An Irresistible Bachelor (An Unforgettable Lady #2)(13)

“It’s the going rate for a professional. And remember, I’ll get you anything you need for your work on the painting.”

She hesitated, finding it hard to imagine doing the job in a private home. It wasn’t impossible, but it would complicate things.

“Why is it so important that the work be performed at your house?”

“No museum is going to get the mistaken impression that my painting is hanging on any wall but my own. I’ve been burned a few times, having to wrestle pieces back once they’d been conserved, even if I’ve footed the bill for the restoration. The attachment can become personal for some conservationists and their museums, which is another reason why you’re attractive to me.” There was a slight pause. “You’re unaffiliated with an institution, so there’ll be no confusion.”

“But I’ll need equipment that will be either prohibitively expensive or hard to get.”

“There are no such things,” he said, pouring himself some more coffee.

Taking a sip, he looked at her over the rim and she shifted her eyes to his pinkie ring. She was close enough to see that it had a crest on it and she thought that with the money and connections he had, there was probably nothing Jack Walker couldn’t get his hands on.

No material possessions, at any rate.

“If there’s something you absolutely can’t do onsite, we can take it to the MFA. I’ve already spoken with their head of conservation and he’s offered to help even though I’ve made it clear that I’m going to have an independent do the work.” He wiped his mouth on his napkin and leaned back in the chair. “So, you see, everything is arranged. All you need to do is show up.”

Callie wavered, thinking the job was taking her in directions she wasn’t entirely comfortable with.

Moving sharply, Walker threw down his napkin and got to his feet. “I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes. I know my terms are generous so I’m not inclined to negotiate. Are you in or out?”

As she measured his expression, she realized he was totally prepared to walk away, and that eased some of her concern.

She took a deep breath. “Where should I meet you in Boston?”

Showing no particular reaction, he walked over to a desk.

“My house is in Wellesley. We live on Cliff Road.” He bent down and wrote something with a gold pen. “That’s the address and phone number. I’ll make a point to be there by five on Tuesday.”

He handed her the paper and she squinted at the wide scrawl. His handwriting was barely legible.

“Is this a nine?” she asked, surprised at how sloppy it was.

He nodded and smiled. “My penmanship has always been awful. It was one of many things my father never liked about me. A therapist would probably tell you my enduring carelessness is a passive-aggressive expression of independence targeted at a dead man. But I reject that theory out of hand.”

She couldn’t help it. The corners of her mouth lifted.

“You don’t smile very often, do you?” he said softly.

Callie folded her napkin and stood up, clearing her throat. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

Walker extended his hand to her and looked darkly amused as she just stared at it. When she finally stuck her hand out, his fingers wrapped around hers and she felt a surge of warmth shoot up her arm. She pulled back quickly and went over to pick up her coat.

He frowned as he looked at it.

“May I help you with that?” he murmured.

She shook her head, draped it over her arm, and headed for the door.

“Callie?”

She halted and looked over her shoulder.

Jack Walker stared at her for a long time, his eyes lingering on her hair and then moving downward. She shifted her coat so it blocked his view of her body, feeling as though she was being measured against something. She wondered what the standard was.

When he said nothing, she got antsy. “Good-bye, Mr. Walker.”

“Jack. Call me Jack.”

She didn’t bother replying and left his suite quickly.

As she rode down in the elevator, her body shaking and her head in a fog, she had to remind herself that she’d survived a hell of a lot worse than the job offer of a lifetime. Just because her new boss was capable of melting paint off a wall with those hazel eyes of his didn’t mean she should be overwhelmed.

She just had to be strong.

And, fortunately, she’d spent a lifetime in training for that.



Jack stared at the door.

She was really quite attractive. He’d never bought that whole passionate redhead cliché, but there was a real fire in her. He loved how she stood up to him and the fact that she fought harder whenever she was especially uncomfortable.

Was she with someone? She didn’t wear a wedding ring, but maybe there was a boyfriend in the picture.

He frowned, thinking that shouldn’t be relevant.

The phone rang and he answered it. Grayson Bennett, his college roommate, was on the line.

“I’ve cleared my calendar,” Gray said. “I’m ready to spend the next month or so assessing your candidacy in Boston.”

“Excellent. What’s the first order of business?”

“We’re going to set up your exploratory committee. We’ll pull together ten or twelve people from different sectors in the state and do a quiet assessment of the landscape. We need to know who will back you and who’s going to be trouble, what kind of money we can raise, how you’re perceived. Should take four or five weeks.”