Intentional Read online

  Text copyright ©2013 MK Harkins

  All Rights Reserved

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-63002-959-3

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized by, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  For Nancy Bailey

  May 6, 1953–March 29, 2013

  Your strength, courage, and kind spirit

  will continue to inspire me every day.

  You are like “sunshine on a cloudy day”

  Thank you for sharing your love of books.

  I love you always.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Epilogue

  Betrayal

  Whether it is friendship or romantic love, it always leaves the one betrayed with the burden of forgiveness.

  Prologue

  Mattie

  Age Ten

  It’s the first day of fourth grade. It’s a new school, and I don’t know anyone. My mom promised me ice cream after school. I think she feels bad for moving us again. It’s not her fault.

  My dad works as hard as he can. He can’t help it if his big boss keeps wanting to make him move. He has to go where his boss tells him. That’s the way of the world, he tells me. I understand. It’s just hard.

  My mom tries to make me feel better. “Honey, at every school you’ve gone to, you have made friends so quickly. You are such a sweet and beautiful girl, the kids can’t help but love you.” She hugs me tight. I love the way my mom smells. It’s always a mixture of sweet perfume and cookies.

  My mom takes me into the school office. I find out I’m in classroom 4A—Ms. Ambuske. She walks me down the hall. “Honey, do you want me to go in with you?”

  “That’s okay, Mom. I can take it from here.”

  She gives me a sad smile. She always tells me not to grow up too fast. I think this is harder for her than for me. I enter the classroom and give Ms. Ambuske my admittance slip. I know the routine: she calls the class to attention.

  “Everyone, we have a new student, Mattie Parker. Please try to make her feel welcome!” Class hasn’t started yet. The kids all crowd around me, shouting out their names at once. I giggle. These kids seem nice.

  I notice a blonde girl sitting back, away from everyone. She looks at me—I’m not sure if she likes me. She has no expression at all. I find my desk and start to put my supplies away. I feel a tap on my shoulder. It’s the blonde girl. She smiles and says, “Hi, I’m Sarah. Do you want to come to my house after school today?”

  I’m really surprised. Out of all the kids I’ve met today, I would never have expected Sarah to even talk to me. Maybe she likes me after all. “Sure. I’ll check with my mom.”

  My mom drives me to Sarah’s house. I think she wants to check everything over. She meets Sarah’s parents, Dan and Nancy Bailey, and they hit it off immediately. We realize that we live only two blocks away.

  They invite us to dinner on the coming weekend. I can tell my mom is really happy—we both have new friends!

  Sarah and I go up to play in her room. She asks me lots of questions. Sometimes she gets very quiet, but I think it’s going okay.

  My mom comes back to get me when it’s time to leave. Sarah stops me and asks, “Do you want to be best friends? If you do, I can tell everyone else to like you.”

  I want to be friends with Sarah, but I don’t want her telling people that. I don’t know what to say, so I just say, “Sure” and go home. I want to talk to my mom about it, but she’s so excited that I have a new friend already, I don’t want to mess up her mood.

  Fourth grade turns out to be a pretty good year. I study hard in school. Sarah becomes a daily friend. I know the types of things that bother her. She doesn’t like hugs and gets really mad if you disagree with her. If I don’t do any of those things, then everything is okay. I’ve become an expert. I also know that I wouldn’t want to be on her bad side.

  Sometimes she doesn’t have very nice thoughts about some of the kids. I think that’s why we’ve become such good friends. I know I can teach her to turn her thoughts around. My mom is always telling me about different ways to understand and help people. I think I can help Sarah.

  Chapter 1

  Thirteen Years Later

  Mattie

  My phone is chirping loudly. I grab it off the floor and look at the caller ID. It’s Sarah. “Hey, Sarah! How’s your second week at work going?”

  “Good. I’m getting all settled in. I wanted to see if we could get together to have lunch today.”

  I look down at my clothes. Yuck—sweats and a tank top. My job as a graphic designer allows me to dress casually on the days I don’t meet with clients. “Today?”

  She laughs. “Mattie, you don’t have to dress up. No one cares what you look like!”

  “But, Sarah, I don’t want to embarrass you. I’m a mess! I’m working today.”

  She replies, “Don’t worry about it. You have one hour.”

  I rush home in a mad dash. Sarah may not care what I look like, but I sure do. I look frantically at the clothes in my closet. I see jeans, sweats, shorts, and yoga pants—okay, I need to go shopping. What do I wear? I glance over to the side. Aha! I have one dress tucked away behind a ratty pair of sweatpants. I wore it to my graduation last year. I love the dress—it has a pretty yellow print—but does it make me look too young? Hmm. I can balance things out with my makeup. I examine my face and decide to go with a sultry smoky eye by using gray and black eye shadow, adding a fresh coat of mascara. Now I just need to do something with my hair. Luckily, I washed it today, so all I need to do is pull it back into a loose ponytail.

  I take a step back and take a long look. Mission accomplished. I feel confident as I head out to meet Sarah.

  Sarah’s work is only a few blocks away, so
I decide to walk. I love the climate in Sedona, Arizona. Sarah and I both grew up in Massachusetts, so we are reveling in the nice weather. Gone are the freezing winters! Gone are the sweltering summers! Well, it will still get hot here, but it won’t be as brutal.

  I slow down my pace and take in my surroundings. It’s quite beautiful here. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The green trees scattered around make an interesting backdrop for the famous Red Rocks in the distance. I’ve heard that the red-orange color of the rocks stimulates creative thinking and problem solving. We’ve moved to the ideal place.

  I enter the building of Harkins & Schweet Law Firm and take a look around. The interior is stunning. Whoever decorated the entry space has captured a professional atmosphere, yet it’s also beautiful, warm, and inviting. I feel happy that Sarah’s landed a job here; I can tell this is a very successful company.

  I stop at reception to ask directions to Sarah’s office. The receptionist, an elderly woman, smiles politely and starts to pick up the telephone. I see a hand reach over and stop the phone midway. I’m startled for a moment as I look up to see the most gorgeous brown eyes looking back at me.

  I stare back at him and think, Is it possible for a man to be this good-looking? His face is as handsome as any I’ve ever seen in an Abercrombie ad, or on any other beautiful male model, for that matter. He’s older than I am—my best guess would be late twenties—and he’s dressed in a fine gray suit, a white shirt, and a black tie. His hair is perfectly cut and trimmed—everything you would expect from a successful lawyer. I catch myself—is he a lawyer? Why haven’t I heard about this incredible, godlike creature from Sarah? She has to be gaga over this one!

  As I rudely stare at him, I notice him smiling at me. He must get this type of reaction a lot. Oh no, I hope the drool isn’t dripping out of my mouth.

  “You must be Sarah’s friend.” The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I feel shivers run down my spine. His voice is silky, deep, and husky all at the same time. Oh no! I have to answer him. My mind draws a blank. I stand there and nod stupidly. Yes, yes, I am.

  He laughs, touching my arm, and says, “Follow me.” Oh yes, I will follow—I have no problem with that.

  As we walk down the hall to Sarah’s office, he leans down to me (does he have to be over six feet tall?) and says, “I think you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Okay, if I was dumbstruck before, now I’m really tongue-tied. I smile back at him and roll my eyes. I’ve heard that line before, but this time it makes my insides go to mush. What’s with this guy?

  I finally get my wits together and ask him who he is. He stops, gives me another devastating smile, puts out his hand, and says, “I’m Jeremy Harkins, partner.”

  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.”