Brushing Off the Boss: A Half Moon Bay Novel (Entangled Bliss) (15 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Jack steered the bike slowly to the end of a row of cars parked on the grass in front of Blake and Ana’s cottage. The trip up the coast had been exhilarating, and despite knowing what was waiting for her at the destination, Sienna had enjoyed every mile.

Sitting behind Jack, with her arms around his muscular frame, she’d wished the trip could go forever. But reality intruded as he drove the bike slowly through the gate. A tall, thin man with a craggy face and black hair stood leaning against the fence. He dropped his cigarette and buried it in the soft ground with the toe of his boot. Jack cut the motor and Sienna slid off the back of the bike. She stood beside him as he reached down and unclipped the helmet before lifting it from her head. She dropped her gaze from his and turned away without speaking. Her life was about to change, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to handle this meeting. Conscious that Jack was watching curiously, she gave him a hesitant smile before walking over to the man who was waiting for her.

He stepped toward her and held out his arms. Sienna caught a glimpse of Georgie standing on the porch watching, before the tears blurred her vision.

“
Mia figlia.
” My daughter. His voice was ragged, and she forgot all about Jack as her father held her close.

“I’m so sorry.” His words hitched as she leaned into him and inhaled the familiar fragrance of this man who’d raised her. Tobacco and Old Spice aftershave mixed together in a familiar fragrance and brought back memories of sitting on his knee when he’d read her stories.

My father.

“I made a promise to Marietta when she gave you to us, and Lucia made me keep it. So many times I wished to tell you, but we could see how attached you and Georgie were. I knew if I broke it, Marietta would come back and take Georgie.”

“It’s all right.” Sienna stepped back and looked at her father. “I’m all right. I understand.”

“And so do I,” said Georgie. Sienna moved her gaze from Renzo to Georgie, who was standing beside Aunt Lucia on the porch, and happiness washed though her. Dressed in a similar outfit to Sienna, the pink of the fairy costume clashed ferociously with her tumbling red curls. Renzo held Sienna’s hand tightly as they crossed the small patch of lawn and waited at the bottom of the steps. Aunt Lucia smiled down at them and Sienna could see the sheen of tears in her eyes. Georgie hurried down and jumped off the last step, and stood beside her. Despite the tears in her eyes, she grinned and reached out to hug Sienna.

“Hey, sis.”

Sienna hugged her back. “Hey to you too, sis.”

“Let’s go find the birthday girl,” Sienna said, turning and looking around. “I forgot about Jack.”

Georgie squeezed her fingers. “He went around the back way. Love his costume. So what gives there?”

“I’ll tell you later. You go find Blake and Ana and Faith, and I’ll catch you up.”

Jack was standing next to Blake at the edge of the lawn.

“Jack, did you remember the cakes?”

“No, I didn’t. Sorry. I put your bag on the front porch, but I forgot the cakes.”

“They might be a bit icky by now.” Sienna followed Jack around to the front where the bike was parked. “You and Blake make a fine pair. Did you synchronize your costumes?”

A ripple ran through her at his sexy chuckle.

“No, coincidental.” He looked down at his legs with a grimace. “He was the lucky one. He didn’t have to wear tights. If I’d known he was dressing as Shrek, I could have come as Donkey.”

“Or Princess Fiona.” Sienna couldn’t resist teasing him. “Seriously, Jack. You look gorgeous…and you know it.”

She looked at him, letting her gaze sweep up from his boots. His long, muscular legs looked even bigger in the hot-pink tights, and when her gaze reached the tops of his thighs, she lifted it quickly to his face. He ran his hand through his hair, a gesture she was beginning to recognize when he was unsure of how to read her. She glanced around; no one was following them and she put her hand on his arm. She couldn’t help herself; she had to touch him.

“Thanks for the ride up. I enjoyed it very much.”

“So did I.” His gaze locked with hers and they shared a long look before Sienna dropped her eyes.

She cleared her throat and reached to the clip on the side of the pannier. “It was important that I come today. There was some family stuff I had to deal with. So thank you.”

