Intentional (2 page)

Oh my, the boss. Not just any lawyer, but the big dog. Why is he flirting with me, anyway? I introduce myself in my most professional voice: “Mattie Parker. Pleased to meet you.”

He hesitates, like he is taking in my name. He looks at me and replies, “It fits.”

Hmm. I wonder what he means by that. I’ll have to ask Sarah about it.

Jeremy

I’m stunned speechless. I knew that Sarah’s roommate was coming in for lunch, but she never warned me about her. Damn, she’s beautiful. She has long, dark hair that flows down her back. She’s not tall—I’d guess around five feet four—but her body is perfection. She’s on the thin side, with just enough curves to make things interesting.

I look back to her face. Her eyes—oh my God, I’ve never seen such beautiful eyes before. They are the most unusual color blue, almond shaped, and stunning. My heart rate kicks up, and I feel my palms sweating. I can’t believe I’m having such a physical response to her.

I grab the phone as Marcia, our receptionist, starts to call Sarah. Sarah’s roommate gives me a surprised look. I’m not missing out on this opportunity. I take her arm and guide her down the hall toward Sarah’s office.

She looks up at me with a grin that sets my body on fire. I lean over and tell her how I think she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. Great. She rolls her eyes. She thinks it’s just a line.

I’m frantically searching my brain for how to recover, when I see her smile again. She looks right into my eyes. I introduce myself; she looks a little surprised but recovers quickly. The connection sizzles between us. Oh, I know good things are going to happen.

Chapter 2

December

Two Weeks Earlier

Mattie

“This house is perfect!” I grab Sarah and start jumping up and down. She’s laughing at me, trying to remove my hands from her shoulders. “Just stop already. You’re going to knock me over!”

I can’t help myself; I can’t remember being this excited, well, ever. “We did it, Sarah. We’re on our own. Let’s go out exploring!”

She gives me one of her firm looks. “This place is not going to unpack itself. I have to work tomorrow, remember? I need to find all my stuff.”

It’s our first day in Sedona, and I want to see everything. I sigh. I guess it can wait.

“How about if I help you get everything ready for tomorrow, and then we can go out?”

She shakes her head. “If I still have any energy left. What’s up with you, anyway? We’ve been driving for four days straight.”

I can’t contain my excitement; I’m twenty-three years old and finally on my own. “Oh, Sarah, don’t you see? This is our new life. This house is great, the city is beautiful. You have an exciting new job at a great law firm, and I have a new business to start. Everything we’ve planned has come together. We’re finally here—this is really happening. Aren’t you excited?”

Sarah shrugs her shoulders. “Yes, Mattie, I am excited. I just want to get settled in first before I decide how wonderful things are. I am looking forward to my new job. I’ve worked hard to get here; I just hope it’s a good law firm.”

I’m confused. “But I thought you told me that Harkins and Schweet was the very best law firm.”

It’s been a long four days, and I can tell Sarah’s nerves are frazzled. She looks at me irritably. “I’ve told you before, Mattie, I won’t know if I like the people until I start working. You know how I am. I need to be appreciated and respected.”

I respond, “Sarah! You graduated at the top of your class. They’ll love you.” I was hoping that our new surroundings would give Sarah a change of attitude. She’s had a hard time growing up. People have disappointed her on numerous occasions.

She doesn’t look convinced. “We’ll see.”

Sarah has been my best friend for years. She’s what you would call a classic beauty. She’s not only gorgeous but also extremely intelligent. She’ll make an excellent attorney. She’s persuasive, articulate, and strong-willed.

Over the years, people have always talked about how different we are. Sarah is tall (five feet ten); I’m short (a whopping five feet four). Sarah is blonde, and I have dark hair. Sarah is rail thin; I am also on the thin side, yet I have some curves. I have blue eyes to her green. Opposites. What people can’t see are our similarities. We both want the same things out of life: love, happiness, and success. Now that we are here in Sedona, I can sense that we are both getting closer to our dreams.

Sarah and I spend the next two weeks getting acclimated to our new home. We didn’t bring much with us, mostly clothes and a few pictures. We’ve been hitting thrift stores and garage sales, trying fill up our cute adobe house. I take a look around. Yes, it’s coming together.

The walls have already been painted a warm mocha color throughout. We have a very comfortable brown overstuffed couch in the living room that sits in front of the cozy fireplace. We found some carved antique end tables that we’ve placed on each end of the sofa. When I was out shopping last week, I found the perfect lamps for the end tables at an eclectic furniture store in the center of town. It’s mostly a mishmash of different styles, but we’re shooting for shabby chic.

The kitchen is almost complete; all we need are some stools to set next to the granite-topped eating bar. The pictures we brought with us are placed around the living room, dining room, and hallways. We need only a few more items to make everything come together.

I put accent pillows, an area rug, and some knickknacks on my list. Once we get these few last things, we’ll be all set.

