Brushing Off the Boss: A Half Moon Bay Novel (Entangled Bliss) (13 page)

Chapter Sixteen

“Sienna!” Giuseppe, the owner of the small Italian restaurant near the beach at Carmel, gathered her into a tight hug. “We haven’t seen you here for a long time. How is your Uncle Renzo? I must go up to Nebbiton and beat him in a game of boccie. He owes me a game.”

Sienna swallowed and tried to keep her composure when Giuseppe mentioned…her father. It brought the events of the last few days crashing back. She put her hand on the back of the chair to steady herself, and forced a cheerful smile onto her face. “I haven’t been to see him for a few weeks, but I’ll let him know you’re after a rematch when I’m”—she glanced at Jack—“we’re up there next weekend.”

She stepped to the side as Jack pulled her chair out for her, and Giuseppe opened the napkin with a dramatic flourish.

“Now, you must have the spaghetti marinara tonight.” Once Sienna was seated and he’d laid the napkin on her lap, he put his fingers to his lips in a very Italian gesture. “
Delizioso.
The seafood is fresh off the boat this morning.” His chest puffed out and he smiled before he walked back to the kitchen; a pang of nostalgia ran through Sienna. She missed her friends in Nebbiton. Apart from Ana and Georgie, they were all older folks and many were Italians whose family had settled on the coastal fringe near Half Moon Bay a couple of generations back. In one way she was looking forward to going back home to Faith’s birthday party, but she was dreading seeing Renzo. She glanced up at Jack, who’d settled in the chair across from her. She knew the tongues would wag when he turned up at the party. Thelma and Mitzi would be in matchmaking heaven. They’d taken full credit for Blake and Ana’s blissful state of matrimony, totally ignoring the fact that they’d known each other since college.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Sienna jumped as Jack’s words broke through the happy background noise of the restaurant. “I was thinking about Nebbiton. You’re still coming to Faith’s party?”

“Of course. I’m not going to let my Prince Charming tights go to waste.” Jack grinned at her, and that ever-present warmth that filled her whenever she was near him spread a little further. “And I’m golfing with Blake on Monday.”

“So you’re not going to be able to come back and open the gallery the day after the party. I’m going to finish up this week, and Katy won’t be here. Did you get my email?” She’d forwarded him the email Katy had sent after she’d called, but he hadn’t replied.

“No, I haven’t checked it.” Jack held her gaze as he picked up the water carafe and filled her glass.

Of course he hadn’t.

“That’s fine.. I might just close the gallery for a few days.”

His casual attitude really got under her skin at times..For the life of her she still couldn’t understand why he’d bought the place. It would have been easier to buy a regular studio space. He said he wanted nothing to do with running a business and having any responsibility, but sometimes she sensed it was an act he put on. No one could be that relaxed and carefree all the time.
Could they?
“So you don’t check your email either?”

He shrugged. “I got fed up with email when I was working for the company when Dad was sick. People expect you to jump immediately just because they can send you an email any time of the day or night.”

Sienna held his gaze and watched him. He leaned back casually in his chair and looked at her but it was hard to see what he was thinking. It reinforced for Sienna that she was right not to trust him to hang around for long.

“I check it once a day.” He sounded a little defensive. Great, she’d gotten under his skin. It felt good to get a reaction out of him.

“I meant what I said about leaving, Jack. I’m going on Friday.”

Jack steepled his fingers beneath his chin and stared back at her. The grin had left his face and his eyes were hooded. “So you’ve made up your mind for sure? I can’t persuade you to stay?”

Sienna held his gaze and shook her head, still wondering if she’d made the wrong decision. Now that she’d put it into words, she’d have to stick with it.

“Where are you going?” His voice was soft, and she leaned forward to hear.

“I don’t know. I’ve got some things I need to do. I might travel for a while.”

“Shoot, Sienna.” Jack’s voice held a rough edge. “You sure know to make a guy feel bad. Where did all this come from? A few days ago you were on a path to buying the gallery and having your first show.” He reached across to take her hand, but she pulled it away and clenched it in her lap as he kept talking.

“Changing my mind about selling can’t have had such an impact on your decision so quickly?”

