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

by Annie Seaton

  Sienna shook away the thoughts and walked to the front of the store. She greeted Gina and Carla, the caterers who worked out of Giovanni’s coffee shop, and they sat down to work out the details for the launch supper at her exhibition.

  The morning flew by as it always did, and as the tourists hit the streets, the gallery filled, and Sienna was pleased with the sales she made. Jack didn’t reappear for a couple of hours, and she looked up as he pushed the door open with his shoulder, carrying a small plastic crate full of mail, two paper bags, and two cups of coffee.

  He looked around the empty gallery, moved across to the door, and locked it. “We’re closed for lunch.”

  “Are we?” Sienna raised her eyebrows at him.

  “Yes, we are. I’m the boss, remember?” He lightened the words with a big smile and put the mail on the desk before carrying the crate to the door leading to the studio. He looked over his shoulder at her before he opened the door to the studio. “I hope you like chicken.”

  Sienna turned the closed sign around on the front door and reluctantly followed him. “It’s a shame to close now. The streets are full of tourists.”

  “They have to stop for lunch, too.” Jack put the crate on the floor and moved the blanket from the sofa to clear a space for Sienna. “You have to eat. You run around and use up so much energy. I don’t know how you do it.”

  Sienna sat beside him, keeping some space between them, and looked at the heart-stoppingly gorgeous man leaning casually back on the sofa as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Picking up her coffee, she looked at him over the rim of her cup. “Telling me what to do again, Jack?” She shook her head with a half smile. “You’re going to learn the hard way, and it won’t be pretty.”

  One corner of his mouth quirked. “I’m tough. And you do work too hard.”

  She avoided looking at his broad shoulders and the T-shirt straining over them. He picked up one of the bags and looked inside before handing it to her.

  “Thanks.” She shot him a grin. “You worked hard this morning too, Mr. Assistant.”

  “Totally out of my work ethic.” Jack took a bite of his sandwich and his gaze settled on her as he chewed. “The gallery had a good buzz, though.”

  Sienna dropped her gaze, ignoring the little shiver that prickled her skin, and looked inside the sandwich bag he’d handed her. “What do you mean? Out of your work ethic?”

  “I saw what working too hard did to my father.” She lifted her eyes to meet his, and found it hard to hold his gaze. She dropped her eyes. The fluttery feelings running around her insides were something she wasn’t used to and something she didn’t like.

  Hunger. It was the smell of the fresh bread doing it to her. She unwrapped the sandwich and broke off a small piece of bread and put it in her mouth. She glanced up again, and her stomach clenched as his gaze dropped to her lips and stayed there as she chewed.

  Right. Enough was enough. She pushed up to her feet and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.

  …

  “What’s wrong?” Jack sat up straighter. “You don’t like your sandwich?”

  “Will you be serious for one minute?” Sienna stomped her foot, but the soft flat pump made no noise on the wooden floor. Jack put his sandwich down. He gave her his full attention before she lost her temper. She’d worked hard this morning, and he had to remember that he was the one making the most money from the gallery, her planning and hard work, and the sales she made. He must check how much his company was paying her. He’d thought of that as she’d flitted around this morning. She looked like a butterfly darting from one end of the gallery to the other, as colorful as the pieces she had so artfully arranged on the shelves. Flat black shoes and shiny leggings sat beneath a loose multicolored sheer top draping down to her elbows. Her feistiness, her energy, and her volatility hid how petite she actually was. Her personality was big enough to more than make up for her lack of size, and she was absolutely beautiful.

  “Stop gawking at me. It makes me uncomfortable.” She glared at him, and those spots of color appeared high on her cheeks again. Her dark eyes glittered.

  “Sorry.” He hadn’t meant to make her uncomfortable, but he was enjoying the view. “Did I ever tell you that you remind me of my Aunt Caroline?”

  “No.” She frowned, wondering what he was going to say.

  “She’s…what’s the right word? She’s prickly.”