I began setting up my graphic-design business right after we unpacked. I decide to call it Sedona Graphic Design. I’m pleasantly surprised that another graphic-design business hasn’t already taken the name. I was lucky to find a quaint little storefront on the edge of town that will work perfectly for my needs. The rent is reasonable, and it’s just big enough for me to showcase my previous work. I could
probably work at home, but it’s important to have a visible presence, especially since I’m just starting out. It’s slow going, but I feel confident that things will come together soon. I have so many ideas bouncing about in my brain, I know I can help the businesses in this area improve their sales.

Chapter 3

December

Mattie

After a long day at work, I look forward to making dinner, putting on some comfortable clothes, and relaxing with a good book. I’ve got the ingredients for eggplant parmesan all ready to go, so I start to assemble everything on the kitchen island. I pull open the refrigerator door as I call out to Sarah; I think she’s in the living room, listening to music. I hear her enter the kitchen, banging the door behind her. I jump at the loud noise and turn to Sarah, noticing a furious look on her face. “What did you do to him?” she demands.

I’m confused—I don’t know what she’s talking about. “What did I do? What do you mean?”

Sarah is trying hard to curb her temper. She’s breathing hard, and her feet are making a tapping sound on the tile floor. Unfortunately, this happens a lot with her. “Jeremy.”

“Jeremy?” I ask.

She looks as if her patience is about to snap. “Yes, Jeremy. What did you do? Were you flirting with him? He was asking all kinds of questions about you today.”

I’m trying to discern why she’s so upset. “No, I just met him briefly before we went to lunch. Remember? He was the one who brought me to your office. That’s the only time I saw him.”

I can’t help it—I feel excited that he was asking about me.

Sarah replies forcefully, “Mattie, listen to me—you have to stay away from him. He is the biggest player in Sedona, maybe anywhere! He has the worst reputation around. You remember Evan? Do you want to end up heartbroken again? You have to promise me that you won’t get involved with this guy. Okay?”

The last thing I want to do is get caught up with some player, but Jeremy, oh, he stirs something in me. If he asks me out, can I possibly refuse?

“I just don’t know, Sarah.”

Sarah looks back at me. She’s fuming. “I said I don’t want you to go near him.”

A thought crosses my mind. “Sarah, do you like Jeremy? Is that why you’re so adamant about my not seeing him?”

She laughs. “Of course not! Why would I want to get involved with someone like that? I’m not an idiot. You can ask around—everyone knows! He gets bored and he’s off to the next girl. Believe me, you don’t want to be another notch on his belt.”

I’m so disappointed. I haven’t felt this strongly for anyone this quickly probably ever. “Okay, Sarah. You win. You’re right—I don’t want to feel the way I did when Evan cheated on me. I don’t need another player in my life.”

Sarah looks relieved. “Good. He asked for your number. I told him I would have to ask you first. I’ll just let him know that you aren’t interested.”

I nod, feeling dejected. I can’t believe that I actually still want to go out with him after everything she’s told me. Or do I?

I remember Evan all too clearly. We dated for almost a year in college. He had me totally convinced that he was sincere, that he loved me. I thought I might love him, too, until I found out he cheated on me with Melissa Hartwell. That was the worst part of it. Why her? What made her so special?

At the time, I thought it was because she was easy and I wasn’t. I wanted to wait to start a physical relationship until I was sure
I was ready. At first, after I found out about his cheating, I was kicking myself. Why hadn’t I just given in?

Now I realize that I am lucky it happened the way it did. I could have “put out,” and it probably would have ended just like it did anyway. The only difference would have been that I would have felt a whole lot cheaper.

I’m so glad that it was Sarah who caught Evan in the act, and not me. I don’t think I could ever have gotten that image out of my brain. Evan called me for months, denying it, denying everything. Talk about adding insult to injury. First he cheats, and then he lies. After that experience, I knew I needed to be more careful with my heart. I really trusted Evan. I will not let that happen to me again.

Jeremy

I hear Sarah’s response: “Nope, she’s not interested.” I look at her in disbelief. It’s not that I think I’m all that great, but I really felt a connection with Mattie.

I try to hide my disappointment. “Did she give you a reason?”

Sarah shakes her head. “Nothing in particular. She just said that she wasn’t interested in dating. She just started a new business, and she’s wrapped up in that.”

I ask, “What kind of business?”

Sarah pauses, as if she’s considering her answer. “Just a design business. I don’t think she wants you to contact her. She said thanks, but no thanks. Sorry, Jeremy. Don’t you already have a girlfriend anyway?”

I’m taken aback. “Of course not! I wouldn’t be asking for Mattie’s number if I had a girlfriend. Why would you think that?”

She smiles. “I just heard things, you know. Maybe it’s just office gossip, but people seem to think that you’re always with someone.”

I wonder what she’s implying. She’s Mattie’s roommate, and I don’t want to get on her bad side, so I let it go. “Okay, thanks anyway, Sarah. I guess I’ll throw in the towel.”