Page 105 of The Exception

“I’m a good listener,” I said, giving him a gentle nudge.

“I know. And it’s something I probably should’ve mentioned sooner, but I didn’t want to ruin our time together.”

I was immediately on alert, my body stiffening. “What’s wrong?”

We continued walking, following one of our familiar routes through the grounds. “Talk of the merger has been tabled for now.”

“That’s a good thing.” I peered up at him and shielded my eyes from the late afternoon sun. “Isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Several members of the board hired a lawyer to contest the validity of the marriage clause in my grandfather’s will.”

I frowned. “Based on everything you’ve told me, that sounds like a waste of time and money.” Though, wouldn’t that be a kicker. I wondered how quickly Graham would try to divorce me if that were the case.

Neither of us had mentioned our relationship’s expiration date lately, but it still loomed in my mind.

“Agreed,” he said, his tone giving zero indication of his thoughts. “But there’s more.”

I waited, giving him space to work out what he wanted to say. Though I remained on edge the entire time.

“There are questions about our relationship.”

“What kinds of questions?” I paused, coming to a stop in the middle of a copse of trees.

He slowed. “Accusations that we had an inappropriate relationship while you were my employee.”

I peered up at him. The fading sun cast him in a golden glow that made him seem almost otherworldly. With the magnificent château rising up behind him, he looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of time. My every fantasy come to life.

If only we could just stay here.

But that wasn’t part of the deal. And I had a role to play.

“And here I figured everyone would accuse me of being a gold digger,” I teased, though I knew people were likely saying just that. “Now they’ll also think I slept my way to the top.”

“Lil.” He took my hands in his. “I will do everything in my power to protect you. You know that, right?”

I nodded. I did know that. Regardless of how Graham might feel about me, it was in his best interest to protect me and our story.

“What can I do to help?” I asked.

“I talked to Pierce, and he suggested that we do a couple of interviews. Try to head off some of the rumors.”

I sighed, both at what that would mean for me and for Graham. Graham never did well in formal interviews. He always came off as stiff, elitist, cold. He needed a different format. Something more casual. Something that would allow him to relax. To be himself and forget about the audience. A plan took shape in my mind.

But first, I had something I needed to tell him. If we were going to be interviewed, if people were digging into our relationship, into me, he deserved to hear about my alopecia from me. But even more than that, I found myself wanting to tell him the truth.

It had been exhausting—having to make sure my hair and eyebrows and lashes were perfect, even while I was working on the construction site.

“There’s something you should know,” I said, nerves knotting my belly. I worried about his reaction. I hated that I cared so much.

He paused. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “I probably should’ve mentioned this before, but it didn’t seem relevant to our agreement.”

“And it does now?” he asked.

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