Page 12 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

“You as well. What can I get you tonight?”

“Think you can rustle up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot?” Seth asks.

“Anything for you, my friend,” Javon says. “I’ll have it brought to your table.”

“Actually, we’ll be down by the water,” Seth says.

“Even betta,” Javon says.

“Thank you,” Seth and I say in unison.

“Don’t you have to pay?” I ask as we head down the beach toward the water.

“I called ahead to let them know we’d be at the barbecue. They’ve got my card on file.”

“Oh, that was smart. Shoot. We forgot napkins and silverware.”

“They’re in my pocket,” he says. “I told you I’ve got you.”

Another breadcrumb, which matches what I know about him. Seth is the type of businessman who moves the second something catches his eye or an idea hits. See it, do it, done. That’s why my inbox fills at three a.m. “A man who’s prepared and indulgent? I might never leave.”

“Now, that sounds better than any deadline.”

His words burrow deep inside me, stroking the internal flames that have been brewing for years. The way he’s looking at me, with as much desire as challenge, feels like a dare.

A dare I want to take.

Down girl. He’s your client.

I realize I’ve been out of this game for so long, I could be misreading everything. That is enough to slow me down.

We find a spot by the water, and as I sit down, Seth empties his pockets, handing me a stack of napkins and silverware. He sits beside me, leaving space for only the plates between us. We’re far enough from the mayhem and music for it to fade into the background, allowing the sounds of the ocean to take the forefront. But the brisk breeze I was hoping for is offset by the intimate feel of our private dinner.

“You know so many people. You must come here a lot.” I keep his schedule and know he doesn’t come to the island more than two or three times a year, which is why I’m curious about what seem like deep friendships with the people here.

“I don’t get here that often, but most of the men and women who work here are locals who grew up coming to events like these with their parents and grandparents. I’ve known some of them since I was a kid, when I came here with my family for one of my mother’s assignments on bird migration. She’s a wildlife biologist and photographer.”

“I know.” The second I say it, I realize my mistake. He might not know I’m Taylor, but I don’t want him to think he would ever breach his confidence, so I quickly explain. “Taylor was saying how great you are to work with a few years ago, and I’m nosy, so I read up on your very accomplished family.”

“First of all, Taylor lied.” He smiles. “I’m a pain in his ass, and I know it. But he’s a good man for putting up with me. And second of all, I like a woman who knows how to research.”

And I like a man who appreciates my talents.

“Did your mom take the picture of the birds in your living room?”

“Yeah. As a matter of fact, she took it here on the island many years ago.”

“It’s beautiful.”

He flashes a flirty smile. “So are you.” He cuts a piece of lobster tail and holds out his fork for me to eat it. His sexy grin makes my stomach flip. “The first bite goes to my limbo queen.”

“How generous of you.”

As I lean in to eat it off the fork, he says, “A lady should always come first.”

I stop short, a laugh bubbling out. “Mr. Braden, are you flirting with me?”

“That depends,” he says seductively. “Do you want me to be?”