Clay nearly laughed. “That’s a pretty big leap. I’m not going to fall in love with Astrid. I’m just not. That’s not in the cards for me.”
“Why not? Why do you keep clinging to this idea that you’ll never find love again? It makes me so sad.”
“Daddy,” Delia called from the other room. “Come watch the fish with me and do the thing where you make the funny voices.”
Clay gestured over his shoulder with a nod. “That’s why. Delia is my life. I can’t let a woman come into our lives and get close to her and then leave again. It wouldn’t just kill me, it would hurt her. I need to worry about her, too.”
“I still think you have to take that risk at some point. If you’re going to have a full life, you might need to take the leap.”
“You, Delia, and my job are my life. That’s enough for me. There’s no reason to get my heart squashed again.” He got up from the couch, but Miranda stuck out her leg to stop him.
“Hold on a second.”
“What?”
“I just want you to promise me one thing.”
Clay dropped his head to one side, knowing that whatever she was about to say would likely make his life more difficult. “What’s that?”
“Promise me that you will at least be open to the idea that love might find you again. It doesn’t have to be with Astrid and it doesn’t have to be right now. You don’t even have to be open all the way. Just a little bit. I hate the idea that one person hurt you and you aren’t willing to try again.”
“I’m not sure that advice helps me for my trip to LA with Astrid.”
“For that, I want you to have fun. You’ve worked too hard for too long not to simply enjoy the ride.”
Miranda had officially not helped him get anywhere with his thinking, but she wasn’t responsible for his inability to see clearly on this matter. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
“Daddy!” Delia ran back into the room with a look of pure concern. “I’m waiting.”
Clay couldn’t help but smile at Delia. “I know. I’m coming.”
“Clay? One more question,” Miranda said.
“What’s that?”
“Any thoughts on which direction I should point Astrid in when I go dress shopping with her?” Miranda got up from the couch and rounded it to face him.
Clay couldn’t begin to formulate an answer to this question. “I have no earthly idea. Surprise me.”
Miranda snickered. “I’d be careful what you wish for.”
Most people probably assumed that a former model would live to shop for clothes. The truth was that Astrid saw it as a necessary evil, especially with her job, where she needed to look the part of capable businesswoman. Attending the awards ceremony with Clay would require a far different look than was appropriate for the office. She was relieved she was going to have Tara and Miranda on hand to be her sounding board.
She met them downtown at Ruby, an exclusive high-end boutique, early Friday evening. The store manager, Cherise, had a bottle of champagne on ice for Tara and Astrid, and for Miranda, she’d brought in a smoothie from a juice bar nearby and sparkling water. Cherise had also taken much of the deliberation out of this process by pulling two dozen dresses from their extensive selection, after speaking with Astrid on the phone and finding out the nature of the event and what Astrid wanted.
Tara and Miranda set their purses on a brilliant fuchsia velvet settee. Above them, chandeliers dripped with crystals and provided soft lighting, while a plush white carpet beneath their feet made every step feel luxurious. The three of them began the process of perusing the gowns the manager had selected.
“What sort of look are you going for?” Tara asked.
Astrid glanced at Cherise. This had been a difficult thing for Astrid to put into words during their phone conversation. “Classic. Beautiful. Tasteful. But still sexy.” Astrid pinched her thumb and index finger together. “A little sexy. Nothing too over the top.”
“Smart. You’ll be in a room full of nerdy architects. You don’t need anyone fainting or going into cardiac arrest,” Tara said.
Astrid laughed. “That wasn’t my worry. I was thinking more about professionalism.”
“You don’t want to play it too safe and look like you walked straight out of the office.” Miranda chose a slinky black gown from the rack. “How about this?”
Astrid considered the dress, which had a very low neckline and an especially slim silhouette. If she’d been going for full-on seduction, it would have been a no-brainer. But this was a work trip and Astrid intended to dress accordingly. “I think that might be too sexy.” Plus, she didn’t want to be the center of attention that night. It was Clay’s accomplishment. She was his support system. But still, she could imagine the silky fabric draping her bare skin, and what it might feel like to stand next to him while wearing it. Every nerve ending in her body would come to life, a torment she wasn’t sure she could endure. To feel that sexy while with the man she couldn’t get out of her head, when she knew that it was in everyone’s best interests to keep things professional? That would be a waste of a perfectly beautiful dress.
“What about this?” Tara offered another choice, a simple off-white strapless gown.
“Elegant, but don’t you think that’s a little bridal?”
That turned Miranda’s head. “If anything is going to terrify my brother, it’s a wedding dress.”
Astrid had wondered about the fate of Clay’s marriage to his daughter’s mother but had been understandably terrified to ask him. She only knew that he was divorced. “Was it that bad?”
“Yes. She ripped my brother’s heart out and walked all over it with the wardrobe of Louboutin and Jimmy Choo shoes she bought after cleaning out one of his investment accounts and subsequently moving to the Maldives.” Miranda rolled her eyes. “Like she
