He nodded. “We’re all close. My father was mostly out of the picture, and my mother died when we were young. My oldest brother, Noah, took custody of all of us when he was barely eighteen. Noah, Aiden, and I went to work to keep food on the table and our younger siblings safe.”
I lifted a brow. “Exactly how many Sinclair siblings are there?”
“Including me, there are six of us. But as you probably already know, we have other half-siblings on the East Coast.”
I did know that. His other family on the East Coast were old money, well known among the elite. I’d gotten the gist of the story about the impoverished Sinclairs in California turning into billionaires almost overnight once they were discovered by their wealthy half-siblings. It was hard to stay ignorant when the news story had been in almost every paper and on just about every major television channel. The news had been all about how the now-deceased patriarch of the family had been a bigamist leading a double life.
However, I hadn’t known that Seth had really never had parents and had helped raise his younger siblings. The media had never mentioned that their life had been that tough.
“You were so young to have that kind of responsibility,” I said, momentarily forgetting that Seth was the enemy. “You must be really proud of Jade. It must have been a struggle to help her through that much higher education.”
He shot me a genuine smile. “Proud of all of them,” Seth said gruffly. “They all worked hard. My youngest sibling, Owen, is done with medical school and is nearly done with his residency. And Jade’s twin, Brooke, is living on the East Coast now. She’s a financial consultant. She married a self-made millionaire.”
“She married down,” I teased, surprising myself because I’d dropped my defenses.
He shrugged. “We didn’t give a shit whether she married someone with money or not. She’s happy. And Liam treats my sister like a queen. That’s all that matters.”
His words touched me more than I was willing to let on. Seth wasn’t completely motivated by the money he’d inherited. Obviously, all he’d wanted was for his siblings to be happy.
“You and your older brothers sacrificed your own education to give your younger siblings a hand up in life?” I contemplated aloud.
“Noah managed to get his degree. And I’m not sure that Aiden would have gone to college. He was into commercial fishing, and he liked it. But I think he’s a hell of a lot happier now that he can build his own fishing empire.”
I listened as Seth explained how he and Aiden were silent partners in each other’s businesses. That both of them had decided to do what they wanted to do, but were still supporting each other in their companies.
“Noah is into technology,” he further explained. “There isn’t a one of us who cares much about tech, but we still support his ambitions.”
I blinked hard when he stopped talking.
No matter how a person looked at it, the Sinclair family would be remarkable even if they hadn’t come into a fortune. “What about you?” I questioned. “Did you give up the chance for a higher education?”
“Maybe. But it was well worth the trade-off,” he said nonchalantly. “Plus, I’m getting a crash course in business from Eli Stone. I doubt there’s a better businessman out there to learn from.”
I felt my heart wrench just a little. It was incredible how willing Seth had been to help his siblings at the expense of his own possible career choices.
Honestly, he was right about Eli Stone. I didn’t know Eli well personally, but he was a business legend. He could probably teach Seth more than he’d ever learn by getting an MBA.
“That’s an amazing story,” I said with a sigh.
So much for my assumption that Seth was completely coldhearted.
“I come from a pretty incredible family,” he said casually. “What about you?”
“I was able to afford my Harvard Law degree. Not a single member of my family had to suffer to get me educated,” I answered carefully. “So, tell me about your proposed trade deal for the property. I understand why you don’t want to cause friction with Jade and Eli. What’s the answer?”
I really didn’t want to talk about my family, so the sooner we moved away from that line of discussion the better.
“You said you’d trade for my services,” I prompted. “But I don’t have much to offer to a man like you.”
He studied me for a moment, which made me uncomfortable.
I didn’t want anyone to know me better.
A man like Seth would never understand me.
“You have a hell of a lot to offer any guy,” he considered.
“Not exactly true,” I disagreed. “I was engaged once, but I was never enough for Nolan Easton,” I muttered, instantly wishing the name hadn’t left my mouth.
For some odd reason, Seth was easy to talk to, but I needed to guard my words a hell of a lot better.
He whistled softly. “Nolan Easton? Head of Easton Investment Firms? The very wealthy Nolan Easton?”
“Yes,” I said tightly.
“Even so, I can’t believe he dumped you,” Seth answered.
“He didn’t,” I admitted. “I finally broke it off. He didn’t know how to keep his dick in his pants, and I didn’t want to spend my entire life being who he wanted me to be.” I coughed nervously. “Now can we get back to the business at hand?”
“Not yet,” he insisted. “I’m still trying to get why any guy would want to change a single thing about you. Not that I exactly love your line of work right now, but you’re passionate about it. You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You seem to know exactly what you want. Considering our circumstances, I can’t say I’ve seen your sense of humor, but I’m assuming you have one of those, too. What the hell else did he want?”
I ignored his question. “I have three older brothers,” I shared. “I have to have a sense of humor or they’d drive me crazy.”
He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. “You didn’t answer my question, Riley. What else did he want?” His voice was low and persuasive.
“It’s not important. My engagement has been over for a while, and I’m happy. I finally found my own home here in Citrus Beach, and I’m pretty content with being alone. It’s a lot nicer here than San Diego. Quieter.”
It was a hell of a lot better than being with a man who made me feel like I was less than nothing.
“When exactly did you move here? And where are you living now?”
“Almost two years ago,” I ground out, growing impatient to get back to business. It wasn’t wise to dump a lot about my personal life to a defendant—no matter how good a listener he might be. “I had a condo, but I recently purchased your sister’s cottage. I’ve settled there now. She and Eli have the bigger home next door, so I already knew I’d have good neighbors.”
“I’m right down the beach from there,” Seth said, sounding surprised. “I’ve never seen you.”
“Like I said. It’s recent. I just moved in.”
I was squirming in my chair. I didn’t care for the feeling of being interrogated. I was usually the one asking the questions.