Page 14 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

My pulse quickens, and I revel in the compliment.

“What else do you do, besides wrangle your clients, Ellie?” He spears a shrimp with his fork, but his eyes remain trained on me.

“I have a small artistic side gig.”

“A side gig, huh? I’d love to hear about it.” He leans in like I’ve given him the juiciest gossip.

“I design logos and merchandise for a handful of writers and authors. Mostly around the travel industry, but I have a few other clients, too.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Very much, and I get advance copies of the books, which is a bonus.”

He offers me another piece of lobster, which I happily eat, as he asks, “Are you a big reader?”

“I love to read, but I mostly listen to audiobooks while I’m driving, or when I go for walks, which I also enjoy. Nothing beats curling up with a good book and a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the evening, except maybe drawing. It’s a toss-up, depending on my mood.”

He smiles. “A beautiful, creative bookworm? Now you’re speaking my language. But while I’m a big reader, and I have a creative mind for business, I have zero artistic abilities.”

“You single-handedly built an empire. It’s hard to believe there’s anything you can’t do.”

“This will probably cost me my superhero cape, but let me enlighten you.” He leans back on his palms in the sand and crosses his legs at the ankles, looking so relaxed and handsome, I want to move the plates to be closer to him. “When we were kids, we made gifts for each other. My brothers would draw or whittle things. They’d make awesome boxes for my dad and picture frames for my mom, and my sister would make bracelets and necklaces. And what did I do? One year I gave my brother Clay a handwritten ledger so he could track his profits as a football star when he got older. He used it to draw football plays. Another year I wrapped up a rock and told my sister it was an investment, because rocks never depreciate.”

Laughter bubbles out of me. “You did not.”

“I did, and I was proud of those gifts,” he says, his eyes gleaming. “I even made coupons one year, but my siblings didn’t appreciate a coupon good for one lesson on how to barter with Dad.”

I crack up, but I love knowing these things about him. He must have been so cute, proudly presenting his presents to his family like a little businessman.

“I’m telling you, I have no artistic ability, and according to my family, I give the worst gifts.” He sits up and grabs his glass, tipping it toward me. “But, on the upside, that’s how my parents figured out how my brain worked, and I’d say I’ve fared pretty well.” He takes a drink.

“Yes, you have, and I think those gifts were very creative. I would be proud to get one, so please put me on your Christmas list.”

A grin slides into place. “I will do that, but fair warning, your coupon will not have anything to do with my father and may not be quite as innocent.”

A thrill darts through me at that prospect. “Thank goodness for little favors,” I say, and he laughs. “I would also like to point out that I’m here because you gave Taylor a very generous gift, so give yourself a break.”

“That might be the best gift I’ve ever given.”

He holds my gaze for so long, I swear the temperature spikes and the air between us crackles and pops.

“Now I’ve hijacked our conversation,” he says, his deep voice cutting through the tension.

“I’m glad you did. I like knowing you were a mini businessman.”

“My brothers and sister usually call me a dork.” His smile turns unexpectedly boyish, which does funny things to my stomach.

“Guess I have a thing for dorks.” I have no idea what he’s doing to me, but I didn’t even try to hold that back.

“In that case”—he waggles his brows—“let me show you my pocket protector.”

We both laugh.

“A’right, El, time to spill your secrets. Did you go to school for design? How’d you get into working with authors?”

“I double majored in business and graphic design, and while I was in school, I was involved with a sisterhood called the Ladies Who Write, which was like a sorority without all the rules. We were just a bunch of girls who bonded over all types of writing. One of them went on to become a travel author. I designed a few things for her book launch, and word got around.”

“Really?” he says with surprise. “My brother Flynn and his wife work for LWW’s Discovery Hour show. Come to think of it, my cousin’s business partner, Knox Bentley, is married to one of the original founders of LWW.”