The timer went off in the kitchen. “That’s dinner,” Astrid said. “If you two want to take your seats at the dining table, I’ll bring it out.”
“I’m going to run to the ladies’ room first,” Miranda said.
“Down the hall on the left.” Astrid got up from her seat and headed into the kitchen.
Tara trailed behind Astrid. “Let me help.”
Astrid was putting on a pair of oven mitts. “The plates are right there.” With a nod she gestured to the kitchen island. She pulled out a large sheet pan and set it on a trivet. “Tara, can we talk about something?”
“Of course.” Tara watched as Astrid removed foil from their meal, steam billowing in the air. “That looks and smells amazing.”
“Thanks. My chef made it for us.”
“What did you want to talk to me about?” Tara leaned back against the counter.
“Remember the day you introduced me to Clay and I saw the picture from Miranda and Johnathon’s wedding?”
Tara’s eyes went wide. “And everything you told me afterward?”
Thank God Astrid didn’t have to explain it further. “Yes. That.”
“What about it?”
“I just want to be sure we will always keep it between us.”
“Oh, of course.” Tara stole a roasted carrot from the pan. “That needs to be forgotten. Someone will just get hurt.”
“Who’s getting hurt?” Miranda appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Nobody,” Tara and Astrid said, nearly in unison.
“Then what were you talking about?”
“There’s a paper shredder in the office that has a mind of its own,” Tara blurted, somewhat unconvincingly.
“Then throw it out.” Miranda narrowed her sights on Tara.
“Smart. We’ll do that.”
Astrid could finally exhale. “Everyone hungry? I think this is going to be good.”
“I’m starving,” Miranda said.
“Good. Because we have tons of food.” Astrid dished up each plate and they took them to the dining table. Astrid appreciated that she could keep things informal with Tara and Miranda.
Tara raised her wineglass for a toast. “To Johnathon Sterling’s three wives. May we always get along.”
Miranda laughed and shook her head. “That’s not particularly optimistic.”
Tara shrugged. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
Astrid knocked back the last of her first glass of wine and poured herself a refill. Tonight might be a big test of her nerves.
“So, Astrid. Any highlights from your trip to Los Angeles you care to share?” Miranda asked the question with a tone that said Astrid had better spill it.
Okay, then. That had happened lightning fast. “You’re talking about me and Clay?”
“Yes.” Miranda nodded then took a bite of her salmon. “Delicious.”
“Did I miss something?” Tara asked.
“You could say that.” Miranda jumped in with response before Astrid had a chance.
“You two weren’t arguing on that trip, were you? I honestly don’t understand it.”
Astrid was desperate to take control of the conversation. This game was grating on her nerves. “Clay and I slept together.” She shot a pointed look at Miranda, then Tara, before stabbing a sweet potato with her fork. Astrid kept herself composed, hoping to hell that neither of them would ask for details.
“What happened?” Tara asked.
Well, that didn’t last for very long. “Part of it was because we ended up in the same hotel room. You said you were going to put us in separate rooms, but that’s not what the hotel had for us when we arrived.”
“That’s your excuse?” Tara set down her napkin. “You’re a shareholder in the company and you slept with one of your coworkers?”
Astrid shot her a pointed stare, doing her best to convey just how ridiculous Tara was being right now. “Are you kidding me? What about you and Grant? One could argue that was far worse. You two were both in positions of power, and you didn’t do a very good job of hiding it, either. At least I didn’t kiss someone on the Kiss Cam at a Major League baseball game.”
“Grant and I have history. And we’re engaged now.”
“Astrid’s right, Tara. You did the same thing,” Miranda said. “And you put our mutual interest in the company at much greater risk.”
Astrid didn’t want to gang up on Tara, but she did appreciate that Miranda had her back. “I really don’t think either of us is in a position to throw stones right now.”
“Obviously I wasn’t there, but I have a feeling it didn’t happen simply because you two were in the same room. Judging by the conversation I had with Clay before you two went to LA, I’m guessing it would have happened even if you’d been at completely different hotels,” Miranda said.
“So I heard,” Astrid said.
Now it was Miranda’s turn to be surprised. “He told you?”
“He did. And we had a long conversation about why he called things off the next morning.”
“Wow,” Miranda said. “He actually listened to what I said.”
“I don’t know exactly what you told him to do, but we did have a heart-to-heart. I think we understand each other better.” She was still guessing at these things. There was nothing certain about Clay.
“Where did you leave things?” Tara asked.
“Are you asking me as a shareholder and co-CEO of Sterling Enterprises, or are you asking as a girlfriend?”
Tara waited a moment to answer, buying time with two sips of her wine. “Since it’s just the three of us and we’re off the clock, I guess I’m asking as a friend.”
“We agreed that it was a one-time thing. That was it. We’re both single and we were caught up in the excitement of his big win. But it wasn’t anything more than sex.” Except that it had been, at least for Astrid. She needed to banish those thoughts from her mind, immediately. All they did was make her want Clay more. “And we also agreed that we would keep it quiet. Obviously that didn’t work here, but I hope I can trust you both to keep it to yourselves.”
“In my experience, the ‘it was only sex’ excuse doesn’t hold water. Especially if you have to keep working together,” Tara said. “Is this going to interfere with the Seaport project? Or anything else for that
