Page 20 of Rebel Summer

Ew. That sounded much better in my head. Now I had to watch Beau laugh and a smile crawl across Dax’s face.

“I haven’t had any complaints,” he said.

Thankfully, a loud voice told the courtroom to stand.

“Good luck,” he whispered to me. “I’d better go to my side of the court.” Then, he meandered toward the chairs behind the prosecuting attorney.

“You need to stand up,” my lawyer instructed. I yanked my eyes off Dax and stood as a door in the front opened, and the Honorable Judge Henry Baylor strode into the room. He sat on his chair and motioned for us to sit down with a wave of his big paw. I straightened in my seat. I had never seen him in his official black robe. He used to be a regular at Sunrise Cafe when I was in high school. He’d been enthusiastic about the cafe food, and we’d grown a friendly rapport. He was a kind man, I knew that for certain. But he also could be a bit…eccentric. Like…some days for breakfast he would order a waffle with a side of cheeseburger.

Soo…here goes nothing.

“Take your seats,” Mr. Baylor said. He straightened some papers at his desk before looking up and meeting my gaze with his curious eyes.

“I was surprised to see your name on the list, Ms. Brooks. Quite the lead foot you have.”

Shame filled my entire body to the point that I wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor.

“Yes, Your Honor. Sorry about…this. I— It was an accident.”

“Stop talking,” my attorney whispered in my ear. I took a breath as my hands grew jittery. Already, I had forgotten all the details of how I was supposed to act in court.

Judge Baylor’s focus moved over to where Dax was sitting, his low drawl as much of a character trait as the twinkle in his eye. “I see we have Mr. Miller here today. Have you been keeping out of trouble?”

“Trying my best, Your Honor.” Dax nodded toward me. “It found me, though.”

Judge Baylor wheezed a laugh, his shoulders shaking merrily. “I’d say.” He nodded toward Beau and the two attorneys in the room before he sighed.

“Let’s get to it, then.” He cleared his throat and looked at me. “For the record, is your name Caroline Ivy Brooks?”

Okay, right out of the gate with my grandmother’s name. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“You are being charged with driving under the influence on the evening of Friday, June 7th. How do you plead?”

At my hesitation, my attorney gave me an expectant look. The not-so-friendly pep talk from my dad at breakfast this morning ran quickly through my mind. I had a job and research lined up in Tennessee that I needed to be back for. Staying on the island was simply not an option. I’d worked too hard to gain my independence only to be sucked back into my dad’s orbit. He couldn’t play mental games with me in Nashville. At least, not as easily. Besides, I couldn’t afford to stay in town for the court dates required if I were to plead not guilty.

I had been driving under the influence, no matter how innocently it had happened. It was my fault. Pleading guilty was the honorable thing to do, and could my public saint of a father really dispute that? And if it so happened that I got to pay a quick fine for being willing to make things right and fast-track my buns out of Sunset Harbor, so be it.

“Ms. Brooks?” the judge asked again, giving me the nudge I needed to state my case.

“Guilty, Your Honor.”

There was a gaping pause in the courtroom. Will Frost turned his head sharply at my statement, but I ignored him, focusing on Judge Baylor. The judge’s brows raised slightly, and I shifted in my seat as his gaze focused on me.

“Guilty,” he repeated.

“Yes,” I said, the end of my sentence coming out like a question. Across the aisle, I could feel Dax’s gaze on me, but I kept my focus trained forward.

“I see. Do you currently reside in Sunset Harbor, Ms. Brooks?”

“No.”

“Where do you live?”

“Nashville.”

“And what do you do in Nashville?”

I hesitated before phrasing this next part very carefully. “I’ve been working at Vanderbilt University.”

---