The Laws of Music (Love is a Destination Book 1)
THE LAWS OF MUSIC
Love is a Destination, Book One
Carly Morgan
Polished Pen Press Corporation, LLC
Contents
Copyright
Other Books by Carly Morgan
PreOrder Book 2: The Laws of Attraction
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
17. Eight Months Later…
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Copyright
Copyright @ 2017
The Laws of Music, Love is a Destination, Book 1
Carly Morgan (RaShelle Workman)
Polished Pen Press Corporation, LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any format or in any way without prior written permission of the author.
Other Books by Carly Morgan
PEACH VALLEY
Most Eligible Cowboy
Most Delicious Cowboy
LOVE IS A DESTINATION
The Laws of Music
The Laws of Attraction
HAPPILY EVER SERIES
Happily Ever Summer
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PreOrder Book 2: The Laws of Attraction (Birdy and Ares’s Story)
Prologue
Dear Diary,
It’s ten days into summer break and I’m bored. Thought I’d create a list of goals. Here they are:
Go to college.
Graduate.
Go to law school.
Graduate.
Become a lawyer.
Marry.
Stay married.
Become partner at my law firm.
Have three children.
Buy a home in my hometown.
Raise children there.
Stay married.
Be a good mom.
Basically, I want it all!
The worst part about my summer so far is my parents have chosen to separate. Not divorce. They specifically told me that. But I know how these things go. They’ll probably divorce before the summer is over. I have friends who tell me divorced parents are awesome. “You get two of everything,” they say. I don’t want or need two of everything. Or, “It’s great. There are no rules because they want to show they’re the better parent.” But I watch their faces as they talk, and can tell they’re lying. It’s easy to see that while they might have the latest tech, coolest clothes, and very few rules, they don’t have the one thing they really want, which is an unbroken family.
I just need my parents to stop fighting and love each other. I love them both and don’t want to have to choose between them.
Sometimes life isn’t fair.
Katie closed her journal and picked up her book. It was a Nancy Drew novel she’d checked out from the library a few days ago. One of her favorites. She settled back on her bed, found her place, and started to read, but a noise coming from outside her bedroom window distracted her. It sounded like a breaking branch. She tucked her finger between the pages and went over to the window, pushing back her blush pink curtains.
“What is he doing?” She asked the question aloud even though she was alone. But she couldn’t help herself. Some little jerk she’d never seen before was in her yard with a slingshot. He kept shooting rocks at squirrels living in her tree. She pushed up the window.
“Hey, stop that.”
The kid turned toward the sound of her voice, shading his eyes with his free hand. “No, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Get out of my yard. Stop shooting at the squirrels. What’d they ever do to you?” She gave him her scariest glare even though he probably couldn’t see her.
“I’m not shooting at the stupid squirrels.” As he spoke he placed another rock in his slingshot and fired it up into the tree.
“Knock it off!” She slammed her window shut, causing the glass to shudder, but didn’t pay it any mind. She intended to put an end to his shenanigans. Tossing her book on the bed, she ran downstairs.
“Where are you going?” her mom hollered from the kitchen. “Lunch will be ready in five minutes.”
“I’ll be right back. Just need to handle a delinquent.” She checked out the window beside their front door to make sure he was still out there.
“Delinquent? Have you been reading those Hardy Boys books again?” Her mom sounded amused.
“No,” Katie said with irritation.
“Oh?”
“Nancy Drew, if you must know.” She was too angry to smile. Her mom really did know her better than most.
“That’s what I thought.”
Katie crossed her arms and debated what to say to the guy. If he hurt an animal, she was going to lose it.
“Be nice,” her mom sang out after another moment. “Remember, love is always the answer.
“Ugh.” Her mom was full of hippy dippy comments. They drove her crazy. Sometimes justice was needed. Not love. Katie scowled, flung the door open, and stomped down the porch steps. “Stop it,” she yelled at the boy as she ran toward him.
He faced her, taking a rock out of his pocket. “No, I’ve got to—”
“You’re going to hit a squirrel, you little bug. And if you kill it, I’m going to sue your butt and you’ll go to jail.”
“Take it easy. I’m not going to hit a squirrel,” he huffed. He wore jean shorts and a white tee shirt along with white shoes and socks. “I know how to use this thing. I’ve been practicing.” He placed the rock into the leather end of the slingshot and fired. It hit a branch before falling, landing on the grass with a thud.
“You’re a terrible shot. Get out of my yard.” She widened her stance, ready to throw him off her property if necessary.
“I’m not going anywhere until I get my baseball.” He took another rock from his pocket and got it ready.
