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

around for the waiter. “The least I can do is buy a bottle of champagne.”
    “I’ll get it from the bar. The waitress is busy.” Sienna stood and pushed her chair back hard. It hit the low windowsill behind her with a loud crack .
    Jack slid his chair back and followed her to the bar at the other end of the restaurant. She was edgy, and it seemed as though she was trying to get away from him. It was strange because five minutes ago she’d been smiling back at him. As they waited behind another couple, he took hold of her arm. “Would you like to tell me what I’ve done to upset you?”
    “No, I wouldn’t.” Sienna stared up at him without a smile. He could have sworn her voice broke slightly, and she turned away from him and stared through the window. The sun had slipped below the horizon, and fingers of mist were settling over the calm sea as the sky darkened.
    Jack shrugged and gave his order to the barman. The tension rolling off Sienna was enough to make him fidget as he waited for the bartender to open the champagne. Finally, the bottle was on the bar in front of him. “Coming?” He grabbed the bottle and waited for her to follow.
    “I’ll be there in a minute.” It was quite clear she didn’t want to be in his company. Jack shrugged.
    On his way back to the table, Cole pushed past him. Jack placed the bottle in the wine bucket and glanced back just in time to see the guy lean into Sienna. He put his hand on her waist, and she shoved it away. Jack’s fists curled as words were exchanged, and Cole glared at her for a few seconds before he pushed past her and headed for the door. Georgie and Ana, deep in conversation, missed the whole interaction.
    Sienna walked back to the table, a flush on her cheeks.
    “Everything okay?” Jack kept his voice low as she returned to her chair, a surge of protection rising in him
    “Just fine and dandy.” She waited until Georgie looked across at her. “Your friend had to leave suddenly. I’ll explain later.”
    Jack was bemused when conversation turned to the hardware store.
    “Magda came in the other day.” Georgie held out her glass for a top-up and smiled at him. “She and Joe are leaving for the Caribbean next week.”
    Ana turned to Jack to include him in the conversation. “Did you ever meet them? They are the sweetest old couple. They’ve lived in Nebbiton forever. Blake bought the hardware store from them when he left your father’s company.”
    Jack shook his head.
    “How many cruises have Joe and Magda been on now?” Ana asked Georgie.
    The conversation buzzed around Jack and it was as though he’d imagined the prickly atmosphere when Ana and Sienna came inside, and the interaction he’d just witnessed at the bar. He sat back, interested to catch up with all their news. He hadn’t been out this way for a year and a half. He’d stayed in New York to support his mother after his father’s heart attack. To his surprise, she stepped in to help him with the company while his father went through a series of heart operations and a massive lifestyle change. In the end, to his great relief, Jack had only had to play a minor role in the business, and he’d spent a lot of time with his father. His father had disapproved of his casual attitude and frowned at the playboy lifestyle he thought Jack led. They’d had a few rocky years, and finally made their peace after his father finally understood that his creative nature didn’t lend itself to being in big business, and Jack had spent more time on his art and less time hitting the clubs.
    When he first bought the gallery in Carmel, Jack had viewed it merely as an investment in something he loved, and his father’s company had managed it for him. Now he had a chance, once and for all, to prove to his father that art was not a hobby, but his lifetime career. Getting the commission for his sculptures in a new building in San Francisco had built Jack’s confidence, but until he’d finished them and met