He put his hand on top of hers as she undid the clip, and a warm tingle ran up her arm.

“No need to thank me. It’s good to see a smile back on your face and…” Sienna waited for him to continue, but he hesitated. He dropped his hand and waited while she unclipped the cover on the top of the compartment and reached in for the container.

“Great driving. All intact.”

“Sienna?” The emotion in his voice sent panic spiraling through her, and she lifted her gaze. His green eyes captured hers and her breath caught.

No.
She didn’t want to hear it. She could read his mind before he even spoke.

God, she was acting like a teenager. She’d never let a man affect her like that before, and she wasn’t about to start now. Men had been put in their right place from the minute she’d discovered them in her teens. She swallowed and straightened her shoulders.

“What?”

Jack took the cake container from her. “Once we go around the back and join in the party, you’re going to get lost in the crowd. I want to tell you how I feel before the day ends, and right now is as good as ever.” He reached out and took her shoulders with gentle fingers and Sienna’s breath caught.

No.

“I’ve fallen for you, Sienna.” Jack held her gaze, and the panic swelled in her chest. “I love being with you. I love watching you move. You’re beautiful, you’re talented. Forget the gallery, forget our work relationship…just trust how we feel.”

Her throat closed as he slid his hands down her arms and held her elbows, pulling her closer.

“You do know what I am saying, don’t you?”

She clung to him and his muscles flexed beneath the green Lycra of his shirt. She’d never seen in him anything but jeans and T-shirts, and she didn’t want to think about how devastating he would look in a suit.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice broke as she shook her head, and she saw the instant his face closed to her. “Jack, there’s no such thing as happy ever after.”

No matter what he believed or how he thought he felt, Sienna wasn’t going to be a part of it. She couldn’t trust—even though her heart was screaming at her to listen to him. Marietta had ensured enough hurt to last them all a lifetime, and Sienna didn’t intend to add to it by listening to Jack. She pulled away from his grip and fought the tears that were threatening to fall.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t. It’s got nothing to do with you.” She could give him that much. “It’s not the gallery, it’s not you, it’s me.”

She left him standing there. A beautiful man in a Prince Charming suit. A man she knew she loved, but couldn’t risk listening to.

As far as parties went, it turned into a huge celebration. Faith clapped her little pudgy hands with delight as her mother, Georgie, and Sienna formed a fairy ring around her and sang “Happy Birthday.”

“Goodness, you look more like your daddy every day.” Sienna swung her high and kissed the little girl’s cheek as they finished singing.

“She sure does.” Ana looked on proudly. “How are you, Sienna? Georgie came to me as soon as Marietta left her.” Ana’s voice was quiet as she looped one arm around Sienna’s shoulder. “I didn’t call since it wasn’t something that we could talk about on the phone, and I knew it was something you and Georgie needed to talk about together.”

They moved toward the table where brightly colored presents were piled high. Faith’s cousins ran around the table looking at the presents.

“I’m fine. Really, I am. The last few days have answered a lot of questions about my life and where I’m heading.” Sienna glanced up and heat ran through her as she caught Jack’s intent gaze fixed on her. He was standing on the other side of Blake. She elbowed Ana and giggled. “Look at them…whoever would have thought that? Remember the first day the pair of them came into the shop and the wheelbarrows fell on you?”

Ana smiled. “I do. So what’s happened between you and Jack?”

“You and Georgie are nosy. Remember, I’m the private one who doesn’t share.” She softened her words as she tapped Ana with her fairy wand. “There’s nothing between us. I’ll tell all when I get back.”

But what was there to tell?
she wondered. The feelings she had for Jack had overwhelmed her. They were unfamiliar to her and she wasn’t sure she could handle rejecting him. Every time she caught his eye, her heart felt as though it was going to burst out of her chest, and her legs trembled.