Katie walked over and grabbed the slingshot. “Don’t,” she said simply. She was half a foot taller than him, but she guessed he was around the same as her twelve years. She frowned down at him. “How’d it get up there? You’re terrible at flinging rocks and throwing baseballs.”
He clucked his tongue in irritation. “You’re rude. But if you must know, the gardener threw it too hard and it ended up there,” he said, pointing.
She followed his finger, completely disgusted by the fact that the kid’s family had a gardener. She thought such frivolity was wasteful. “You don’t need to shoot at it. I’ll climb up and get it.” She went over to the base of the tree, unrolled her jeans to protect her shins from the rough bark, and tucked in her yellow shirt.
It was at that moment the ball became dislodged and fell out of the tree, striking him in the face with a crack. He went down, moaning.
“Hey, are you okay?” She was upset with his methods, but she wasn’t a savage.
“Yeah, I’m great. I just took a baseball to the head.” He shook his head, putting his fingers to the spot that’d been struck.
“You’re bleeding, you know.” Blood soaked his eyebrow and ran into his eye. She took off the scarf wrapped around her ponytail and held it to his brow. “Hold this over it. I’ll be right back
with a bandage.”
“I think part of a branch from your stupid tree came down with the ball and cut me. So, you want to be a nurse when you grow up?” The little punk had the audacity to smirk while he spoke.
“No, I don’t want to be a nurse.” She scowled, annoyed. “I’m going to be a lawyer.”
“Right. Sure. And I’m going to be a rock star,” he said with amused sarcasm.
Katie gave him a rowdy glare. “It’s possible,” she said. She would become a lawyer. And she would be awesome at it. “Don’t move.” She ran into the house and upstairs into the bathroom her parents had shared. Until recently. Taking a deep breath, she stuffed down the tumult of feelings eating away at her insides when it came to her parents.
The bandages were in a cabinet. She found them, and grabbed the whole box before heading back downstairs.
“Katie, lunch is ready. Tell your brother, will you?”
“Sure, Mom. In a minute.” She went outside, but the slingshot boy was gone. “He stole my scarf. Jerk.”
Chapter 1
The elevator moved down at a turtle’s pace. At least it wasn’t at a standstill the way Katie’s career seemed to be. Like a rusty, old car, her chosen profession refused to start. Each turn of the ignition met with the sputter of an uncooperative engine. She clutched her bag and forced herself to keep it together. She could cry into a pint of strawberry ice cream when she got home.
With a ping, the elevator doors opened at the twenty-first floor. Katie swallowed, steeling herself for the inevitable forced interchange another person would require. To her surprise, that person turned out to be an incredibly handsome man. He wore a slick navy suit, a white shirt, and a red tie. His hair was longer, touching his shoulders, and caramel in color. He’d combed his hair off his forehead, exposing ruggedly handsome features, including piercing, dark eyes.
“Hello.” He smiled, a megawatt, million-dollar smile.
Her insides fluttered, but she steeled herself. She was engaged, after all. “Hi.” Katie pushed a lock of hair behind an ear, her eyes studying the carpeted floor like it was a final exam on torts.
“You needed a lawyer too?” His tone was friendly as he stood beside her.
“No, I interviewed for a job.” She paused and he gave her a look meant to question her sanity. “I want to be a lawyer,” she clarified.
“Oh. Cool.” He raised a thick, dark eyebrow indicating he didn’t think it was cool.
She shrugged. Lawyers got a bad rap.
The guy crossed his arms, flashing a very expensive-looking titanium watch with a midnight blue face similar to the color of his eyes. She also noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring—not that it mattered. It was just something she noticed since getting engaged a year ago.
She thought about how to reply to his comment, but every idea that came to mind would either make her sound mean, like a stalker, or an idiot. “Yeah, we’ll see if it’s cool or not,” she finally said.
“Max Legend.” He stuck out his hand.
“Katie Green.” His name sounded familiar but she couldn’t remember where she’d heard it before. She shook his hand, noticing how large and warm it was. Tingles danced along her skin in an irritatingly fantastic way.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Max’s eyes twinkled and an odd familiarity flowed through her heart, but she couldn’t place him.
“You too.” She clutched her bag, feeling awkward, and a little giddy. “You come here often?” As soon as she spoke, she regretted her words. “Oh my goodness.”
Max chuckled softly. “No, not usually.”
“Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean– I’m engaged.” She held up her hand, flashing her ring finger encircled with the titanium band attached to a four-carat oval cut diamond solitaire. Her hope was that he wouldn’t think she was hitting on him. “It’s just— I’m a little upset and not thinking straight.” She focused on the double doors.
“Lucky guy,” he said.
