Page 78 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

Clay fake coughs and says, “Control freak.”

“It’s worked for me so far,” I say dryly.

“Taylor, are you going with him?” Victory asks.

“No. I can’t leave for that long.” She looks between her sister and father and says, “Those two might try to walk a tightrope between skyscrapers or something.”

Laughter rises around the table.

“Now, there’s an idea,” her father says.

“I’d go crazy away from Wells for that long,” Victory says, gazing at Wells adoringly.

“Seth travels all the time,” Ellie says. “I’ll miss him, but we’ll be fine.”

“That’s the hallmark of a strong relationship,” my father says. “If you can handle Seth’s brand of romance, the kind that involves time zones, spreadsheets, and conference calls, then you just might make it for the long haul.”

Wells smirks. “She accidentally joined one of our conference calls a few weeks ago. She’ll never make that mistake again.”

Grandma shakes her head and says, “Poor girl was probably bored to death.”

“Actually,” Ellie says with a coy smile, squeezing my leg under the table, “I found it quite stimulating.”

“You find the weirdest things stimulating,” Becca says. “She’s been organizing our lives since she learned how to say calendar.”

Ellie gives me a secret smile. She didn’t tell her sister about our conference call debacle.

Noah points his drink at Ellie and says, “She doesn’t seem to mind our brother’s aversion to matching clothes, either. Case in point, that purple-and-black bowtie and bulky blue-and-white cardigan he’s got on. It looks like it was knit in the seventies, while the rest of us managed to wear sports coats.”

“He calls it personal style,” Clay says.

“I call it a cry for help,” Noah says, and everyone laughs again.

Ellie shakes her head. “You guys are harsh. One of the things I like most about your brother is his confidence in his bold choices, in business and in—”

“Pleasure?” Victory cuts in.

She and Wells laugh, and Ellie’s cheeks pink up. “I was going to say clothing, but if you must know, it applies to everything he does.”

Flynn raises a brow. “Even being sick? I heard you survived his man-flu.”

“You make it sound like I fought off an epidemic.” Ellie smiles and shakes her head.

Clay grins. “You did. The bubonic Braden plague. Seth’s unbearable when he’s sick.”

Pepper elbows him. “Who are you to talk? You got a cold and begged me to stay home to take care of you.”

“I had ulterior motives.” Clay kisses her.

“We all know that when it comes to being sick,” Noah says, “I’m the toughest Braden, and Seth’s the wimpiest.”

Our mother smiles, shaking her head. “You and Vic are definitely the best patients, and Seth has always been able to keep a hundred balls in the air.” She pauses, her gaze shifting to me with a loving smile, and says, “Unless he has the sniffles.”

Everyone laughs.

“There was this one time,” my mother says.

“Mom,” I warn, though I’m already smiling.