“I’m good, thanks.” This time she put her hand over her glass and kept it there.
“Jack manages his portfolio,” Lexie said, giving her brother an affectionate smirk. “Dirty capitalist pig that he is.”
Jack shot an answering grin across the table. “Who bails you out when you’re behind on your rent?”
“I’m having a show next week at the Manyung Gallery.” Lexie sniffed. “Then we’ll see who’ll be bailing who out.”
Sienna smiled at the banter, but she’d noticed that Jack had again avoided answering her question. Both times she’d asked, one of his sisters had jumped in quickly to send the conversation in another direction. “So you’re between jobs?”
Jack smiled blandly at her, but a barrier came down over his eyes. “Not quite. I don’t work.”
For some reason an image of Oliver refusing to go to university flashed into her mind. Sienna shook her head, focusing on the man in front of her. “You must do something.”
Jack leaned back in his chair, one arm flung over the neighboring chair back, the image of relaxed good humor. Yet tension ran down his shoulder and into his fingers, which were pressed against the red painted wood so hard that the pale pink of his nail bed had turned white.
“He’s pretty busy cooking gourmet meals for us all,” Renita said.
“And he does a lot of outdoor sports,” Lexie added, getting up to finish clearing the table. “Kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, golf.”
“He also gives science presentations in schools,” Renita said. “Electronics mostly.”
So it was him. “Did you recently teach the grade nines at the high school how to build robots out of computer disks?” Sienna asked.
“That’s right.” Jack looked surprised for a second, then he grinned. “Don’t tell me your son is in that class.”
“Yes, and he’s your biggest fan.” She took a sip of water. “What else do you do?”
“I potter around in my shed next door.”
“Next door? Do you mean that huge corrugated iron building on the other side of the hedge?”
“This property is a double lot,” he explained. “The shed used to house farm machinery before the area became residential. I put in a concrete floor and a small kitchen for making coffee.”
“What do you do in there?” Sienna asked. “Do you have a small business?”
“Nothing like that. I was using it to build an ultralight aircraft. Now I mainly fix things,” Jack said. “Small stuff. Nothing interesting or important.”
“By the way, Jack,” Renita interrupted, “you said you’d help me improve my handicap. When are we heading to the links?”
Jack and Renita started talking golf. Renita asked if Sienna played, but she shook her head. Glenn and Sharon joined in, making a date for the four of them to have a round on Sunday afternoon.
Sienna rose to carry a serving bowl over to the kitchen where Lexie had taken over from Diane in loading the dishwasher. Jack had hobbies, but why was his profession—or lack of it—such a mystery? Digging for more information after that last evasion would be rude, so she said nothing, just rinsed the platters and handed them to Lexie to stack.
“Is there an apron?” Sienna asked. “I’ll wash the pots.”
“Oh, no, you won’t,” Lexie said. “We never do them the same night.” She tugged Sienna closer to the light over the stove. “Your hair is a lovely jumble of ocher, umber and burnt sienna. Rather appropriate, that last one.” Her small paint-stained hands hovered over Sienna’s head. “I’ve just got to see you with your hair down. Do you mind?” Without waiting for permission, she started pulling out the hairpins that held Sienna’s up-do in place.
Sienna jerked back. Some of her long fiery hair sprang free and fell in a heavy coil down her neck.
“Lexie!” Jack exclaimed as he came into the kitchen to put on the kettle for coffee. “What have I told you about manhandling people?” He added a warning to Sienna. “Next she’ll be feeling the shape of your skull.”
“She doesn’t mind. Do you, Sienna?” A pin fell from Lexie’s fingers and clattered onto the floor. “I’m looking for a sitter for the Archibald Prize portrait contest,” she explained. “You’d be perfect.”
“I…” Sienna glanced around. No one else was paying any attention, intent on the cake Diane had brought. Apparently among this group of friends, such familiar behavior, even to a newcomer, wasn’t out of the ordinary.
Lexie took out the last of the pins and Sienna’s hair sprang loose in a cascade of long curls around her face and down her back. “Wow.”
“To tell you the truth, this is a relief.” Sienna pushed her hands through her hair to massage her scalp.
Jack, attempting to plug the kettle in, jabbed at the outlet blindly as he stared at her. He might well be surprised, she thought. When he’d seen her earlier her hair had been tied back in a ponytail.
Lexie enthusiastically plunged her fingers straight into the springy mass. “It’s so thick and silky. Jack, feel it.”
“No,” Sienna started to protest, embarrassed, but Jack already had his fingers in her hair.
“Nice.” His eyes were on hers, and his thumb made contact with the tender skin behind her ear. He stroked just once, lightly. “Very nice.”
Her breath jammed in her lungs. She couldn’t look away from his gaze. If Lexie hadn’t been standing right there, she would have half expected him to kiss her.
“How’s that coffee coming?” Glenn called. “Sharon’s mum is minding the kids and she swears she turns into a pumpkin at midnight.”
“Coming right up.” Jack removed his hand, squeezed her shoulder and went to the cupboard for cups.
Sienna let her breath out. Now she was aware of her heart pounding. She went back to the table to find that everyone had shifted places and broken into smaller groups to chat. At Diane’s encouraging smile she dropped into an empty chair between her and Sharon and the pair included her in their conversation about gardening. Discussing new varieties of drought-tolerant plants was a relief after the charged atmosphere in the kitchen.
Gradually Sienna relaxed again. But every time she glanced up she caught Jack’s eye. He was sitting across from her now. She could swear he was keeping one ear open to her conversation, just as she was with his talk with Ron and Glenn about the marine life he’d seen while diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
His recent travels explained why she’d never run into him in the village until today. He certainly seemed to have a lot of time on his hands. She told herself it shouldn’t bother her that he didn’t work, but it did. Coming from a long line of high achievers, she had a strong work ethic deeply ingrained in her. Jack was only in his mid to late thirties, healthy, intelligent, not handicapped in any way. There must be more to the story than met the eye. At least, she hoped so.
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT Jack walked Renita to where she’d parked her BMW a couple of doors down. The night was balmy with the scent of jasmine drifting on the light breeze. A half-moon, very bright in the clear sky, hung above the treetops. Everyone but Sienna had already left. She was in the house, calling a taxi. He hoped to have a few minutes with her before the cab came.
“I’ll pick you up for golf tomorrow at one-thirty,” he said to Renita as she unlocked her door. “Maybe you can look over the prospectus for that investment company I’m interested in and tell me what you think.”
“Sure thing. Great dinner tonight, as usual.” Renita hugged him and slid into the driver’s seat. She