For a fleeting moment the perplexed look on Jack’s usually happy face and the concern in his voice rattled her, and she was tempted to tell him everything that had happened. She would tell him that he too would leave her eventually and she wasn’t prepared to risk her heart. She opened her mouth, and then she remembered his casual attitude. Did he really care? She wasn’t going to risk it.

Keep your private business close to your heart. Don’t depend on anyone else.
Taking a deep breath, she crossed her arms. “Don’t concern yourself. I’m a flighty person, always changing my mind. You probably did me a favor. Just ask the girls next weekend. You can’t rely on me.”

Jack’s eyes hadn’t left her face, and she dropped her gaze to her lap, surprised to see her hands were white from clenching them so tightly. She relaxed them and looked back up at him as he leaned forward.

“Well, I hope you change it back again, because you’re making the wrong decision based on very little reason.”

The anger that shot through her was welcome. She was well and truly sick of feeling sorry for herself, and she lashed out at him. “Oh, do you? And what do you know about me? Do you think one night in my bed—actually it’s your bed, isn’t it, I keep forgetting—makes you an expert on how I feel and gives you the right to tell me you think I should change my mind back again?”

Jack held up his hand. “There’s no need to be so cranky.”

Regret spiked through her chest. There was no need to take it out on Jack. He drove her crazy with his laid-back attitude, but he
was
too nice a guy to bear her temper. Way too nice for her peace of mind.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself and it’s time to get over it.” She swallowed and held his green-eyed gaze, trying to ignore the regret that was filling her. Just as well it had turned out the way it had, because she’d been sucked in by him. He’d almost gotten past her resolve of not investing emotionally in a relationship. Marietta and Arielle had turned up in the nick of time. It would have been a huge mistake.

“I’ve got some news you might like. I’m selling my house, too. So if you’re still interested you can have first option on it. It’ll save me a lot of time before I head off.”

This time she couldn’t help the tears that filled her eyes, and she brushed them away angrily before they could spill onto her cheeks.

My job, my exhibition, and my cottage. And worst of all my sister
. Sienna had lost so much in the last few days. She wasn’t even going to think about losing what might have been with Jack. She steeled herself and swallowed back her despair.

“Now let’s order and get out of here as soon as we can. This was a bad idea.”

…

Jack felt like a total and absolute heel. His move to Carmel and his decision to keep the gallery—the gallery that he’d had nothing to do with since he’d bought it—had brought a lot of turmoil into Sienna’s life. He’d never been able to handle it when a woman cried. Arielle had picked that up mighty quick, and now Sienna was on the verge of tears. But she wasn’t ready to fall into his arms to be comforted—she had the hard shell back up and in place.

The silence stretched uncomfortably as their meals were delivered; he ate without tasting anything. Finally, Sienna pushed her plate to the side and held his gaze.

Her eyes were huge and touched by shadows on the fine, transparent skin beneath them. Her cheeks were lightly flushed and her full lips set in a straight line. A pang of sympathy shot through him, and his fingers itched to reach out and cup her face.

“I’ve had enough. Can you pay the bill?” The legs of the chair scraped on the tiled floor with a loud squeak when Sienna pushed it back and rose gracefully to her feet. Her shoulders were stiff, and he sensed she was only just holding herself together.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sienna’s voice was soft and she avoided his gaze.

“Wait for me. I’ll walk you back.” He kept his voice firm. “We need to talk some more.”

Sienna ignored him and strode to the door, giving Giuseppe a wave in the kitchen as she hurried past. Jack pulled out his wallet and threw a hundred-dollar bill to the waitress. “Keep the change.” He pushed open the door and looked up the street. She must have run, because she was almost to the corner of the street where the gallery was.

“Wait,” he called after her as he took off in a jog. Even without running shoes, she had the key to the front door in her hand by the time he caught up.

“I asked you to wait for me.”

“I heard you, and I didn’t want to.”

Jack took her arm gently. “Sienna, listen to me. We’re going to sit down and talk this out.”

“There is nothing to talk out, Jack”

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “I think there is.” He took the key from her and opened the door with one hand without letting her go with the other. Sienna tried to pull away as he gently led her through the gallery to the studio.

