Page 64 of Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

Astrid laughed. “I guess you are.”

Jordan looked back at the library design on her laptop’s screen.“But seriously. What do we do? I’d love your help with this, but not if you don’t actually like what I’ve done here.”

Astrid turned back to the screen as well. “What happens if I don’t?”

Jordan felt a pang of hurt she wasn’t prepared for. She’d put a lot into this design. Her love for her family and the childhood she’d spent here, the house’s history, the town’s love for Alice’s story. The idea that a professional—no, not a professional—the idea thatAstridwouldn’t like her creation stung.

But it didn’t change anything.

“Then I guess we’re back to subterfuge and paint jobs in the middle of the night,” she said. She started to walk away, just back around to the other side of the workbench for some distance, physically and emotionally, but Astrid grabbed her hand.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I even asked that. I love it.”

Jordan froze. The whole world froze, in fact, as though the only thing that existed were those three little words and Astrid’s warm fingers tangled with her own.

“You do?” she managed to say.

Astrid nodded. “I mean, it needs some work.” She released Jordan’s hand, but in a slow slide that kept their fingertips together until the very last minute, and nodded toward the laptop. “Texture is a big issue in most of the spaces, and I’m not sure that yellow-and-ivory stripe is really what you’re going for, considering the mood of the rest of the rooms, but if you’re open to—”

“I am,” Jordan said, elation filling her up like helium. “I am so open.”

Astrid smiled. “You don’t even know what I’m going to suggest.”

“I’m still in. I’m all in.”

A blush bloomed on Astrid’s face, possibly the loveliest thing Jordan had ever seen. Well, that, and the way Astrid’s long lashes fanned over her cheekbones, those little vampire teeth coming out to bite her lower lip.

Shit.

Jordan shook her head to clear it.

“Okay,” Astrid said. “Then we do this together. We go through each room, detail by tiniest detail, looking at your designs and mine, seeing if we can come up with something cohesive and thematic.”

Jordan nodded vigorously.

“And we’ll have to do it fast, because the base paint is already mostly finished on the first floor, so if we’re going to incorporate this sage, we’ve got to put in that order with the painters pretty soon.”

“Yes. Agreed.”

“Which means we have to get approval from Pru, Simon, and Natasha before that.”

Jordan wasn’t so much concerned about her grandmother—she’d designed this whole house with Pru in mind—but Simon was trickier. Legally speaking, his name was on the contract with Bright Designs, along with Pru’s, so Jordan knew Astrid had to get his okay before implementing anything. Still, Jordan was pretty confident Simon would go along with whatever Astrid advised. And Natasha... well. She’d already called Astrid’s design “uninspired” once. She had a feeling that a woman who wore a clit necklace on a daily basis would be up for a little more intrigue in the design, particularly one that accented the house’s history.

Jordan started to say yes to everything Astrid was proposing, but one thing gave her pause.

“Why?” Jordan asked. “Why are you doing this? Why not just fight me, go to Simon and tell him everything I’m trying to do since we both know he’ll shut me down. Why work with me when you could just do your own plan like you wanted?”

Astrid looked away, tucked her hair behind her ear. Her eyes glazed over on the computer screen, her thoughts clearly going inward. Jordan couldn’t help but wonder... what did Astrid Parker really want? She didn’t strike Jordan as someone who backed down, not after theway she laid into Jordan during their first meeting, demanding her phone number for the dry cleaning bill.

But she was backing down right now. She said they’d do this together, sure, but Astrid wascompromising.

“This feels right,” Astrid finally said, gently touching the computer’s keyboard before turning her dark eyes on Jordan. “This is your family home. Technically, you’re an Everwood, and you’re my client too. I want this project to make you happy.”

Jordan just blinked at her, stunned. Astrid seemed nearly as shocked by her own words, because her blush deepened and she looked away.

“Plus,” she said, laughing a little, “I don’t think I can handle walking into another room with Natasha Rojas without knowing exactly what color will be on the wall.”

Jordan winced. “I actually am pretty sorry about that.”