They stood together as friends came over to give Faith a birthday kiss. Aldo and Maria, Joe and Magda, and many of the people she’d known all her life. She knew Jack was watching her. She couldn’t stop looking over there—his gaze was fixed on her, and a tremble ran down her back. Renzo kept coming over and putting his arm around her shoulders, and a small measure of happiness filled the empty place in her chest. Knowing the truth had settled her and seemed to have taken away the distance she had always sensed that Renzo kept between them.

What Marietta had done was a good thing. A sharp pang of sadness shot through her; it might have been good if she’d been here and there was forgiveness all around, but Georgie hadn’t heard from her mother again after she’d told her the truth and disappeared with Sienna’s cash. They just had to accept that Marietta had her own problems and they couldn’t do anything about it. She’d have to watch Georgie and make sure she was okay with it.

Mitzi and Thelma came over to say hello, and she was enveloped in a cloud of rose perfume and happy laughter. They were surrounded by children. Blake’s nephews and niece had come to the party and were dressed as fairy-tale characters.

“Is there cakes?” Billy, the second youngest of the five tugged at her leg. “Ana said you had the cakes.”

“Yes Billy, there are lots of cakes. Did you see them?” Sienna turned to the elderly sisters and kissed each of their soft, papery cheeks. “They’re over near the table with the presents.”

Billy ran off and Mitzi grabbed Sienna’s arm. “Yes, and we saw your Prince Charming, too. Are you going to introduce us to your man?”

“My man?” Her stomach dropped. She had to nip this in the bud before Thelma and Mitzi got their hands on Jack and gave him the third degree and told him every detail of her life.

Mitzi pointed to Jack. “Prince Charming.”

“Not
my
man. Jack gave me a ride up here when my car wouldn’t start.” The two elderly women exchanged a glance, and she knew they didn’t believe a word she was saying.

She escaped before they could ask more.

As the party wound up, Sienna looked around for Jack, but he was nowhere to be seen. A hollow feeling settled in her stomach when she wondered if he’d left without saying good-bye. Maybe all this family stuff had been too much for him? Maybe it wasn’t his scene? It had been something she needed to be a part of, and she was sorry if it had bothered him. Maybe it was too much for his laid-back attitude. When she thought about it, he hadn’t told her much about his family, but she’d sensed there was a problem there.

“Are you going to get changed before you leave for San Francisco?” Blake reached for Faith, and Sienna glanced at her watch.

“We’d better get a move on.”

“Before you do, Jack was wondering if you’d see him before he leaves. He’s out by his bike.” Blake hoisted Faith up onto his shoulders. “Come on, young lady, let’s go check out your new toys.”

Georgie and Ana followed him inside and Sienna slowly made her way over to where Jack had parked. He’d changed out of his costume and into a pair of jeans and a snug black T-shirt. Standing beside the bike, he looked as sexy as hell. Deep down, Sienna was afraid. Her emotions had been on a roller coaster for the past week, and she had to dig deep for strength. She couldn’t hook up with Jack for a lot of reasons, no matter how much she wanted to.

“I thought you’d left.”

“Blake invited me to stay, but I’ve got some business I have to attend to. I’ve postponed the golf game. I wanted to wish you a good vacation…and say no hard feelings. I guess I read too much into things between us.”

He took a step closer to her and a shiver ran down her back. “I’ll look after the gallery while you’re gone.”

She shook her head. “It’s your gallery now, Jack.”

He ignored her. She backed away as his intent became clear, but she wasn’t quick enough. His warm fingers glided up to her face and cupped her gently as his mouth settled on hers. Sienna stretched up onto her toes and kissed him right back.

It was a sweet kiss. A kiss made for lovers, and she couldn’t resist his mouth, losing herself in the sweetness that she didn’t want to succumb to. Warmth flooded through her.

By the time Jack lifted his head, Sienna had managed to recover a grip on her emotions. She dropped her hands; she hadn’t even been conscious of holding on to him as his lips explored hers.

“It would have been so much easier if you hadn’t done that,” she said.

He stared at her for several heartbeats before his soft reply. “Probably, but I wanted to say good-bye…properly.”

He swung his leg over the bike, turned the key, and the engine fired with a throaty roar. Before he could put his helmet on, Sienna grabbed his arm.