“I’m not going to let you go, or you’ll take off.”

She glared at him without speaking. They reached the sofa bed, and he sat her down on it before he let go of her arm. He stood in front of the sofa and crossed his arms.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Jack waited for her to look at him after he spoke.

She lifted her head. “About what?” Her face was closed, but at least she was listening to him.

“About the gallery. About the studio.” He crouched down in front of her, and the whiff of perfume that reached him pulled him back two nights to when they’d been laughing together in this bed. Jack held her gaze with his. “I’ve watched you work here, and I know how well you do it. I’m going to contact Dad’s secretary and tell her to redo the contract and we’ll go ahead with the sale.”

She gazed up at him. “You can’t do that. What about your commission?”

He waved his hand and grinned. “I’ll sort something out. It’s not the end of the world if it’s a bit late.” Surprise shot through him as his words hung in the air. He realized it didn’t matter. Sienna’s happiness was more important than anything he had to prove to himself…or his father. Or had thought he did. Yeah, he had a deadline, and he wanted to show Dad he wasn’t a loser, but none of that mattered. Sienna’s happiness was more important to him. His priorities had switched and he hadn’t even been aware of it happening. Money wasn’t going to rule his life; if he lost this commission, there would be more.

Her sharp floral perfume washed over him as her eyes lit up, and then her face closed again as she drew her lips together. “I don’t want it anymore.”

“Sienna, do you know what you want?” As soon as the words left his lips he regretted them.

Her mouth dropped open as she took a deep breath, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her lips. “Yes, Jack. I do. But what I want, and what’s right for me, are not necessarily the same thing.”

Goddamn, he couldn’t help himself. His arms seemed to go around her of their own accord and he crushed her against his chest. He dropped his chin to the top of her head as she leaned into him and relaxed. “I’m sorry I’ve made you so unhappy by coming to Carmel.”

He felt her take another deep breath before she pulled away and tipped her head back. “It’s okay.” Her eyes held his steadily, and a flash of desire shot through him.

“I made the wrong decision in the first place. You’ve just helped me move forward with the direction of my career and my life.”

Jack shook his head slowly. “Has it got anything to do with Arielle?”

Sienna stared at him for a moment longer before she reached up and patted his cheek in an almost motherly touch. “No, it hasn’t. You’re a good man, Jack. You’re very kind and thoughtful, but it’s too late. You’re not as casual and carefree as you try to make out you are.”

She moved away from him and stood. “Now, I’m going home. I’ll see you tomorrow if you come into the gallery.”

Jack rocked back on his heels and watched as she picked up her bag and pulled her car keys out. He didn’t follow when she let herself out of the back door. He waited till the throaty purr of her car reached him as she backed out of the parking space. At least it started.

He stood and dropped onto the soft cushions and inhaled her floral perfume, which lingered in the air. The sofa bed was looking good. He couldn’t trust himself to stay away from Sienna if he followed her home.

…

Sienna walked into the cold, empty bedroom and threw her bag onto the bed. It landed with a soft
thump
and she crossed to the window. The moon was hidden behind heavy clouds and the night was dark. It suited her mood. Leaving Jack had been hard; when he’d held her, she’d enjoyed the comfort of his arms and tried to ignore the excitement that his touch caused. But the last few days had reinforced her conviction not to let anyone too close—not even Jack, though it was so very tempting to lean on him.

Georgie had hit the nail on the head. “It’ll just complicate matters if you have to work for him,” she’d said. But neither of them had any idea that Sienna would fall for him.

Admitting to herself that she was falling for him was in a strange way cathartic, and Sienna felt a bit happier. She turned away from the window and her gaze settled on her cell phone, which must have fallen to the floor when she threw her bag onto the bed. She groaned as she picked it up. She scrolled though over twenty missed texts and calls from Georgie. All thoughts of Jack fled from her mind as her protective instinct kicked in.

“Damn it. Marietta, if you’ve told her and broken your word, I’ll never forgive you.” Sienna muttered under her breath as she scrolled though message by message trying to see if Georgie knew the truth.