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

by Annie Seaton

  So he didn’t know much about the place.

  “What made you decide to buy the gallery?” Her voice was short, and Sienna studied him while she waited for him to answer.

  Jack put his elbows on the table and linked his fingers beneath his chin. “Promise not to laugh?”

  “Not until I hear what you have to say.”

  “I’m a movie fanatic. I bought the gallery because so many movie stars live here.”

  “What? You’re hoping to meet them?” Sienna felt her mouth drop open. She closed it and reached for the coffee Sophie put on the table.

  “No, I was just joking. I’ve always been interested in art, so I decided to buy a gallery and host exhibitions. Carmel-by-the-Sea seemed as good a place as any. A wealthy, retired clientele who are looking to build up their art collections live here.” He stared into the distance and Sienna sensed there was more to the story. She wasn’t going to press him. It wasn’t his past she was interested in; it was her future.

  “I saw Sea View Gallery in one of the art magazines I subscribe to.”

  “So you bought it, had it managed, and then you decided to sell it a couple of months ago? And then you changed your mind again.” Sienna frowned. It sounded as though Jack didn’t know what he wanted. Her entire future was at stake because a flirty playboy with time on his hands and money to burn bought a gallery he didn’t even seem much interested in. “And now you’re going to take it over?”

  Buy. Sell. Keep. Move in. Why would he do that? It was the bottom line that mattered. All his choices were affecting her plans.

  Jack leaned back casually and put his hands behind his head, turning his face up to the sunshine that had begun to bathe the courtyard. “I thought I’d be in New York for good after my dad got sick, but, well…here I am.” The corded muscles in his neck and his toned biceps didn’t look they belonged to a businessman, but more like the Navy SEAL she’d first mistaken him for. Now Sienna stared at him, waiting for him to keep talking and spill his plans for the gallery.

  “Look, there’s been a mix-up. I’m sorry. I’ll have to call Dad’s secretary. I told her to take the gallery off the market when I—”

  She waited for Jack to continue, but he cut off his sentence. After a couple of minutes of silence, she couldn’t wait any longer. “We need to sort out what’s happened and you need to tell me what you are going to do.”

  Jack nodded. “We do. And soon.”

  “How about now? I have to make plans.” Sienna fought her rising temper. “Perhaps I was a bit hasty making plans before the sale was final. I have my first exhibition opening in three weeks. I had no idea you would change your mind. In fact, remember, I didn’t even know it was you selling to me.”

  “Would that have made a difference if you had?” Jack narrowed his eyes.

  “Why would it? I barely know you.” Sienna waved her hand dismissively. “I haven’t given you another thought since you took my number.”

  Liar.

  She had, and she still remembered how disappointed she’d been when he left Faith’s christening early, and then never called her. Despite what she’d said to Georgie, there was still a place in her life for going out with men and having a good time. Just because she didn’t want the commitment-and-wedding deal like Georgie didn’t mean she was going to live a nun’s life. She’d just been too busy to go out, building up the gallery’s business and her reputation as an artist. And now Jack had to turn up and own the blasted gallery. Too complicated.

  “Until last night I thought the contract of sale would go ahead. I’ve made plans, and, yes, maybe I was a bit premature, but I’m not known for being patient.” Sienna put her cup down and folded her arms across her chest. “If I had known this was going to happen I would have stayed at Mountain View Gallery.”

  “So you haven’t been at my gallery for very long?”

  Sienna shook her head and gritted her teeth. His gallery. God, he didn’t even know what was happening before he waltzed in to take over. Was he serious about the business? She couldn’t work for someone with such a casual attitude. Sienna needed to be organized, and everything she did was planned ahead.

  “I’ve only been there a couple of months. My…your…gallery had been closed for a few months after the other manager left town. You didn’t even know that?” She tried to keep her voice even. No point upsetting him although she’d probably done that already.

  Jack shrugged and a frown wrinkled his brow. For the first time he seemed a little uncomfortable. “No…no, I’m sorry, but I had no idea. I have a lot of business interests that Dad’s company looks after for me. Maybe I should have paid more attention.” He leaned back as Sophie put a plate overflowing with food in front of him. It seemed as though the discomfort she had glimpsed a moment ago disappeared. “Looks great, thanks.”

  Sienna sat back and watched Jack dig into the meal, as she weighed the pros and cons of what her choices were. Her stomach grumbled, and he grinned at her as the heat warmed her neck.

  “You should eat something. You’re too thin.”

  Now her temper really began to boil. “I eat plenty. I’m petite, not thin.”

  “So what did you have for breakfast?”

  She pointed to her coffee.

  Jack sighed and used his fork to lift a pancake and a slice of bacon onto the small plate that held his toast. He slid it over to her. “Eat. We have a lot of talking to do.”

  “Thank you.” Sienna nibbled at the edge of the pancake and stared at him. “So start.”

  “Start what?”

  God, he was so laid-back. She spoke through her teeth with forced restraint. “Start talking.”

  He grinned and kept eating without saying a word, until his plate was clear. “That was great.” Finally he picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth. “Okay, so tell me what your plans are.”

