“Same,” Tara said. “And for the record, he found out about the winery from me. I was the wine aficionado in our marriage.”
The three wives exchanged knowing glances. It did feel as though they were learning new things about Johnathon all the time, simply from spending so much time together.
“Interesting. He always framed himself as the expert.” Astrid led them into the heart of her apartment, with its open floor plan, high ceilings, and admittedly unpractical color scheme of nothing but white and cream. She had everything she could ever want here, a spacious living space, a formal dining room, and state-of-the-art gourmet kitchen. There was only one bedroom, but it was a generous size and so comfortably appointed with high thread-count bedding in shades of cream and pale gray that Astrid sometimes referred to as her cocoon. It had a spa-like bathroom with a separate shower and a two-person soaking tub, plus a walk-in closet even she had a difficult time filling. Still, as perfect as her home was, it was a solitary existence living alone perched atop a skyscraper. She sometimes felt like a princess shut away in a tower.
“Your place is stunning.” Miranda was drawn to the windows at the far side of the apartment. On the twentieth floor, it had incredible views of the city and the bay, especially at night, when lights twinkled like diamonds against the backdrop of an night sky.
“Thank you. Johnathon bought it for me soon after we started dating. He wanted me in San Diego more often, but I wasn’t about to move in with him when we’d only known each other for a month. Now that I look back on it, it seems a little crazy.”
Miranda nodded and turned back to Astrid. “He did like to push things along quickly, didn’t he? I felt like our courtship was so fast. We were dating, then we were engaged and married, all within six months.”
Astrid’s stomach soured, just thinking about that particular sequence of events. Somewhere in the midst of that, Johnathon flew to Norway and seduced Astrid, without saying a peep about his new love.
“I think he took things faster as he got older,” Tara offered. “We dated for over a year before he popped the question. Now I know that some of that had to do with Grant.”
“Really?” Miranda asked, taking a seat on the white linen sofa in Astrid’s living room.
“I’ll get the wineglasses while Tara tells us this story. I want to hear every last thing. Miranda, what can I get you to drink?”
“Sparkling water, if you have it.”
“Coming right up.” Astrid ventured to the wet bar on the opposite side of the room, first serving Miranda’s drink before opening the wine and pouring herself and Tara each a glass. She joined Miranda on the couch while Tara sat in one of two high-backed upholstered chairs.
“You know, I met Grant and Johnathon the same night,” Tara said.
“I guess I didn’t know that,” Miranda said.
“Grant and I had serious sparks, but Johnathon was the one who pursued me, so I figured that my connection with Grant was all in my imagination. I didn’t know this until recently, but he and Johnathon butted heads about it several times. We’re talking very heated arguments. That’s part of why I got forced out of Sterling Enterprises at the beginning. Grant told Johnathon that he couldn’t work with both of us, and of course, Johnathon wasn’t about to get rid of his best friend. I was already his wife. I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“So guilt was the reason he gave you a third of his shares in the company?” Miranda said coolly. She’d made it clear from the beginning that she felt Johnathon had shortchanged her.
“I take it that still bothers you?” Tara asked.
“Well, of course it does, but my beef is with Johnathon, not with you two. I really appreciate that we’ve found a way to come together.” She took a sip of her sparkling water and set the glass back down on the coffee table. “I don’t have any family other than Clay and Delia. I don’t have more than a handful of close friends. The interior design business is incredibly competitive. People will be nice to your face and then they’ll stab you in the back. It might be counterintuitive, but I trust you two. I guess it’s because Johnathon trusted you, too.”
The guilt was bearing down on Astrid with unrelenting force. If Miranda trusted her now, it would be destroyed if Astrid’s secret was ever revealed. Perhaps it would be better if she simply came out with it. But then again, it would cause so much pain. Miranda would feel betrayed by the man whose baby she was carrying and that could never be resolved. She’d never be able to speak to him and work it out, find out why he’d done what he’d done. It would forever change her image of the man she had loved so greatly. Astrid took a deep breath and a healthy gulp of her wine. No, she would live with the secret and keep it from hurting anyone else.
Her secret aside, Astrid had a different unpleasant topic she had to bring up. “Since we’re discussing Johnathon, I’m afraid I have to let you both know that we can’t name the Seaport park after him if we get the project. The city is retaining naming rights.”
“That’s not terribly surprising,” Tara said.
“It’s still disappointing.” Miranda placed her hand on her belly. “I had visions of taking the baby to that park, and being able to tell them that it was named after their father.”
Astrid could hear the heartbreak in Miranda’s voice. They were all still grieving, but Miranda was the closest to the loss. “I’m sorry. I really am. If there was anything I could do about it, I would have.”
Miranda sniffled, but nodded. “I know you would