  “So I’m prickly? What’s that supposed to mean?” Sienna pursed her lips for a moment as she thought about his comment. If he meant she was strong, she could live with that.

  “It means you’re always hiding your softness beneath a prickly shell. Sometimes I feel like if I put my hand out and touched you, I’d get scratched.

  “But Aunt Caroline…hmm… I think you’d really get along with her. She’s as soft as butter inside.” Jack reached for his sandwich and leaned back on the sofa, munching as he watched myriad expressions cross Sienna’s face. “And just like her face, yours is like an open book. When I was a kid I stayed with her when my parents were traveling overseas, and I knew when to stay out of her way. You’re the same—I can tell what you’re thinking by the angle of your mouth and the depth of pink on your cheeks.”

  “You’re making some huge jumps in your thinking there, Jack.” Her foot tapped the floor again. “And not only that. You haven’t got a clue what’s happening here. You bowl into town. I find out you own this place and that you’ve changed your mind about selling it to me. Then you rock up here this morning looking like a bum surfer type, you play at being my assistant, you disappear for a couple of hours, and now not only do you tell me you haven’t got a work ethic, but you know exactly what I’m thinking?”

  “Anything else bugging you?” He lifted a brow.

  “Yes, you’re right. There is something else bugging me. You sure got that right. You look at me…like that… and I don’t like it.”

  “I like looking at you.” He kept his voice low, and the red in her cheeks deepened. “And I like the way you look back at me.”

  “Well, I’ve got news for you. We had our chance to get to know each other a couple of years back, but we’ve both moved on. You turning up here has put a big question mark over my future, and I don’t like not knowing what’s happening. And that’s not a good basis for starting up anything.”

  “Anything?”

  “Going out, getting together, having that date. Whatever you want to call it.” Sienna turned and walked to the window across from the sofa and stared outside. “No matter that I might find you attractive, it’s my exhibition and the gallery that are important to me. I’m not going to compromise my future for anyone. So stop the looking and lose any idea of getting together for that date. I have more important things on my mind.”

  A shot of warmth hit his chest and lingered. So the spark was mutual, she’d as much as admitted it. Maybe they needed to do something about it?

  “I do admire your work ethic, but don’t expect the same from me. That’s not why I’m here, or why I bought the place.” He balled up the sandwich bag and tossed it into the crate on the floor, stood, and came across to join her at the window. “I’ve told you more than once already I’m not here to run the gallery or have anything to do with the day-to-day business.”

  She looked up at him, and her eyes were full of uncertainty. “So why are you here?”

  The confident, brash Sienna had disappeared, and her hesitation planted some doubts in Jack’s mind. He’d really messed up her plans. He ran his hand through his hair as he wondered whether to tell her about his own work, but he held back. It wasn’t time, and he wasn’t ready yet. Frustration with the situation burned in his gut.

  Maybe I should just sell her the place and move on. Find another studio.

  He looked around.

  No. It was perfect for his work, and the truck was arriving in the morning with all his sculptures. He was itching to get to work and didn’t want to wait. He’d checked out th
e space, and there was room in the shed to store his pieces while Sienna finished off the metal sculptures for her exhibition. And he had a deadline to stick to.

  And he wanted to be in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Contrary to what he’d told her, he hadn’t just shown up here by chance. He’d researched the place thoroughly before he’d bought the gallery two years ago, and this was where he wanted to be. As soon as he spent some time here, he intended buying a place of his own. Shame she wouldn’t sell hers.

  And it’s where I want to work. To create the sculptures that are in my head.

  He just wasn’t going to let being in the gallery suck him into being involved in business. It was in his genes, and he’d fought against being like his father his whole life. He wasn’t going to replicate the mess his father had made of everyone’s life. He was going to focus on his art and make a successful career. If the gallery was successful, that would be a bonus.

  Jack had no commitment to anything or anyone, apart from the completion date for his sculptures. He was an artist, and he’d come here to create and show his work. He had his first big commission, and that was the reason he needed to stay here and sort out what he was going to do with Sienna.

