Brushing Off the Boss: A Half Moon Bay Novel (Entangled Bliss) (8 page)

Chapter Nine

Jack lay for a long time staring at the shadows on the ceiling before he went to sleep. The window was open and the rustling of the leaves drifted in on the soft night breeze. Events of the last couple of days looped through his head like scenes from a movie, and Sienna was center stage in every shot.

For the first time in his life, he’d really let a woman get under his skin, and the feeling bothered him. Everything she did stayed with him. He enjoyed sparring with Sienna; he loved watching the way she walked, the expressive gestures she made with her tiny hands when she was talking. And her low, husky voice was enticing.

He would love to see her sculpting—to watch those hands involved in the process of creation. There was so much at stake now that he knew how vulnerable she was. Sienna wanted the same things he did; they came from different backgrounds and were following different paths to get there. He knew the attraction was mutual. She’d said it in so many words yesterday, and the kiss they’d shared had shown him exactly how she felt. It was a shame he hadn’t followed through on that date a couple of years back. There was no place for commitment or settling down in either of their lives. They could have had fun, gotten it out of their systems, and moved on. He could be the boss and she his employee without the flirting, and the skirting around the attraction between them.

And he still had to sort out the problem of them both needing the studio to work.

He had his sculptures and his deadline to worry about, and he owned the gallery. There was no way he was going to get in a relationship, or tied down to a career and end up running the business himself.

Look what it did for Dad
.

Jack woke to bright sunlight shining on his face. He yawned, swung his legs out of the bed, and wandered over to the open window. The lake was a brilliant blue, reflecting the cloudless sky above. He glanced down at his watch and grunted with surprise when he saw that it was after nine o’clock. Even after sorting out his thoughts last night, he’d still had a lot of trouble getting to sleep.

Shoot.
He wondered if Sienna’s car had started. She should have left for the gallery by now. He sat back down on the side of the bed and listened, but there was no sound coming from the house. If she’d needed him, she would have come knocking—wouldn’t she?

Jack made himself a coffee before strolling out to the back porch. Last night’s light rain had washed everything clean; it was a glorious morning.

Perfect for a run.

But before he went back in for his running shoes, he couldn’t help himself. He strolled down the steps and around the side of the house. There was no sign of Sienna’s car.

Great.
The car must have started okay and he could forget about her, and focus on waiting for the truck and getting his stuff unpacked.

A quick call to the delivery company, and the driver told him he was just coming through San Francisco and would meet him within the hour. He would have time for a short run before the truck arrived. He looked up at the little cottage as he stretched before his run. It was a shame Sienna wouldn’t consider selling this place to him. The longer he stayed, and the more he looked around, the more he was convinced he could live here and build a studio. He could understand why she had bought it from the others; for the first time in his life he had found a place where he could combine work and home.

He’d try again. It would give her more money to buy her own gallery and studio somewhere, which seemed to be what she wanted. Maybe they could come to a deal. Money talked. He’d found that all his life.

…

“What are you doing down here?” Sienna smiled at her sister. She was surprised to see Georgie walk through the front door of the gallery. She narrowed her eyes as she took in the redness around her twin’s eyes before she led her to the privacy of the studio. Luckily, the place was quiet. It was early and the tourists hadn’t filled the street yet.

“Sit on the sofa. Coffee?” Sienna got Georgie settled and went back through the gallery and flicked the closed sign over before going into the small kitchen to pour them both a coffee. Georgie’s voice came through the door.

“Mom came to see me last night.”

“Mom? You mean Marietta?” Sienna walked out to the studio and put the two cups on the floor next to the sofa. She’d spread her latest batch of enameling on the coffee table and covered it with a drop sheet when she’d arrived earlier.

“Our mother.” A little hiccough escaped Georgie’s lips and she dug in her bag.

“Here.” Sienna had a clean tissue in her pocket and thrust it at her sister. She should have guessed what brought this on. “Aunt Lucia is our mother. And you promised you’d let me know if she turned up.”