  “You’re the owner. You tell me.” Sienna kept her voice patient and held his gaze.

  “But you did have plans?” Jack’s green eyes crinkled when he smiled, and her stomach did a little flip.

  Hunger and not enough coffee.

  She caught Sophie’s eye when the waitress walked past and pointed to her empty cup.

  “Well, yes, I did. Like I said, I like to know what’s ahead and I plan for it. This has thrown me a curveball, and I need to rethink where I am…and where I’ll go.”

  “Maybe you don’t have to go anywhere.” Jack leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table as he held her gaze.

  “So I need to know…are you going to be hands-on, or are you going to be an owner who only comes in occasionally?”

  Jack stared back at her, and his eyes were full of mirth. “Definitely not hands-on, not in the gallery anyway.”

  The subtext in his words was clear by the grin on his face. Despite the pleasant shiver that ran down Sienna’s back, she gritted her teeth to hold back a rude retort. He was trying to push her buttons. Why did he take it off the market if he didn’t want to work in it?

  “So you’ll support any exhibitions I’ve already booked, including mine?”

  “Yours?”

  God, the man was casual.

  “Yes, I told you before. I’m an artist. I’m planning my first show at the end of the month.” She spoke slowly as she stared at him. “And I have advertised it, so I need to know right away if I need to find another gallery, seeing as I won’t have my own now.”

  Jack returned her stare. “You’re a bit out of sorts this morning.”

  Finally she was getting through to him.

  “This is me. I like to be organized.” She forced a smile to her face, and it was at odds with the temper she was barely hanging on to. “I need to know what you’re going to do. It might be hard for someone as…for someone like you to understand, but this is my livelihood.” She couldn’t help herself and her temper finally spilled over. “Anyone who buys a gallery because movie stars live in town, and then leaves it in the hands of a manager who leaves and he doesn’t even
know it sits there all closed up—”

  “Whoa…right there.” Jack held his hand up. “You’ve got yourself all worked up. Look, I’m sorry the sale fell through, but I have my reasons. And what do you mean by someone like me?”

  She pursed her lips, arms still folded. “Nothing.” She’d been forthright enough already. “Okay, my plans…if you are happy for the first exhibition—mine—to go ahead, I need three things to happen.”

  “Okay. Tell me.”

  “One. Do you need a manager, someone to do the day-to-day gallery stuff?”

  He held her gaze and nodded without speaking.

  “Two, can I still hold my exhibition in the gallery the week I’ve advertised?”

  “Yes.” He nodded again as relief flooded through Sienna. Now his arms were folded across his chest. “And three?”

  So far, so good.

  This was the one she really needed him to agree to. There was no way Sienna could move her stuff to another studio and have her pieces ready in time. And there was no formal agreement in her employment contract for the manager to use the studio. She swallowed and her fingers bit into the skin on her arms.

  “Three, can I keep using the studio?”

  “No.”

  Chapter Four

  Jack looked across the table at Sienna. The twin spots of color were back on her cheeks, and he could tell she was about to lose her cool. Beneath the table she was tapping her foot against the cobblestones.

  “I’m going to stay in the studio until I find somewhere permanent to live, so you’ll have to find somewhere else to work.” He leaned back in his chair. He wasn’t ready to tell her that he planned to use it for his work, too.

  Not just yet.

  He was still trying to figure her out, and he wasn’t ready to share his private work with her. When they had first met, he’d thought she was a little distant because she was being protective of Ana, and he’d admired that.

  She shrugged. “Can’t do.”

  “Can’t do what?” Now her attitude was starting to get under his skin.

  “If I have to move to another studio, I won’t be ready for the show. And I certainly wouldn’t have the time to manage the gallery for you. So we have a catch-22.”

  “Maybe we’ll have to look for a compromise?” The last thing Jack wanted was to have to manage the gallery himself, and he didn’t want to have to find a new manager. It wouldn’t be a good look for the business to close the place again so soon after it had been shut for a few months. He needed to keep Sienna in place as manager. Maybe he could postpone his work on his own pieces for a couple of weeks. If she would stay, maybe he could give a little. “What if you could use the studio for the next two weeks and then find somewhere else after that?” He could afford to give her two weeks, but that was all.

  “Two weeks. I could possibly do that. Any other conditions attached? Like a rental fee?”

  “God, no. You can just use the space. As long as there’s room for me to store my stuff somewhere when it arrives and you can work around it.”

  “How much stuff?” She tapped her finger against her lips.

  He hadn’t noticed her hands before. Her nails were short and square cut, and didn’t match the rest of her flamboyant style. Long, painted nails would match the colorful scarves and the dangling earrings. But she is an artist. So that explained the functional look of her hands.

  “A lot.”

  “How long were you planning on living in the studio? I can’t work if you’re sleeping there.”

  “That’s true. That could be a problem.”

  Jack frowned. He wasn’t ready to find a place of his own here yet. He rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t want to let her down, but things were getting complicated now.

  “The sooner you find somewhere to live, the sooner I can get back to work.” Sienna kept her fingers against her lips as she looked at him thoughtfully. “There’s a real shortage of rentals here in Carmel…and it’s really expensive. You might have to move to a hotel.”

