Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted (The Sterling Wives Book 1), стр. 31
“That’s perfect because I have lots of ideas. Grant really seemed to like them.” Just thinking about presenting her ideas to Grant was making her sad about the other night. They’d both been so caught up in the moment, feeding off each other’s enthusiasm. It had felt only natural that they’d ended up in bed together, and in the moment, it had been so right. She and Grant fit together like two puzzle pieces. But that was not to be. She had to stay focused on what was ahead of her.
“Okay. Sounds good,” Clay said.
Tara breathed a sigh of relief. “Fantastic. I’ll have Sandy bring you the official specs this afternoon. Perhaps we can meet first thing tomorrow morning?”
“That works,” Clay said.
“Is this your daughter in the picture?” Astrid asked, picking up a frame from the credenza.
“It is. She was a flower girl when my sister and Johnathon got married.”
Astrid admired the photograph and Tara stole a glance over her shoulder. Clay was standing next to bride Miranda with his arm around her. Clay’s daughter was in a pretty pink dress with a basket of flowers. It made Tara’s heart ache to think about how happy everyone was in that photograph, but it also made her equally sad to think about what Astrid must be thinking while looking at it. She hadn’t been told that Johnathon had remarried. This was a piece of history she’d only recently learned of.
“When was the wedding?”
“Late May last year. Memorial Day weekend. They were barely married for a year. It’s so sad,” Clay answered.
“Was it a short engagement?” Astrid asked.
Tara found the question odd. Why would Astrid want to know these details? “A few months, I guess,” Tara answered.
“Sounds right to me,” Clay added.
Astrid tapped her finger against the frame, then promptly put the photograph down and made for the door. “Thanks, Clay,” she said, hardly looking at him before she disappeared into the hall.
“Is she okay?” Clay asked.
Tara didn’t know the answer to that question, but she had a good idea. “I’m sure she’s fine. Thanks for letting us steal some of your time today.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
Tara rushed out into the hall. She expected that she’d have to chase after Astrid, but she was just outside the door, leaning against the wall with her face buried in her hands.
“Come on,” Tara said, urging her ahead with a gentle tug of her arm. “Let’s you and I get some privacy.” She and Astrid filed into the ladies’ room. “Was it the photo from Johnathon’s wedding to Miranda?”
“Yes.” Astrid’s voice was soft and unsteady.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, but maybe it’s better that it finally happened. You and Miranda are becoming friends. It was only a matter of time before she invited you over one night.”
Astrid braced her hands on the bathroom counter, staring into the mirror and shaking her head. She wasn’t tearful, but the color was definitely gone from her face. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe what?”
Astrid looked Tara right in the eye via her reflection. “Johnathon cheated on Miranda.”
“Wait. What? How do you know?”
Astrid turned around and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the vanity. “I know because he cheated on her with me.”
Ten
Tara cursed her ex-husband for days. Nearly an entire work week, to be exact. Damn you, Johnathon. How could he have done that? Sleep with one ex-wife weeks before marrying the next one? It was unconscionable. It was also a little crazy that Tara had such a burning desire to find out why he’d done it. Leave it alone, she kept telling herself. But she couldn’t.
Tara had a vested interest in keeping this secret buried, even if it killed her to play a part in Johnathon’s misdeeds. If Miranda found out and blew up over it, the wives’ majority interest in the company would be compromised. There was no telling what either Astrid or Miranda would do in that situation, but Tara could imagine some terrible scenarios. They might feel pitted against each other and sell to one of the other shareholders, leaving Tara with very few options. If they sold to Grant, it would be game over. Tara would lose her chance to run the company. Miranda and Astrid might even band together against Tara. Crazier things had happened.
The wives needed to be a unified front, but beneath the surface, things were beginning to splinter. First there was the pregnancy and now, the infidelity. Beyond that, Tara was responsible for some of the uneven ground they were walking on. It had been foolish to sleep with Grant. It had been shortsighted to allow herself to get caught up in the moment and give in to those carnal desires, and her own deep-seated curiosity about what it might be like to sleep with him. She couldn’t beat herself up about it though. She refused to do that. He rocked her world a week ago. On some level, it had been worth it.
For now, her most pressing problem was that Astrid would not stop asking Tara if she thought Grant knew about the infidelity. It bothered Astrid greatly, and she’d been unable to get a meeting with him. His schedule was ridiculously full. Tara kept putting Astrid off, but she couldn’t do it forever. And it benefitted her to ask the question before Astrid had the chance to do it herself. If Astrid unleashed her anger on Grant in the office, Clay might find out about it and that would all lead back to Miranda. It was a risk to ask Grant, but she needed to do it. Luckily, she not only had access to his calendar, but she’d befriended his assistant.
She showed up at his office just as he was getting off a call. “Do you have a minute?” she asked.
“Sure,” he answered, typing away at his keyboard.
Tara closed the door behind her. She couldn’t let anyone hear their discussion.