Free Bluegrass State of Mind by Kathleen Brooks Page B

called and
threatened to have the PTA vote against me too. I don't know how
you met so many people in such a short time, but your friends play
politics better than the Mayor does. And he wanted his nephew to
get the job. But, I must say. You're a damn good reason not to hire
that loser," Tom said as he escorted her to the door.
    Kenna was slightly stunned that all
these people contacted Tom just to support someone they only knew
for a couple of days. Kenna gave a nod and a smile to Tom, then
turned to walk out of the office. A scruffy looking man in what
used to be a white undershirt stood at the counter arguing with
Martha about taking out a warrant on someone for assault and
battery stemming from a fist fight. She couldn't see any evidence
of bruising, but his right hand was swollen and wrapped in an air
cast.
    "Don't you pull this crap on me,
Dwayne. You know perfectly well that your brother didn't hit you.
He took your punch, turned around, and left." Martha nodded toward
Dwayne's hand, "and apparently you got hurt as a result. The only
assault and battery charges you can file are against yourself. You
want to just go ahead and do that, Dwayne?" Martha asked in all
seriousness.
    "You don't know he didn't hit me, it's
my word against his. I say he hit me and I was just defending
myself." Dwayne's lower lip stuck out in a nice pout. Kenna was
sure any minute this man-child in a dirty undershirt and jorts
would stomp his booted foot and go into a full tantrum. Kenna
enjoyed watching Martha work too much to ask Dwayne to get out of
the way for her to open the swinging door. So Kenna propped a
shoulder against the wall and decided to enjoy the show. Maybe
Martha wasn't that bad after all.
    "Dwayne, bless your heart, but you are
one stupid man. Do you think no one would see you storming up the
church stairs, grabbing your brother, and pulling him out into the
parking lot? We all saw and we all heard you threatening to cut off
his balls if he didn't cover your mortgage payment. Pastor Jacob
even followed you all out there and saw the whole thing. Now,
Dwayne, do you really think a judge is going to believe you over
Pastor Jacob when he testifies he saw you hit your brother? I don't
think so, and all because your brother has put his foot down and
isn’t allowing you to leech money off of him. Dwayne, sober up and
get a job. Now get! Get out of my office before I call Red up here
to arrest you for stupidity." Martha lowered her head back down to
her computer and started typing. Dwayne shuffled his feet as his
mouth opened and closed like a fish. He then turned and walked out
the door mumbling some very nasty phrases about Martha.
    Kenna opened the door and gave Martha
a little golf clap. "Very well done. It will be a pleasure to work
with you next month," Kenna said as she walked out the door. All
she heard in response was a grunt and figured it was better than
nothing. She smiled and headed to see a man about a law
office.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Kenna walked up the street, passing
the bank building, which she was pretty sure had been there for a
hundred years. She came to a stop just past the bank. The building
was a light tan with moss green trim. In front of the building was
a sign that read Rooney Law Office. There looked to be just the
right amount of space to add Mason Law Firm underneath.
    Kenna opened the glass door and
stepped onto the thick tan carpet. The office was quiet and smelled
of lemon oil. A welcome area stood over to the right with a brown
leather couch and two upholstered burgundy arm chairs. A coffee
table held an assortment of magazines ranging from the American Bar
Association to Field & Stream and, of course, Southern Living.
A head popped around a door frame from behind the desk placed in
the middle of the room and a pixie of girl shouted, "Be right with
you, hon."
    Kenna looked around at her potential
new office. There appeared to be a conference room right behind the
waiting area. On the other side of