Page 28 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

“Not at all. I told you I like a woman who knows how to research.”

“In that case, I have one more question,” she says sweetly. “You said your brothers and sister come to you to talk things out, but how do you see yourself? Are you the glue that holds everyone together, or do you give advice but prefer to remain on the outside of their drama?”

“You’ve got great intuition. I’m both. They come to me when things get messy or confusing, and I try to make sense of it with them. As we figure things out, the drama usually loses its steam.”

“I like how you say with them, not for them.” She tilts her head, her eyes curious. “Who do you go to when you can’t make sense of something?”

“My father, for business. He’s still the smartest man I know.”

“And for personal stuff?” she asks carefully.

“My relationships don’t usually last long enough to require counsel.”

“Because you get bored,” she says as if it’s a fact.

Amused, I say, “I never said I get bored. I said I never met a woman who held my attention better than a deadline. Most of the women I meet are more interested in what I have than who I am, and that becomes apparent rather quickly. I also travel a lot, which makes long-term relationships difficult.”

She arches a brow. “Is that by design? Stay busy to avoid commitment?”

Sharp doesn’t begin to define this woman. She sees right through my excuses, and man, I like that she’s not afraid to call me on it. “I think it’s twofold. If the attraction is only physical, meaning there’s no intrigue in each other beyond that, and the ability to have real conversations about things that matter isn’t there, I see no reason to pretend otherwise. And as far as traveling goes, I enjoy it, but I will admit that it’s easier to stay in motion than to try to figure out if and when to stop.”

“Sounds like you’re rootless,” she says softly. “That’s probably why you’re single.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I just haven’t found someone who makes me forget what day it is.”

She studies me for a beat. “Have you ever forgotten?”

And there’s that intrigue. “What day is it again?”

She grins.

“What about you? Why are you still single?”

She rolls onto her back and closes her eyes. “Because I’m too smart not to be.”

I lean over her, blocking the sun, and gaze down at her. “Sounds like a copout to me.” I press my lips to hers and then I lie beside her, taking her hand in mine. “You don’t have to share if you’d rather not.”

“There’s not much to share. There was someone once. Cody. We were together for three and a half years.”

“That’s a long time.” I turn my face toward her. “What happened?”

She meets my gaze. “We wanted different things.”

“What types of things?”

“I wanted him, but he didn’t want me.” She shrugs like it’s not a big deal.

I know first loves gone wrong are part of many people’s lives, but I hate that she gave her heart to a guy who made her feel unwanted, and my protective urges rise to the surface. I push up on my forearm. “He must’ve been crazy. I’m sorry you went through that. I’m sure it hurt.”

“It did.” Her lips curve into a small, thoughtful smile. “But he wasn’t crazy. He was just young. We both were. We were only twenty, and it taught me a lot.”

At twenty I was in college, already earning money hand over fist, planning my empire, but for some reason, it seems awfully young to think about marriage. Although plenty of people do it, so what do I know?

“What did you learn?”

She hesitates for a moment. “That love doesn’t always mean forever. Sometimes it just means you cared enough to try.”

My chest constricts, and I wish I could take away the heartache I hear in her voice. I press my hand to her cheek and brush my thumb over her lower lip. “I commend you for being brave enough to try. Some of us never get that far.”