Sienna took a step back, narrowly missing the coffee cups as Georgie glared at her.

“Well I’m letting you know now. She turned up. You’re not in charge, you know.” Georgie snapped out the words, her voice different. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up just like her.”

“What?” Sienna stared at Georgie. “What the heck are you talking about?”

“You’re so hard on her. She had her reasons for leaving us. She had to be hard…and in a way you’re as bad as she is for not listening to her.”

“How much money does she want this time?” Sienna was determined to hide how her sister’s words cut her like a knife. She and Georgie rarely fought, but if her twin insisted on taking their mother’s side, she wasn’t going to hold back now.”

“She’s dying.” Georgie dropped her face into her hands and burst into tears. Sienna turned away, running her hands though her hair. Her chest closed and her breath hitched as she fought the tears that ached behind her eyes.

If it’s true…

She stared through the window, trying to think of the right words to say, holding in her reaction. She didn’t want to upset her sister any more. The sound of the front door closing reached her and Jack called out.

“Are you out the back, Sienna? Do you want me to keep the closed sign up?”

He peered around the door and looked into the studio.

“Morning. Your car started okay for you then? You left before I woke up. I didn’t even hear you go.”

Georgie leaned around Sienna with a surprised look and a sniff. “Interesting.”

Jack turned to her with a broad smile. “Hello, Georgie, I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s not what it sounds like.” Sienna managed to compose herself before turning to Jack. “Look, we’re having a private conversation here. Can you leave us alone?” She softened her tone and gave him a small smile. It wasn’t his fault. “Please?”

“No problem. The delivery truck followed me into town, so I’ll head out the back. Where would I find the key to the back garage?”

“It’s on the hook beside the kitchen light switch, the one with the red tag.” Sienna put her hands on her hips and waited for him to leave, but he stood there—all six feet of him, pure male testosterone, in running shorts and a tank top. Sex appeal oozing out of every pore.

“Everything okay here?”

Sienna’s mouth dried. Jack lifted his hand and ran it though his damp hair. The muscles rippled beneath his tight shirt.

“Fine.” She knew her voice was husky and she waited for him to leave. Heck, she could barely catch her breath.

He smiled at her and disappeared through the door.

“That was quick.” Georgie wiped her eyes and looked at Sienna. “So tell me, what’s going on?”

Sienna walked over to the sofa and slumped beside her. “Don’t jump to conclusions. He’s staying in the apartment at the back of the cottage while I use the studio. Just for a couple of weeks.” She looked up at the shelves with a frown and muttered half under her breath. “If I ever get time to work.”

“It would be a bit distracting having him around to look at all day.” Georgie wiped her eyes and a smile crossed her face.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just…busy. And I’ve got a lot on my mind.” Sienna sat straight and tucked her leg beneath her. “Now tell me what else
she
said that you had to drive all the way down here to tell me.”

“I had to come down here anyway. And it’s not the sort of thing I wanted to talk about on the phone.” Georgie patted the bag beside her. “Blake was supposed to come down to Carmel to get some papers signed, but I offered to come so I could see you on the way.” She dabbed at her eyes again with the tissues. “Now I have to clean myself up a bit before I meet this guy. He’s the attorney for some famous author that the store is doing a renovation for.”

Sienna folded her arms. “I know you think I’m the hard one, but you are always so soft, Marietta knows that. Did she ask you for money?”

“Well—”

The sound of a truck beeping as it backed up the back driveway interrupted Georgie’s words.

Sienna rolled her eyes. “Whatever happened to my peaceful life?” She pushed herself to her feet and crossed to the door to the kitchen before pushing it open. “Jack, your truck’s here.”

He wandered through casually, cup of coffee in hand, and headed out to meet the truck driver.

“He’s going to drive me crazy. I guess that’s what being wealthy does for you. Nothing ever seems to bother him. He is so laid-back.” Sienna shook her head and held her hand out to Georgie. “Come on. Let’s get out of here and grab a real coffee, and we’ll figure out what to do.”

