Page 10 of The Exception

This time. Right.“My sister’s mad that I won’t loan her eighteen grand for a down payment on a house. And now, the rest of my family is ganging up on me.”

Jo’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I were.”

“You’re not going to give it to her, right?”

I guffawed. “No.”

My family was under the misguided impression that I was rolling in cash. But unless something changed—and fast—I might be forced to sell the château. Not that I was going to admit that to Jo. Thinking about my money woes was depressing, and I didn’t want to ruin our trip.

She gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry your family is so shitty.”

I squeezed her hand back. “I’m grateful I have you.”

I was done with my family. I had a feeling that if I didn’t call them, they’d never call me. Unless it was to ask for money. I was over their drama and their demands. If they wanted to have a relationship with me, they could start making more of an effort because I was sick of trying.

“You always have me.” She patted my hand. “Plus, I found a steal of a deal on a flight to come visit. I hope it’s okay, but I went ahead and bought the ticket.”

“Really?” I perked up at that, and she nodded. “For when?”

She checked her phone then told me the dates. “Hopefully that works with your schedule.”

I checked my calendar. “Yes. That’s great. And you’ll be there for the weekend of theles Journées du patrimoine.”

Les Journéeswas a weekend event each year celebrating European heritage. Châteaux throughout the region, including mine, would open their majestic gates and invite visitors to experience these places and their heritage. It didn’t matter that something was constantly under construction at the château; everyone wanted to see our progress.

And it was exciting. I loved being able to share the château with visitors. I loved hearing their feedback and excitement and gratitude for what we’d accomplished. It kept me going, even if organizing the event was a lot of work.

It required coordinating with the artisans for demonstrations, the local winery for tastings, and more. It was a huge opportunity but also a huge undertaking. It was my second year doing it, and I knew how much work it entailed. I had so much to organize, on top of everything else I was already doing.

“Why do you think I selected those dates?” She grinned. “You can put me to work.”

Who needed family when I had a friend like her?

“I’d love that,” I said. “But I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m offering.” She nudged me. “Besides, it’s not like you haven’t helped me with a million projects around the homestead.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t do them because I expected something in return.”

“I know.” She made a silly face. “I want to help, and I want to see the progress in person.”

“You mean you want to see Luc again,” I teased.

She didn’t rise to the bait, instead saying, “It’s not completely altruistic. I mean…I get great views on my content, especially my YouStream channel, when I post about visiting the château.”

I laughed. “Always happy to help. And, Jo?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. This trip helps me too. I need some fresh content. I’ve been running out of ideas for projects to do around the farm.”

“I don’t believe that for one minute.”

She slumped in her chair. “I’ve almost finished all the major projects, and I’m afraid people will lose interest.”

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