Sweet Tea at Sunrise Read Free Page A

much of a compliment. “When the town heard you might leave, they put on a full-court press to keep you here. All that flattery is what changed your mind. It certainly wasn’t the salary or even my wiles.”
    Tom shrugged. “Okay, I succumbed to the challenge of solidifying the town’s economic base,” he admitted. “I decided I couldn’t walk away when I hadn’t finished the job I came here to do.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m looking for,” Travis told him. “A challenge, and a place where I can make a real contribution to the community.”
    “Then I think a radio station in Serenity is perfect for you, Travis,” Jeanette said. “Goodness knows, you love to talk. And with that low, sexy drawl of yours, you’d be great on the air. Every woman in town will tune in, especially if you go on the air at night.”
    She made an exaggerated show of fanning herself with her napkin, which drew a disgruntled look from her husband. She merely grinned and added, “And Ialready know for a fact that you’re the hot topic of conversation in Wharton’s. When I got back to work today, Annie asked me if I had any idea who the new stranger in town might be. She thought maybe Tom should have the sheriff run a check on you.”
    Travis chuckled, but Tom looked shaken.
    “What the devil have you been doing to stir things up?” he asked Travis.
    “He’s been flirting with Sarah, apparently,” Jeanette said, her amusement plain. “Now Annie’s on the case. I tried to dodge her questions, because I know you wanted to hang on to your privacy as long as possible, but you should know Annie’s not going to let this rest.”
    “Who’s Annie?” Travis inquired.
    “One of Sarah’s best friends. She’s also married to Ty Townsend.”
    “Pitcher for the Braves?” Travis asked, impressed when she nodded. “He has one heckuva fastball.”
    “How about we discuss your flirtatious ways and Ty’s fastball a little later,” Tom suggested. “Right now maybe we should put this radio idea to rest.”
    “I still like it,” Jeanette said, giving Tom a stubborn look. “I think he’ll be a huge hit.”
    “And who’s he supposed to put on the air the rest of the time?” Tom inquired testily.
    “He’ll hire people,” she replied.
    “Are there a lot of frustrated radio deejays in Serenity?” Tom scoffed, apparently content to have this conversation with his wife without any input from Travis himself.
    “He won’t know until he puts out word he’s hiring,” she told him. “I vote yes, but since it’s clear I’m butting up against my husband’s superior wisdom, I’ll leaveyou two to thrash it out. I have an early meeting at the spa in the morning.”
    She leaned down to give her husband a blistering kiss that made Travis’s stomach knot with envy. Oddly, it also brought the image of the waitress from Wharton’s to mind. That probably wasn’t a good thing.
    Then, again, it might not be one bit riskier than this radio venture that had captured his imagination.

2
    S arah was jittery as a june bug all day Saturday. Walter was on his way over from Alabama to see the kids—well, to see Tommy, anyway—and it was the first time he’d been here since she’d started working at Wharton’s. She imagined he’d have plenty to say about that. Waiting tables in a local diner didn’t fit the Price definition of a suitable career. They hadn’t even wanted her to make use of her degree in education, as if teaching at the local elementary school would be beneath a member of such a lofty family.
    Worse, Grace had been in a bind this morning, and Sarah had agreed to cover an extra shift, so she wouldn’t be at the house to break the news herself. She’d left it to the sitter and Raylene. She figured that could go one of two ways. Walter would shrug it off as one more irrational decision she’d made, or he’d come flying over here to try to drag her back home where he thought she belonged.
    She was clearing tables after