Sienna moved to the door and tried to push away that feeling that her life was about to change.

By the time Sienna got back to the gallery and flicked the sign on the door to open, there was no sign of Jack or the truck, and she heaved a sigh of relief. She had enough to think about—a gallery to run, her frogs to get finished in two weeks, and an exhibition to organize, and dealing with the riot of feelings Jack set afire in her. And the only way she’d managed to calm Georgie was to promise to see Marietta when she was in Nebbiton for Faith’s birthday party, the weekend after next. Apparently, their dear mother had moved back to the area and needed money for medical treatment.

Or so she said.

What if their mother really was ill?

Sienna rubbed a weary hand over her eyes. This time last week she’d been full of excitement about buying the gallery and her upcoming exhibition. She got through the afternoon, sold a few big pieces, interviewed two artists who were looking for a venue for a show, and took a dozen phone calls. She couldn’t wait until Katy, a young artist, started work as her assistant. That had been one of the positive changes in the past week.

Jack had lightened the load by getting the mail and bringing her coffee
.
If only she could forget about how good he looked.

There been no sign of him since this morning, which should have suited her just fine. But she hadn’t stopped looking up eagerly every time the door opened. At five o’clock, she closed the gallery and headed downstairs to turn the kilns on. She was going to spend a few hours on her pieces. She’d promised Georgie she’d stay overnight after Faith’s party, so that would be another day out of her preparation time. As she walked down the steps she flicked a curious glance toward the garage. There was a shiny new padlock on the door. It would be interesting to see Jack’s work. She had been curious about his methods since he’d described them at dinner the other night. As soon as he came back from wherever he’d gone, she’d ask him to show her, but in the meantime she had work to do.

Five hours later with her hands on her hips, Sienna studied the array of pieces on the studio shelves. A row of frogs in a variety of positions in bright hues of green, red, and blue looked back at her. She yawned and debated whether to go down and enamel the last of tonight’s batch, but before she could decide, the sound of a motorcycle pulling up at the back of the building caught her attention.

Her heartbeat picked up and she smoothed her hair down. She’d been perspiring in the heat of the small bricked-in room, and her hair was plastered to her head. Heading for the bathroom to clean up, she pulled off her thick work apron and then stopped before she got to the door.

What the heck am I doing?

She turned and crossed the room to the door to the back of the building. Jack was walking across to her, with his helmet in his hand.

“Are you okay?” He put his helmet on the ground, held the top of her arms and frowned down at her. “When it got so late I was worried about you.”

A strange warm flush filled Sienna’s chest as he held her gaze, his brow wrinkled in a frown. It had been a long time since anyone had worried about her. Her stomach fluttered and she fidgeted beneath his touch.

“I’m fine. I’ve been working on my frogs.” She stepped back and rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to ignore the sensation of his hands on her skin. She glanced over at the sofa. “I was thinking about sleeping here tonight.”

“I was worried your car wouldn’t start.”

“Oh, shoot.” Sienna rolled her eyes. “I totally forgot about the car. I didn’t call the mechanic.”

“Have you eaten?”

“What are you, my keeper?” Sienna was sorry as soon as the words left her lips.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just trying to look out for you.” He shrugged. “Besides, I had to come back in. There’s some stuff here in the garage I need.”

She’d forgotten all about the truck delivery this morning, and her curiosity was piqued. “Did everything arrive okay?”

“Yes. I just need to get myself organized now.”

“Jack? Will you show me your work?” Her voice was hesitant. Maybe he didn’t want her to see his work yet. Uncertainty filled her as he stared down at her.

He hesitated and she shrugged. “If you don’t want to—”

“No.” He walked over to the small loading area next to the door and put his helmet down. “It’s fine. Employee confidentiality and all that. I’m sure you won’t share what I show you with anyone.”

Disappointment settled in Sienna’s chest. He was worried she’d take his ideas, and he’d found it necessary to remind her she was an employee. For a while tonight as she’d immersed herself in her work, she’d totally let the situation leave her thoughts.