Page 39 of The Exception

I shivered. “No problem. Everything okay?”

“Just Jasper being Jasper.” He took his seat and picked up his fork and knife. We ate in silence, and I tried to come up with something to discuss. Something that wasn’t related to his proposal or his job or anything else that might increase the tension already arcing between us.

“How is Jasper?” I finally asked, knowing how important Graham’s brother was to him, even if Jasper annoyed him at times.

“Good.” Graham set down his fork and took a sip of his wine. Even after all this time, his one-word responses could still catch me off guard.

Silence. Not awkward. But also not entirely comfortable. It was as if we were struggling to find our footing in this new dynamic. We were no longer boss and employee, and I wasn’t quite sure what we were.

I studied him, trying to imagine what it would be like to pretend to be married to him.

“You’re lucky to have such a supportive family who loves you.” I only wished I had that kind of relationship with even one of my siblings.

I hadn’t heard anything more from them since my mom’s text that I was selfish and needed to apologize to my sister. And I hadn’t reached out either. Nor did I intend to.

“I know the three of you didn’t always agree on everything, but you have one another’s backs. And while I have a team of kind, talented workers at the château…” I drew in a shaky breath, surprised that I was going to admit this. But I supposed if Graham could attempt to make small talk, then I could share something about myself. “It really all falls on me.”

He placed his hand over mine again, and my skin zinged from that touch. “I know what that feels like. And if you agree to this, to my proposal, I promise you will have the support you need.”

If Graham was trying to sell me on the idea, he was doing a good job. I’d been drowning in decisions and responsibility and debt, and he was offering a lifeline. He was offering something even more priceless—understanding.

I found myself wanting to share more moments like this with him. And it gave me hope that maybe this crazy idea could work.

CHAPTERTEN

“You want a drink?” I asked, kicking off my shoes as soon as the door to my suite had closed.

“I’m good. Thanks.” Lily hovered by the door, shifting from one foot to the other as if she couldn’t decide whether to stay or go.

Was she having second thoughts?

I couldn’t think straight. She made me feel distracted—all the time, but especially in that dress. Before now, I’d only ever seen her in business clothes. Professional clothes. And this dress was anything but.

I cleared my throat. “Before we discuss this any further, I’ll need you to sign an NDA.”

“Oh, um, sure.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Do you have a pen?”

“I do.” I tried to imagine myself saying those words in a different context, where she was my bride. There would be no wedding without an NDA. I grabbed it and a pen from the safe in the bedroom. “Take your time to look it over.”

She quickly skimmed the contents and then affixed her name on the signature line with a swish.

“Any questions?”

“Nope. Looks pretty standard.” She should know. She’d reviewed plenty of them while in my employ.

With that settled, I grabbed a deck of cards, opening it and relaxing at the feel of them in my hands. I sank down on the couch, setting the deck on the coffee table.

The chicken started clucking, and I did my best to ignore it, hoping Liliana would too.

“Do you know how to play gin rummy?” I asked, trying to lean into building a rapport outside of our past as employer/employee.

A crease formed between her brows. “Did you hear that?” She tilted her head. “Do you hear… Was that a dog? Or no.” She shook her head. “A chicken?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I swear I hear a chicken clucking. Like, in someone’s room.”

I stood, worried something was wrong with my chicken. Notmychicken.Thechicken. She was not my pet, even if she had quite the delightful personality. And now that she was clean, you could see her gorgeous plumage.

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