  Jack bit back the niggle of temper that tugged at him. She might like to be organized and call the shots, but there was no way she was going to send him to a hotel when he owned a perfectly good studio to sleep in. He kept his voice even. “I hate hotel living.”

  “Even for two weeks?”

  “Even for one week. It’s not an option I’d consider.”

  Sienna stared at him and frowned. Her fingers drummed on the table, and she held his gaze. Her expression changed, and a slight smile tipped her lips. Jack looked at her mouth and was surprised by the rush of feeling that ran through him. She looked at him thoughtfully.

  “I might have a solution. I have a proposition for you.” Her smile was wider.

  The thoughts running through Jack’s mind had nothing to do with where he was going to live, and he forced himself to concentrate on what she was saying.

  “There’s a small apartment in the back of my cottage. You could have that until you find something better. You could move in today, and I could keep working in the studio. Two weeks. What do you think?” Her eyes were wide and her expression hopeful. His return to take over the gallery had really put a hole in her plans.

  “I’ll take a look at it and think about it.” He didn’t know how interested he was in her offer. Sure, he could see she’d only offered because it meant she could get back into the studio. But as far as working with her in the gallery, and living in her house…well, he didn’t know how he felt about that. He wanted to date her, but living and working in the same place? That was a bit too much.

  “How about we go and you can look at it now? Then I can get to work as soon as we get back.”

  A strong desire to reach across the table and put his hand around the back of her long, slender neck and pull Sienna to him so he could kiss those lips overtook him.

  Whoa, not yet. Let’s get the first problem sorted out.

  “Okay. Won’t hurt to take a look.” Jack knew his voice was gruff, but he was fighting the feelings tugging him back and forward. He stood, pushed his chair in, and walked across the courtyard to the cash register. He’d check out this apartment of hers, but it would be better if he found a place of his own. Maybe he’d make some calls after he looked at it, and see if he could find somewhere else to live for a while.

  And quickly.

  He needed somewhere he could have his own space—somewhere to put her at a distance. Jack needed privacy and solitude for the muse to kick in. And he couldn’t afford to risk it—his deadline was fast approaching. He didn’t want anything to dent his confidence; God knows, his dad had a big enough go at doing that. Living in close proximity to Sienna would complicate matters even more, and if there was one thing he didn’t want, it was to make it hard to focus on his sculptures because his head was somewhere else. He’d been living with his parents since his father’s heart attack, and was more than ready to live alone again.

  That was just one of the reasons he wasn’t too keen on taking up Sienna’s offer. The other one was that she was just too damn appealing, and he didn’t want to put himself near her just yet. They had to keep a professional relationship now that they would be working closely together. Sex complicated matters. He’d been down that road before…and more than once. His last girlfriend had read him wrong, and Arielle had mapped out a whole future for them before he’d pulled back. He wasn’t going to risk it again, especially when they had this business connection. If it were just a fun relationship, they could move on—with mutual agreement—when it burned out. Jack wanted no complications, and having the gallery connection would complicate matters. Let alone living in the same place. Twenty-four-seven. No way.

  “Come on, we’ll take my car.” She strode ahead of him, and he was surprised by how quickly she moved. Sienna barely reached his shoulder, but he had to step up his pace to catch her.

  The streets had filled with tourists and locals alike since they’d been in the coffee shop, and he looked around with interest.
Sienna slowed down and shot him a grin. “Looking for movie stars?”

  It was the same droll humor that had appealed to him when they’d first met.

  “Nah, just checking out my new town.” The place had a fresh feel. After his time in the hectic world of business in New York, he was looking forward to the change. A relaxed lifestyle. A slower pace. A place where integrity and honesty could exist without someone trying to make money from his hard work. Or better him in a deal.

  She walked along beside him. “You know anybody you pass on the street could be a somebody here. But there is a code of anonymity in Carmel. Even if you pass Clint Eastwood…you just keep on walkin’.”

  “I’m sure.” If he saw Clint Eastwood, he’d probably gawk like a fan.

  “I’ll teach you the Carmel way.” She’d relaxed a bit, probably because of the possibility of getting her work space back, and that made him uncomfortable. He felt as though she was happy because things might work out her way, not because she was enjoying his company. He was sure if it hadn’t meant being able to stay working in the studio, she would never have offered to show him the apartment. She kept walking past the gallery, then turned into a back lane.

  “You keep your car back here?” he asked.

  “Yes, there’s just enough space for it.”

  Sienna walked over to a red BMW Z3 parked in a small paved area and leaned over to unlock the door. Jack felt that small tug of desire pull at him again as her loose pants clung to her legs. He lifted his gaze and ran it down the car instead. “Nice car.”

  “I love it,” she said with a smile. “Especially when I drive back up Highway 1 to Nebbiton, and the weather’s good enough to keep the top down.”

  He opened the passenger door, slid in next to her, and watched as she reached up and pushed the front part of the top up, before turning the key and pressing the electronic control to open the roof. It slid back silently, and they were bathed in warm sunshine.