  He huffed out a breath. “Okay, let’s be honest here.”

  Her eyes were wide, and if he looked closely he suspected there was a glimmer of a tear in the corner of one.

  Damn, he was a sucker for tears. He took her hands gently in his. It was time to come clean. If Sienna was going to be working for him and managing the gallery, he’d be honest with her.

  “How about you stay to run the place, but we hire an assistant for you. Then after your exhibition, we’ll see how it works out? I’ll move out of your place and find my own apartment and the only thing you’ll have to do is find a studio…or build your own?” He shot her a grin. “I’ll be busy once my stuff arrives, and as much as I enjoyed playing secretary”—he straightened his shoulders and spoke confidently—“I’ll be busy finishing off my pieces.”

  “Your what?”

  “My pieces.”

  “What sort of pieces?” She pulled her hands away from his and stared at him.

  “For my contract. I’m a sculptor. That’s why I bought the gallery and the studio.”

  Sienna held his gaze, and her dark eyes were wide.

  “That’s why I said I was surprised when I read about you in the local paper. We work in the same medium. After I finish the pieces that are contracted, I’m going to start work on another series and hold my first exhibition here.”

  Chapter Seven

  Sienna got through the afternoon—barely. Jack’s bombshell about being an artist had thrown her in a spin. Luckily, there was a steady stream of tourists through the gallery, and she tried to concentrate on them. Jack’s being an artist didn’t bother her—not really. In a way, it added to his attraction, but the knowledge put his ownership of the gallery in a whole new light. He had contracted pieces, so he must be good. Why the hell hadn’t Ana mentioned it, or did he keep his art private? Jack Montgomery? She knew the art world…but she hadn’t come across his name before. Had he been hiding the truth from her deliberately? And if he had, why would he?

  Who is the real Jack?

  The laid-back guy she’d seen this week who wasn’t fazed by anything? The wealthy playboy from New York? Or an artist committed to his work? Lost in her thoughts, she tried to focus on the customers milling about the gallery. It was a busy afternoon, and she needed to concentrate on that. There was still work to be done no matter what problems she was trying to sort in her head.

  A couple of times Sienna noticed Jack stroll casually through the shop, but she was busy with a customer each time. She straightened her back and continued to describe the enameling process to an older woman from Australia who loved the frog displays.

  “So what do you think?” The lady was looking up at her with an expectant smile.

  “Sorry. What was that?” Sienna pushed thoughts of enigmatic Jack away.

  “One of each. Shipped to Australia for me.”

  “One of each of this set?” They were standing in front a set of her frogs lying on different-shaped pieces of timber, carved into small logs.

  The lady smiled at her. “No. I want one of each of your frog sets.” Her wrinkled face lit up in a grin. “I love them all and it has been a magical visit and I want a memento of Carmel when I get home.” She grabbed Sienna’s arm and whispered. “You’ll never guess who was having lunch where I ate.”

  Her excitement was infectious and Sienna smiled back at her, delighted with the sale and the customer’s enthusiasm.

  “No, do tell.”

  “Clint Eastwood! It has been the most amazing day.”

  Sienna looked around for Jack, but he was nowhere to be seen. She’d love to tell him that piece of news.

  Later. In the meantime, she had about twenty-five frogs to package up and ship to Australia. Not a bad day’s work.

  …

  Jack spent the afternoon visiting local stores to pick up some supplies to keep him going until the truck arrived with his stuff. It was due tomorrow, so he checked out the garage and the kiln room beneath the gallery. It was perfect for what he wanted. He’d passed though the gallery a couple of times through the afternoon and Sienna was as busy as ever, and ignored him each time he walked past her. He didn’t need to read the expression on her face or see the depth of color in her cheeks. Her back was ramrod straight, and something was bothering her.

  He shook his head. Maybe telling her about his sculptures hadn’t been such a good idea. She’d obviously thought he’d bought the gallery as an investment, which he had in a way. As much as he tried to convince himself and his father that he was a free spirit and his art was all that mattered, Jack knew he needed stability in his life. The contract and the thought of working in the studio here grounded him.

