“Did you miss me?” he asked, using the same nearly unrecognizable tone he’d taken on the phone that morning.
Delia narrowed her eyes on her father’s face in much the same way he did at work when he was annoyed by a question Astrid was stupid enough to ask. “Daddy, I told you I did on the phone. Remember?”
“Okay. Okay. I just like hearing it.” He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her cheek. Astrid, still keeping her distance, felt as though her heart was being squeezed tight. Clay was such a different man when he let down his guard. She’d seen it last night and she was witnessing it now that he was around Delia. It was hard to believe he was the same gruff guy she had battled with at work.
Miranda approached the pair and placed her hand on her brother’s back. “She did miss you, but not as much as you probably hoped. We had way too much fun.”
“We swam in Aunt Miranda’s pool and we colored and watched movies and had popcorn.”
Clay glanced at Miranda over his shoulder. “Let me guess. You watched The Snow Princess.”
“Only three times,” Miranda answered.
Delia wriggled her way out of her father’s arms and pointed at Astrid. “Who are you?”
A look of horror crossed his face. “This is Astrid. She and I work together at Sterling Enterprises.”
As if Astrid needed another reminder of the box Clay wanted her to stay in. Astrid stepped closer to Delia, crouching down to get on her level. “I already know who you are. You’re the famous Delia. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
A slight smile crossed the little girl’s lips, but she seemed to be sizing up Astrid, trying to figure out what she was or where she fit into her life, if at all. “Hi.”
Astrid planted her hands on her knees, still stooped down. “So, you like The Snow Princess?”
Delia nodded eagerly. “It’s my favorite.”
“Did you know it’s based on a story from Norway?”
“It is? How do you know that?”
Astrid smiled, thinking back to her childhood and the folk tales her brothers used to tell her. They always chose the darkest stories in the hopes of scaring Astrid, but it never worked, and they were confounded. Astrid always wanted to believe the happier parts of those fables. “It’s called The Three Princesses. The story is different in the movie. It’s much more fun.”
“Where does the snow come from?”
“There’s a lot of snow in Norway and the winter can be very long. That’s where I was born and where I grew up.”
Delia’s eyes went wide. “Really? I’ve never seen snow in real life. Sometimes you can see it on the mountains around San Diego, but that’s not the same.”
Clay was carefully watching over their exchange, not letting on as to what he thought of it. “Come on, Delia. Let’s get your things packed up. Astrid needs to get home. I’m sure she has a lot she needs to do today.”
“Okay.” The pair started upstairs, hand in hand.
Astrid couldn’t help but feel as though she would only be intruding during the drive home. Clay had made his priorities clear and she couldn’t blame him for it. Delia was adorable. Anyone would want to protect her. If she were Astrid’s daughter, she would have felt the same way. “Clay? Hold on a minute.”
He came to a stop and looked down at her from the top of the stairs, his eyes dark and questioning. “Yes?”
“I’ll call a car to take me downtown. You and Delia enjoy the rest of your day together.”
Relief washed over his face. He nearly smiled. Nearly. “Thank you. That would be great. I’ll see you at the office on Monday.”
Astrid forced a grin. The thought of work soured her stomach. “Yes. Absolutely.”
Clay and Delia disappeared up the stairs, leaving Miranda and Astrid downstairs alone.
“So?” Miranda started. “How was it? Do you think that spending that time with my brother will make things easier at work?”
Astrid wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question. Nothing about her night with Clay was going to make anything “easier.” “We’ll see. Your brother is a tough nut to crack.”
Miranda nodded. “He always has been. I’m sorry if it’s difficult.”
Astrid shrugged. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” Astrid really had no choice but to soldier through all of this, but she was also starting to wonder if it would ever be worth it. “I wanted to ask if you’re available for dinner one night this week. I’d like to have you and Tara over.”
“Is this for fun or are we talking business?”
“A little of both. I’ve just been thinking about my future with Sterling.”
Miranda reached for Astrid’s arm. “I hope you aren’t questioning it because of Clay. I promise he’s far more bark than bite.”
If only Astrid could tell Miranda what she was really thinking, that Clay had already taken a chunk of her heart and she wasn’t sure she could stick around in the hopes of ever reclaiming it. “It’s more than your brother. A lot of it’s on me.” The words echoed in her head. It’s on me. If she wanted happiness and fulfillment, she had to find it for herself. Not that long ago, she’d thought she’d found a new purpose at Sterling, but the road ahead seemed bumpy at best. She was going to have to hold on tight if she wanted to get past it.
Eight
Astrid arrived at work on Monday morning to a surprise sitting on her desk—a photo of her and Clay from Friday night at the award ceremony. It came with a note from Tara: You two look