“Jack?”

Those beautiful green eyes held hers and she swallowed.

“Good-bye.” It broke her heart, but Sienna tried to put conviction into her words. She wanted him to know she was really saying good-bye.

“For now.” Jack stared at her for a moment longer before he lifted his helmet on.

Sienna stood for a long time until the bike and its rider were a small black speck in the distance. For the first time in her life, her heart yearned for another. A little niggle of regret snaked its way through her thoughts.

For now?

Chapter Nineteen

The flight from San Francisco to Milwaukee was delayed, and Ana and Georgie made the most of the time, hitting Sienna with a barrage of questions. Finally, they realized they weren’t going to get the answers they wanted from her. Sienna stared off into space as Ana and Georgie chattered away beside her. Change was in the wind, just like it had been when they’d sold their business to Blake, and Ana and Blake got together. Ana had just told them that she and Blake were moving to New York for a while to help out Jack’s father while he wound down his business interests.

“But it’s only temporary? Right?” Sienna hated the thought of them moving so far away.

“Yes, it is…and just think of the galleries you can visit when you visit us.” Ana squeezed her arm. “You will visit, won’t you?”

“Of course I will.” Sienna laughed. “I need to find a job first.” A little voice niggled at her.
You could always stay at the gallery and work for Jack.

“What about you, Georgie? What are you going to do?” Sienna asked.

A new manager was coming in to oversee the Nebbiton store while Blake was away, and she wondered whether Georgie would stay.

“I’ve booked an around-the-world air ticket. As soon as the new guy is settled in, I’m off. I may see Machu Picchu for my next birthday yet.” Georgie squeezed her hand. “It’s about time I learned to stand on my own two feet.”

Despite all the change and her own uncertainty of what the future held for her after she finished up at Jack’s gallery, Sienna felt settled—almost. If only she could keep Jack’s face out of her thoughts. She put her hand up to her lips. After he kissed her this afternoon, he smiled at her, and her toes curled now as she remembered the feelings that had run through her.

Georgie tipped her head to the side. “Now what about you? Maybe the sale fell through and you didn’t want to stay there, but I know when there’s something going on.”

“I’ll tell you about it when I come home next week.”

Georgie narrowed her eyes. “You are coming back?”

Sienna nodded. “Of course I am. What do you say we start up our restoration business again?” She didn’t like the thoughtful look that Georgie shot her as she picked up her bag.

“Don’t you go meddling in anything that doesn’t concern you, okay?” She hugged her cousin first, and then Ana. “Thelma and Mitzi are bad enough. Just let me sort my own life out. Remember, I’m more than happy being alone.” She looked at Georgie. “I am.”

…

Jack leaned back against the front door of the gallery, his legs stretched out in front of him. The cold marble tiles pressed against the backs of his legs and he shivered. All the way back from the party on Sunday night, Sienna’s good-bye had echoed through his head. He’d known she meant more than a casual good-bye and was trying to tell him something more. He’d come straight back to the gallery, planning to stay there until he found something more permanent. He’d spent the first night castigating himself for telling Sienna how he felt too soon. He should have given her more time, but he’d been scared of letting her go without telling her how he felt. And he’d blown it.

No matter how it turned out, he’d been honest. Her words of a couple of weeks ago stuck in his mind.

“Your family is loaded and you have a playboy reputation.” She said she’d had no idea why he saw her as a challenge, because he knew now the challenge was getting her to love him back. But would his honesty give them both happiness? After a sleepless night, he unlocked the storage area and pulled his biggest sculpture into the studio. He managed to lose himself as the creative muse kicked in and thoughts of Sienna fled—almost. It was as though she was there with him as he shaped and molded the metal. He’d smiled to himself as he made his perfect “pancake” mix of enamel.

He pushed himself to his feet and pulled out his phone and snapped a series of pictures of his creature from all angles. A creature it was—certainly different from any of Sienna’s small creatures. His had the shape of a phoenix rising from the ashes, but from the front view it appeared to be a dragon, the small pieces of scarlet enamel looking like fire surrounding its long jaw.