  He’d also have to check out how much he was paying Sienna to run the place.

  She was working her butt off, and as he’d walked around the village today, he’d realized that Sea View Gallery was by far the busiest gallery in the small town. Sienna had done a great job setting it up and getting it going in the short time she’d been here.

  At five o’clock, he wandered back with a couple of packages in hand. Sienna was behind the glass desk looking at her iPad.

  “A very good day.” Her voice was soft and her expression was wary.

  There had been a shift in their relationship since he’d told her about being a sculptor, and he wasn’t sure how to respond to her.

  “We had a lot more customers in today,” she said, her eyes still on the figures on the small tablet screen in front of her. “And excellent sales too. I’ve got a lot of work ahead. I sold quite a few of the frogs I’d planned to use for my exhibition.”

  “But won’t that mean more work for you to replace them?”

  Sienna nodded absently before she lifted her head and looked at him with a frown. “Yes, it will but it was a good sale. Good for the gallery…and good for me.”

  Jack looked down at his clothes with a grin. Maybe he could dress up a bit if he was going to spend a bit of time in the place.

  Keep it casual. “Nothing like a bum surfer look to pull the women in.”

  Sienna pulled a face and huffed. “I think it had more to do with Clint Eastwood being in town today.”

  “Clint Eastwood’s here? And I missed him?” He laughed. “But thanks for the vote of confidence. Wait till you see me in my Prince Charming costume.”

  Her eyes widened, and he was glad to finally see her smiling. “You bought one?” She pointed to the packages he was carrying. “Really?”

  “Yup. Nice tights, too.” Jack grinned. “And I’m looking forward to the party.”

  “Me too.” Sienna yawned and turned off the iPad.

  “How about we go out for dinner to seal our agreement?” Jack wasn’t sure how she’d take that, so he continued before she could refuse. “There are a couple more t
hings we probably should discuss. The truck will be here in the morning with my stuff and I’ve had a look around. I just want to run it by you.”

  “It’s your gallery. You can put things where you want.”

  “Whoa. You’re in charge here. Remember?” He held his hands up. “And we compromise. I’m a nice guy.”

  Sienna snapped the cover of the iPad closed and stood. “I guess you are. I’m just being me. You’ll get used to it.”

  And being her was a big act as far as he could tell. He’d like to get to know the Sienna beneath the prickly surface she showed him.

  “So dinner? My treat.”

  “I suppose.” She smiled again, and he relaxed as her face lit up.

  “I’d like a shower. I’ve been poking about in the kilns. So let’s go home first.” A strange feeling filled him as the words came out and Sienna frowned. He quirked an eyebrow and smiled at her. “I mean, let’s go to your place.”

  …

  Jack rode his bike back to the cottage, and Sienna followed in her car. It had been a strange day, and she was a little unsettled. Dinner out somewhere lively might snap her out of this mood she was in. She’d get up early and do some enameling before she opened in the morning. Throughout the day she’d moved from uncertainty, not knowing what her future was going to hold, and finally settled in a place where the worry landed deeper as the day wore on. The agreement with Jack about the gallery pleased her, even though she was going to have to find somewhere else to work, but the conversation with Georgie this morning wouldn’t go away, and stuck in her chest like a stone. She flicked on the radio and tried to let the music lift her. By the time she turned into the drive, the rock music had the desired effect, and she was feeling better even though she had to work out whether Jack had been lying to her, or if he just hadn’t bothered to mention being an artist. He was so casual and friendly he sucked her right in. Somehow he had the ability to get past the defenses she usually had in place.

  Things would work out. She would make sure they did. Planning and organization were the key. Knowing she had to replace the pieces she’d sold today meant she had to make the best use of her time. Dinner with Jack was a luxury she probably couldn’t afford time-wise, but no matter how hard she tried to resist him, his sexy grin sucked her in.