She peeked at him from under her lashes. “Thanks.”
“I definitely don’t want to be a lawyer. I had to come. This is my first visit.”
Katie ignored his obvious distain for her chosen profession. “Mine too.” She couldn’t meet his gaze, torn between her curiosity about the man next to her and dejection over the interview she’d just finished. It hadn’t gone well.
Her mom once told her she wouldn’t make a good lawyer because her heart was too generous. She’d dismissed the comment as ridiculous, but now she wondered if maybe she should have chosen another major. The thought worried her and she chewed on the inside of her cheek.
Katie believed it was her generosity that would make her a good lawyer, even great. But her interview today and the eleven others she’d had over the last two weeks confirmed her mom might be right. She wasn’t a shark, not even close. She believed the facts should speak for themselves. That the truth would defend the innocent, but that only worked if the defendant was innocent, which was only ten percent of the time. The other ninety percent of clients were criminals. Or at least that’s how it seemed. She’d witnessed that truth more than once while working through law school. Out of all the cases she’d helped defend, probably five were truly innocent. The rest… well, she preferred not to know.
Working for the prosecution was another option, but there hadn’t been any positions available to interview for.
Max cleared his throat, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“How’d it go?”
The question threw her off guard. It wasn’t the standard small talk. He seemed genuinely interested, his features sincere. Too bad she didn’t have good news.
She knew she should respond in a positive manner anyway. Max Legend was a complete stranger and there was a social code of conduct. But lying never had been one of her strengths. She let out a heavy sigh. “Not great.”
“What?” He rotated, leaning his shoulder against the back wall, facing her. “That doesn’t seem right. I’ve only been talking to you a few moments, and I’d hire you on the spot.” He gave her a disarming grin that sent chills down to her toes.
He didn’t look more than thirty, and she was struck again by how attractive he was. But it was more than that. Something about him seemed to pull her in. Hold her attention. She wanted to be near him though she didn’t know why.
Magnetism, her mind whispered. She quickly shut down those thoughts.
“How long have you been graduated from law school?”
“Not long. A few weeks.”
“How were your grades?” He looked at her seriously, as though he were interviewing her for a job.
“All A’s,” she said, surprised this strange man was actually helping her feel better.
“Uh-huh. And how is your knowledge of contracts?”
“Great. Contracts were one of my specialties.” It was true. The intricacies of writing and going over contracts had turned out to be one of her favorite parts of school. She liked going over the wording with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything was phrased correctly, that there were no loopholes. Several of her classmates even started calling her Loopy because of it. The reason was two-fold. They thought she was loopy for liking such a tedious part of the law, and then for the obvious reason of loopholes.
“Really?” His joking manner turned serious. “You can understand that stuff?”
“Sure. It’s easy.”
He tilted his head like he meant to ask her a question. But then he changed his mind.
“Maybe I should have you put in a word for me,” she continued, giving him another minute with his thoughts.
His gorgeous smile returned. “You got it.” He went over to the panel filled with floor numbers. “Just tell me who I need to talk to. I won’t leave until you have the job you want.” His eyes shone with kindness and a hint of mischief.
“No, thanks.” She pulled his hand from the buttons, ignoring the zing their connection caused.
“I’m serious. I’ll do it.” He nudged h
er shoulder with his.
“It’s okay. I don’t know that I really want to work here anyway,” she whispered, knowing it was the truth. Peace came over her at the realization and she smiled. “Thanks though.” The man who interviewed her had been aggressive with obvious shark instincts. He could smell blood and went after her like a wounded fish. She’d been relieved when the interview ended.
“Sure. No problem. If that’s what you want.” He straightened, rolling his shoulders back. “Anything else you need me to do?”
She shook her head. “No. Thanks, Max Legend. I’m good.”
“Really?”
“No, not really, but God willing, I will be soon.”
He held out his hand again. She slid hers in his, trying not to think too much about the fact that she felt so comfortable with a man she didn’t know.
“Good luck in your job search, Katie Green,” he said.
The elevator doors opened. They’d reached the lobby.
“Thank you,” she said and meant it.
“After you.” He held the doors so they wouldn’t close.
Katie walked out and rushed for the exit. But before she got into the spinning doors, she glanced back, looking for Max. “It was nice to meet you,” she said when she found him.
“You too. Later.”
She went to the door and got in. As she spun in the circle she thought of waiting for him to come out and asking him for coffee or something. Just as a thank you for lifting her spirits so abundantly. But glancing back she changed her mind, her heart sinking back into dismay. He had made his way over to the reception desk, and the pretty blonde sitting behind it. He already had her laughing, his hand in hers. Katie let her smile disappear and walked down the street.