Page 112 of Omega's Refuge

I frowned. “I could. I hadn’t thought about doing that, but I certainly could.”

Jack nodded, looking excited. “I think I know exactly the client that would buy this series.” He turned to me. “There’s a new fertility clinic being built in Dallas. They’re opening next month. They contacted me the other day wanting some unique pieces.”

“Oh.” Excitement nudged me. “How many pieces would they need?”

“Let’s see, there are the examination rooms and the lobby. I believe they also wanted pieces for the hallways and there are four floors.” He tapped his chin, looking thoughtful. “I think the minimum they’d want is fifty pieces. It could be more, depending on their budget.”

I bugged my eyes. “Fifty?”

He shrugged. “Well, I’m estimating, but that’s probably a safe number as a minimum. If it were for a hotel, the number would be larger. Those pieces could also be more generic. The fertility clinic is an unusually picky client.”

I couldn’t help feeling demoralized. There was no way in hell I could produce paintings that fast. “You said they’re opening next month? I don’t think I can paint fifty paintings in that time frame, Jack.”

Jack frowned and then laughed suddenly. “Oh, wait, you wouldn’t have to paintallthose paintings.” He bent over laughing, and when he straightened, he said, “No wonder you looked so panicked. You thought I’d expect all fifty to come from you?”

I grimaced, feeling confused. “That isn’t what you’re saying?”

He held out his hand to me. “No, sorry. I’d probably want five really special pieces from you. Similar to the painting of the father and child.” He gave another short laugh. “You must have been freaking out inside.”

“Kind of.” I smiled weakly, feeling relieved.

“No, what I generally do is, when a job comes in, I pick a few artists from my roster who have similar styles. Then they work individually on creating different pieces for the job. No one person is responsible for the entire job. I don’t believe in putting all my eggs in one basket, plus,that would be overwhelming for any one artist. I prefer to spread the work among my artists, and then no one gets burned out.”

“Yeah, that sounds much more doable.” I rubbed the back of my neck, giving a sheepish laugh.

Rex came over and squeezed my shoulder. “I misunderstood too, Tanner. I thought he wanted you to paint all fifty. I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

Jack sighed. “Sorry. I forgot you two are new to this. You have no idea how I work.”

I pushed my hands into my pockets and met Jack’s gaze. “So, do you think my style works for you? I guess what I mean is, would you only want me for that one job, or do you think you can use me for other jobs too?”

Jack glanced over at the easels that held my art. “I can definitely use you for other jobs, Tanner. You’re really good.”

Pride and relief washed through me because I believed him when he said he didn’t say things he didn’t mean. I appreciated that. I liked knowing where I stood with people. Especially if I was going to work with them.

I slumped. “Thank you so much, Jack. You have no idea how much this means to me. I don’t want to live off of Rex. I want to contribute.”

“I keep telling him he doesn’t need to worry about that, but he still does.” Rex shook his head.

“I can’t help it. I like having some financial independence. It’s not a trust thing with you, Rex. I… I trust you implicitly. It’s just something I feel I need to be at peace.” I met Jack’s gaze. “Thanks to you, I’ll have that peace of mind.”

“Hey, this arrangement is good for me too. Finding new talent is essential for my business. I lookforward to working with you, Tanner.” Jack smiled. “And I don’t say that lightly. You’re a real talent.”

Rex leaned in and said softly, “Told you so.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Jack planned to stay three days at the ranch. That gave him time to visit with Rex, but also iron out the details of our contract. Jack’s art business was thriving and there was plenty of work for his roster of artists to earn a decent income. I was ecstatic that he wanted me to join his team. That meant, for the first time in a long time, I’d have a consistent income.

While Jack was visiting, he stayed at the ranch. A few times, I observed him trying to flirt with Seth after dinner. Despite Jack’s good looks and considerable charm, Seth didn’t seem interested. He was his usual standoffish self, but that seemed to intrigue Jack instead of discourage him. I suspected Jack wasn’t used to being turned down and saw Seth as a challenge. Jack probably thought all omegas should fall at his feet because of his wealth.

The last night of Jack’s visit, Rex and I joined him for drinks in town. Because of my pregnancy, unfortunately, I was stuck with lemonade. Jack drank a lot, and I couldn’t shake the feeling something was eating at him. I got my answer when Rex went to use the restroom.

Jack leaned over and asked, “Are you close with that red-headed omega named Seth?”

Called it.

I hesitated. “I don’t know him well. We’re friendly, but he’s not easy to get close to.”

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