Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted (The Sterling Wives Book 1), стр. 30

Tara admired Astrid’s willingness to go with the flow. She hadn’t expected it, at all. Johnathon had always painted Astrid as being incredibly high-maintenance, the sort of woman who needed constant attention and adulation. That hadn’t been Tara’s experience thus far. Astrid certainly had a flair for high drama—showing up at the first meeting of the wives dressed as Widow of the Year, and then again turning up at Tara’s house and busting her on her tryst with Grant. But as for being needy, Astrid seemed nothing less than self-sufficient.

“You’ll be working on the Seaport Promenade project with me,” Tara said. “Since you’re just getting started in the world of development, Grant thought it best for us to work together so I and a few other key people in the office can show you the ropes.”

Astrid nodded eagerly and tucked her long blond hair behind her ear. “Yes, of course. I’m ready to learn.”

Yet again, Tara was pleasantly surprised. Astrid might have owned seventeen percent of the company, but she sure wasn’t acting as though she was entitled to anything other than an opportunity. “Great. Let’s go chat with Clay Morgan, the lead architect on the project. I can explain everything to you on our way down to his office.”

Astrid reached for Tara’s arm, her face now painted with concern. “He’s Miranda’s brother, isn’t he?”

“He is. But you and Miranda have started to iron things out, haven’t you?”

Astrid nodded. “Yes. But I’m still not sure she likes me.”

Tara patted Astrid on the arm, wanting to reassure her. “She’s been through a lot. We’ve all been through a lot. All the more reason for us to have that dinner together. Does Friday still work for you?”

“It does. I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great.”

The two women strode down the hall to the suite where the architects’ offices were. She loved this part of the Sterling operation. It made her think of her dad, and his dreams. He would’ve been excited to see so many talented people hard at work. He’d always hoped to find himself in a place exactly like this, but he’d never reached that goal. All the more reason for Tara to keep striving for more in this new phase of her professional life. She wasn’t waiting to be happy. She was making her dad proud by going for it.

Tara reached Clay’s door, which was wide open. Inside, Clay was hard at work at his drafting table. In the background, classical music played, but at a volume so low that it was hardly audible. Tara had met Clay a few times, and if she had to stick him with a label, it would have been intense. His hair was very dark, nearly black, just like Miranda’s. It was longish on top, and he was always threading his fingers through it, flopping it from one side to the other. His blue eyes were so dark that they sometimes looked like midnight. He was tall and broad, but quiet and reserved. There always seemed to be quite a lot going on under the surface.

Tara hated to interrupt him, especially when he was so hard at work, but she had to make this introduction. She rapped on his door quietly. He looked up at her with those stormy eyes, but he seemed to quickly see past Tara to Astrid. Tara was accustomed to this response from men when she was with Astrid. The woman had graced hundreds of magazines and the runway for a reason—she was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Clay. Hi,” Tara started. “I wanted to introduce you to Astrid Sterling. She’s going to be project manager on the Seaport project. You and Grant talked about it, right?”

He took a quick survey of his workspace, which was littered with pencils and large sheets of drafting paper. “Yeah. Sure. I’m sorry. I would’ve cleaned up if I’d known you were coming.”

Astrid walked past Tara and helped him with the pencils. “It’s okay. I’m good at straightening up.”

Clay was a proverbial deer in the headlights, not saying a thing and frozen in place. Men did all sorts of strange things in Astrid’s presence. “Please. Don’t.” He stopped Astrid by clapping his hand down on hers. He’d apparently snapped back to attention.

Astrid shook off the rebuff, but her cheeks were red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just like to have my office a certain way.”

Tara was eager to diffuse the sudden tension in the air. “So, Clay, as you know, Grant wants you as lead architect on the project. Astrid will be learning along the way and managing the day-to-day. I’ll be dealing with the city, with help from my assistant, Sandy.”

Clay picked up one of the pencils from his desk and rattled it back and forth between his fingers. “I’ve already done my own research on the specs. We’re behind the eight ball. The first plans are due in five weeks. If we don’t pass the initial phase, we’re out of the running. And my workload is already considerable, so this is going to be a big challenge.”

Tara decided that getting Clay on her side was of paramount importance. Grant would think she couldn’t handle things if Clay went complaining to him about the timeline or the project in general. “You have a daughter, right?”

Clay’s eyes narrowed. “I do. She’s five.”

“One of my prime objectives in our version of the project is to make it more kid friendly. There’s not enough for families downtown. I think your knowledge based on that alone is crucial.”

“There are other dads in the department.”

“But none who are doing it all on their own as a single dad. I’m guessing you bring a specific set of ideas to the equation. Plus, Grant swears up and down that you’re the top architect in the firm. I want the best for this project.”

Clay pursed his lips, the pencil still wagging in his hand. “Okay. We need to have a planning meeting as soon as possible. A site visit. I’d like