Sloane sidestepped calling him out and instead surprised him. “Sometimes people don’t understand when you love something they don’t, especially when it’s a job. You know, I was never one of those girls who dreamed about her wedding day, but, for some reason, I love helping other people plan theirs. But I also love working for myself. So, I’ve spent the last few years building contacts and relationships in Nashville that will help me eventually make the leap to being able to do what I love all on my terms.” She shrugged. “Basically, I work a lot of odd jobs, and my brother and best friend don’t understand why I don’t do something easier. Honestly, I don’t understand how people can spend every day doing something they don’t love.”

Brady caught himself going slightly slack-jawed. Because he absolutely agreed.

However, Sloane had moved back to the topic at hand: Felicity.

“Okay, so this picture—that you had over your bed, I might point out—doesn’t mean anything. Fine. I’d still like to know what Felicity is like. What drew you to her in the first place?”

“You mean what drew your boy Marcus to her.”

Sloane didn’t meet his gaze. He took the picture from her hands and chewed on the answer as he hung it back up. “She’s pointed” was what he decided on.

“Pointed,” Sloane deadpanned. “Is that a sex joke?”

Brady snorted. “That’s another way to say focused. She knows what she wants, and she goes at it hard until it’s hers.” He took a step back to make sure the frame was straight. In the picture, the five of them were dressed to the nines for a cocktail party at the local law firm. They’d been guests, thanks to Felicity’s work with the group on their new branding. Brady had kept the picture because most of it was family and they’d all looked nice. “Confidence like that can be confusing. Sometimes when someone wants something so badly, you end up wanting it, too, by default. You get invested in it.”

“So confidence really is key with her, huh?”

“She can be fun, too,” he admitted. “When she isn’t worried about work.”

There was the irony. Their biggest fight had been work. Neither understood the other’s.

And didn’t try to, either.

Brady guessed Felicity didn’t mind Marcus’s IT job at the local bank. Or, maybe, it really did just boil down to his family’s money. Why else did their relationship work but Felicity’s and Brady’s hadn’t?

“I’m sure the long legs and killer ass don’t hurt, either,” Sloane quipped, cheeks tinted rose. She was grinning, too. It lightened the more serious mood he had been falling into. It also put focus on her lips.