Astrid.
“It feels like her,” Pru went on. “Like Alice. I can’t wait to see the finished product.”
“Me too,” Jordan said, still squeezing Pru’s arm and smiling at Astrid. “It’s really a beautiful color.”
Astrid opened her mouth to say something—the truth would be preferable, she knew, but she couldn’t get it out.I didn’t do thisfelt like impossible words to speak in front of her clients, in front of Natasha Rojas and the cameras.
“I remember your plan being quite different for this room,” Simon said, hands on his hips. Astrid turned to face him, but noticed he wasn’t even looking at her.
He was looking at Jordan.
Some sort of twin-talk was going on silently between them, but Astrid didn’t have time to figure out what. Natasha fingers were swiping over her iPad, brows furrowed.
“Indeed,” Natasha said, frowning at the screen. “No blue here.” She held up the iPad, silver-gray walls on the 3D image, immaculate white duvet over a wrought-iron queen-size bed, a herringbone-patterned feature wall behind it created from distressed pine, drapes and accent pillows in browns and blues and grays.
It was an oasis, just what guests in small-town inns were looking for.
“I will say, though, I like the change,” Natasha went on, pinching the iPad screen between her thumb and forefinger to inspect something closer. “Your original plan is actually a bit... uninspired.”
The word was like a bomb dropped into the middle of the room.At least, that’s what it felt like to Astrid. She blinked as Natasha Rojas continued to frown at the screen, swiping and zooming, mouth pursed in scrutiny.
Uninspired.
Uninspired?
Astrid repeated the word in her head so many times, it started to sound like gibberish. She knew she needed to say something, but, in all honesty, she was terrified tears would leak out with any words right now. Plus, if she agreed with Natasha, she’d pretty much be shitting all over her own design plan in front of her client. If she balked, fought for the work she’d actually done, she undermined a design legendandthe blue walls that Pru Everwood clearly adored.
Fucking fuck, she thought. If there was ever a great moment for some internal f-bombs, it was this one.
“Okay. Um, well,” Astrid said when she’d finally gotten herself together enough to speak. Still, the right words seemed to fly right out of her head, and she wondered how many more fillers she could utter before she made a complete fool of herself. “I—
“Wedecided to go in a different direction,” Jordan said, as calmly as if she was talking about a chance of showers that afternoon. It took Astrid a few seconds to really process Jordan’s meaning.
“You did?” Simon asked, eyes flicking between Astrid and his sister. “You and Astrid together?”
Jordan simply tilted her head at Astrid, one eyebrow lifted in her direction. A challenge, if Astrid were to put a name to the expression.
Astrid had to make a choice then, and it happened almost without her knowing it. They were all waiting for her, Natasha Rojas included, who of course was more than okay with letting this little bit of carpenter-client-designer drama unfold. So she schooled her features, pressed her shoulders back.
“We’re working through some ideas,” she finally said, smiling without her teeth. There. That wasn’t technically a lie, as she plannedto work out a number of ideas with Jordan Everwood when they were next alone.
“Exactly,” Jordan said.
“Interesting,” Natasha said again while she and Emery eyed each other.Interestingseemed to be Natasha’s favorite word, and, honestly, Astrid was getting sick of it.
“Isn’t it?” Jordan said, clapping her hands together once, then turned toward Natasha. “Now, how would you like to see a secret passageway or two? We can go from the master bedroom all the way to the library downstairs through the walls, if you can believe that.”
Natasha’s eyes lit up. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Jordan grinned at her, and Astrid had a fleeting thought that the two women were flirting, then pushed it away. She didn’t care if Jordan flirted with a lamppost. What she did care about was this disaster of a room, heruninspireddesign plan, and what she was going to do about whatever Jordan was up to.
“Why don’t you all go ahead,” Astrid said, perfect smile still firmly in place, her hands clasped in front of her. “I’m just going to check a few things in the bathroom.”
“No problem,” Natasha said. “I think we’ve got all we need from you, right, Emery?”
“Good to go,” they said.
“I’m very excited to see how this room progresses,” Natasha said.
