other in the streets in the presence of a police officer and think that was an appropriate way to conduct yourselves. You’ve obviously got issues and we’re going to deal with those today.”

  Maddie flinched at the judge’s sharp tone. He’d shut Logan Anthony down in an instant. She needed to tread carefully today. Just take her lumps, go home, and hope she never ended up back here ever again.

  “First,” he began, “if both the accused would stand, please. Miss Chamberlain, did you or did you not get into a loud public argument with Mr. Sawyer in the early morning hours of this past Saturday?”

  Maddie stood. “I did, sir.”

  “Thank you. Now, Mr. Sawyer, did you or did you not get into a loud public argument with Miss Chamberlain in the early morning hours of this past Saturday?”

  Maddie glanced over for the first time to where Emmett was standing. He was looking just as handsome as he had earlier, but he was paying no attention to her. He looked at the judge. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good,” Judge Griffin said. “Thank you for not wasting the court’s time by denying it. Now, what to do with you both? Given that Mr. Sawyer has already amassed several thousand dollars in noise citations over the last few weeks, it seems to me as though a five-hundred-dollar fine will not make an impact on either of you.”

  Maddie held her breath.

  “But jail time seems hardly suitable for something like this. In the end, no one was injured and no property was damaged.”

  She finally exhaled. No jail.

  “Neither of those options seem to address the issue at hand, which is that the two of you can’t seem to get along. This little war of yours is tying up city resources. Considering that neither the house nor the bar is going to pull up their foundations and move anytime soon, something has to be done. And I think I’ve got an idea.”

  Maddie’s sense of relief was short-lived. What could the judge possibly do to force them to get along? Her mind flashed back to her childhood and the oversize T-shirt her mother used as a punishment to force two quarreling siblings to play nicely together. It created a two-armed, two-headed, four-legged monster that would immediately stop fighting so they could get away from each other. That’s probably where her brother Simon had gotten the idea about the handcuffs. She worried that something like that would be exactly what the judge would call for.

  “You will both serve community service. I think twenty-four hours served over the next month ought to do it. Since you both operate your own businesses, we’ll spread it out into smaller chunks. Twice a week for four weeks, you’ll spend three hours assisting your community. You’ll pick up trash at the park, you’ll volunteer at the senior center or the library . . . and, as a matter of fact, we’ve been having some vandalism trouble around town lately. You’ll clean that up, too.”

  Maddie had expected as much. While picking up trash was not ideal, it could’ve been much worse. Just another reason for her to hire someone to help at the shop. It sounded like some of her afternoons and evenings would be taken for the next few weeks. There was just one thing she didn’t understand—how would this resolve her feud with Emmett?

  The judge looked at both of them and a sadistic smile crossed his face. “And one last thing. You’ll be serving every single hour of your community service together.”

  Hell. He was in absolute hell.

  Emmett slipped out of the courtroom quickly with Logan on his heels. They pushed thro
ugh the crowd waiting to go in next, and made it out onto the steps before he stopped to finally take his first big breath since the sentence was handed down.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, Emmett. I should’ve known that Judge Griffin wouldn’t be interested in anything we had to say. He’s known for that.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Emmett said with a shake of his head. “I called you twelve hours before I was due in court. Even if the judge had let you speak, I didn’t exactly give you time to prepare.”

  “At least let me treat you to breakfast,” Logan offered.

  “Breakfast sounds good, but I should really treat you. You’ve already insisted that you won’t take any of my money for this. If you buy me breakfast, you’re actually in the hole.”

  Logan chuckled and slapped Emmett on the shoulder as they started down the sidewalk toward Ellen’s Diner. “A small price to pay to watch one of the Chamberlains knocked down a peg, I assure you.”

  “What’s your beef with them?” Emmett asked. Most people in town seemed to think the Chamberlains were pretty great. Aside from Maddie, Emmett didn’t have a problem with them, and he hadn’t had a problem with her until she started fussing with his livelihood and his sleeping patterns.

  Logan sighed and shook his head. “That’s a very long and unpleasant story I won’t bore you with, but our families have had a long-standing disagreement.”

  “I thought it was just about the law firm rivalry. A business thing.” The last few months everyone had been buzzing about Logan’s sign outside of Dressin’ Up.

  “You’d think so, but the law firm rivalry is the result, not the cause. I deliberately went into law just so I could steal his business away.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “No, ’fraid not,” Logan said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that grudges are light and you can carry them forever. I can very happily spend the rest of my life making Norman miserable. And I’m here today to support you not only because we’re friends but because if Maddie is miserable, I’m certain Norman will be, too. He’s partial to his girls, so this is a big hit to Daddy’s pride.”