Tara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was that happiness in Astrid’s voice?
“I’m very pleased for you. Congratulations.” The look in Astrid’s eyes was unmistakable. She still loved Johnathon.
“Thank you.” Miranda blew out a breath. “To be honest, I thought you would be upset. He told me that you’d had trouble conceiving.”
Astrid nodded, but she was pursing her lips tightly, as if she was holding back serious tears. “I can’t talk about it. So please, let’s just get back to business.”
Tara’s heart went out to Astrid. She was bearing a terrible burden. “It seems like none of us is particularly pleased with Grant’s offer. And I’ve been thinking about it and there has to be a reason Johnathon did this. Something beyond feeling as though he owed a debt to Astrid and me. Maybe it was his way of trying to bring us together.”
Astrid let out a breathy laugh. “One of us didn’t know one of the other wives even existed. Why would he want to do that?”
Tara pinched the bridge of her nose and prayed for strength. Apparently going with a more heartfelt approach was not going to work. “Okay, then let’s look at the financial side. Our shares are valuable right now, but they could be worth more later. And it gives us control no one else has.”
“We each own seventeen percent. Grant owns twenty. That’s not control,” Miranda said.
“When our shares are combined, we have Johnathon’s majority interest. Fifty-one percent. We could run the company. Together.”
“But Grant has been named as CEO. Where does that leave us?” Miranda countered.
“He could still be CEO. It would just be the three of us as a single voting bloc, making decisions about the direction of the company. And filling vacancies. There are senior management positions and spots on the acquisitions team.”
“I don’t need a job,” Miranda said. “My interior design business is booming and I have more than enough money. Johnathon did manage to leave everything else to me.”
Tara realized Miranda was making a valid point. “You wouldn’t have to take a position at Sterling. The key is voting together. Sticking together.”
“I think I would want a job,” Astrid offered. “I can’t sit around my apartment all day long.”
“You’ve decided to stay in San Diego?” Tara asked.
Astrid shrugged. “If I had a reason, I could stay. At least for a while.”
“I’m still not sold on this idea,” Miranda said. “Maybe we should let Grant slowly buy us out. It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it. He’s worked plenty hard.”
“This isn’t about taking anything away from Grant.” Tara could feel her frustration growing. She really wanted them to see that this was a fantastic opportunity. “Let’s think about what we’re leaving for Johnathon’s child. Houses and money are great, but wouldn’t it be nice to hand off an actual legacy? This was Johnathon’s passion and it was immensely important to him. The baby should at least have a chance at that when he or she is grown. If you sell your shares, the baby won’t have any piece of the company.”
The room fell incredibly quiet. Astrid was staring at Miranda, while Miranda peered down at her belly. She had no baby pooch yet, but it wouldn’t be long until it was there. Tara hoped that all of this quiet meant that her plea had been effective. But she also realized how much weight it gave to the situation. There was a baby on the way, and although he or she would always have money, they would never know their dad. All three of them were standing in the midst of tragedy, with Tara trying to get them to look beyond it. See the possibilities.
“What if we have a trial period?” Astrid asked. “I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to just cash in and move back to Norway, but I can admit that I also don’t have much of a life there. I would like a challenge. I know Miranda said she doesn’t want a job, but I do. I want some power. I want to be able to make decisions.”
That would be one more thing to work out with Grant. Every bit of control to the wives took some away from him. “I think we can make that work. Three months to start and we regroup?”
Miranda looked out the window, pinching her lower lip between her thumb and index finger. “I can do that. But if any of us isn’t happy after that time, we sell to Grant, agreed? If we hand over the reins to anyone, it should be him.”
Tara wasn’t necessarily vested in the idea of fostering loyalty to Grant, but Miranda was right. He was the obvious choice. After the three wives. “I’m fine with that.”
“Me, too,” Astrid said.
“We’ll set up some sort of system where you report to me? So I can stay in the loop?” Miranda asked.
“Sure. I can send you an email or we can talk on the phone or whatever you want.”
“Considering the legal ramifications, a letter on company letterhead might be best. Just to protect my own interests.”
Okay, then. “Yes. Absolutely.”
“And have you thought at all about what projects you want to pursue?”
“I’d like to see Sterling get in the mix with the Seaport Promenade project. It’s a chance to work with the city and will be a very high-profile development.”
A tiny grin crossed Miranda’s face. “You know Johnathon was interested in pursuing that too but Grant squashed it. I’m not quite sure why.”
“Interesting.” Tara didn’t want to start out by mowing down Grant’s opinions of things, but she had a hunch she was right about the Seaport. “Speaking of which, Grant should be here in a bit to hear our answer to his proposal.”
Miranda rose from her chair. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll skip that part. I’m not good at delivering uncomfortable news. This was all your idea anyway.”
“I’m not going to stay to tell him,