He messaged his parents and attached one of the photographs. A short message that he knew would please his father.

Beat the deadline by three days, Dad.

His phone beeped almost immediately and a surge of satisfaction rushed though him.

Proud of you, son.

He stared down at the phone. No. He was going to give her space when she was in Milwaukee. As he held the phone, it rang and he looked down at the unfamiliar number for a moment before taking the call.

“Jack?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Georgie. I was hoping you were around.” Disappointment hit him; for a moment he thought maybe Sienna had gotten hold of him. He wasn’t going to push her. He’d decided what he wanted; she had to come to him of her own accord.

Jack ran a hand across his face. Since he’d been immersed in the enameling, he hadn’t showered or changed. His stomach grumbled and he realized he hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

“I’m coming to town and I was hoping I could meet with you?”

“Sure, what time will you be in town?”

They made arrangements to meet at the coffee shop where he’d eaten with Sienna on his first day in town. He was about to end the call when Georgie continued.

“And Jack? I hope you don’t mind me stepping in. I hope I was reading you right when I saw the way you looked at my sister?”

Jack ordered the biggest plate of pancakes and bacon from the menu and was on his third coffee by the time Georgie arrived. She slid into the chair opposite him and smiled.

“You look like you haven’t slept.”

“I’ve been working.”

“Missing Sienna?”

“You are spot-on there.” Jack frowned as he forked the last piece of bacon from his plate. “The place isn’t the same without her.”

“Sienna will kill me when she finds out what I’m going to tell you.” Georgie settled back into her chair and looked at him as the waitress poured her a coffee. “But I want her to be happy. She’s kidding herself that she can ignore the way she feels about you.”

Jack’s fork clattered to the table as he stared back at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I know my sister. You have to know a bit about our background to understand why she protects herself so much.”

Jack’s world filled with color. For the first time he noticed the bright flowers spilling from the half wine casks scattered around the terrace they were sitting on. Even though he’d been working with colors for the past two days, everything apart from his sculpture had looked gray and bleak.

“I know she cares about you—otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” Georgie stared at him and her words filled him with happiness. “Sienna’s always been the tough one and so independent, but I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She just doesn’t trust that anyone could really love her.” Georgie put her hand on his arm. “I know she’s scared that you’ll leave her if she gives in to how she feels about you.”

For the next half hour, Georgie told him of their family and how Sienna had been hurt so many times. When she told him about what they’d recently heard found out from Marietta, everything began to fall into place for Jack. Knowing that it was Sienna’s personal circumstances that had caused her so much angst relieved the burden that pressed on him. He carried a lot of guilt because he’d changed his mind about selling the gallery, and then Arielle’s arrival had topped it all off.

“Once she’s been to Milwaukee and accepted what she finds there, she’ll be ready to listen to you. I promise. I know her almost as well as I know myself.” Georgie had filled in a lot of the gaps for him about why Sienna kept herself so private. “She doesn’t share her emotions easily, but I know how she feels about you. Trust me.”

Even though Sienna had said good-bye, the way she had kissed him before he left the party had filled Jack with a smidgeon of hope. Knowing that his actions had nothing to do with why Sienna had canceled her show was a relief. A glimmer of an idea began to form as he thought of a way to make her happy.

“Georgie, have you got a day or two to spare before Sienna comes home?”

It had taken a long time to get things organized. Jack knew what he wanted to do, and the conversation with Georgie had nailed it.

Now all he had to do was persuade Sienna to trust him. He loved her and he had to convince her it would be forever. And he’d share his life with her. He grinned as anticipation filled him. Hell, he’d even share the studio with her.

Maybe he was kidding himself, but he really hoped that the welcome he and Georgie had planned would convince Sienna where his heart lay. His future—their future—depended on the next couple of hours. Now all he was waiting for was the text from Georgie to say they were on their way.

Jack flicked the collar of his white shirt and straightened his tie as he looked around the gallery with satisfaction.