Page 33 of The Exception

“Hoping?” Jasper tilted his head, a quizzical expression on his face.

There was another knock. I went to the door to let in Jackson and Sloan. I greeted Sloan with a hug and a kiss to the cheek, and Jackson with a handshake.

“Heads up,” Jasper said. “Graham has a chicken in his bathroom.”

Jackson furrowed his brow. “A live one?”

Just then, the chicken clucked, as if to answer his question.

Jackson glanced to Sloan, and they shared a cryptic look. But then it was gone, and Sloan shook her head with a wry grin. “You’ve always had a soft spot for animals, especially strays.”

Sloan took a seat, and we joined her at the table. It was then I realized all three of them were looking at me.

“So…” Sloan—like Jasper—wore an expectant expression. Jackson’s face was unreadable, as always.

I picked up my fork and knife with a frown. I’d just wanted a quiet breakfast alone before my busy day. Was that really too much to ask?

My phone chimed, and I glanced at the screen.

Liliana: Thank you for replacing my phone.

Me: You’re welcome.

Jasper leaned over,glancing at my screen. I held my phone to my chest. “Texting with Liliana?” He arched a brow. “Interesting.”

“And none of your business.” I hit the power screen on my phone, darkening it so he wouldn’t see anything else. Sometimes it was easy to forget we were in our forties when he continued to act like my annoying little brother.

“I didn’t realize the two of you stayed in touch,” Sloan said.

Jasper and Jackson shared a look.

I remained silent. If we were going to go through with this, with getting married, I didn’t want to say anything that might run contrary to the narrative Lily and I were going to have to sell.

After a beat, she gave up on waiting for an answer. I thought that was the end of it, but then Jasper said, “So about last night…” He cut into his eggs. “Did you push her into the pool? Or did she pull you in? I wasn’t quite sure what happened.”

He planted his chin on his palm and batted his eyes. Waiting. Wearing a fucking Cheshire smile. I barely resisted the urge to punch him.

“It was an accident. End of story.” I buttered my toast, the piece he hadn’t eaten.

“Regardless, you two certainly made quite the splash last night,” Jasper joked.

I clenched my jaw, desperately trying not to let my annoyance show. “Yes. You’re very funny,” I said in a droll tone.

He chuckled, crossing his ankle over his knee. “What was funny was your expression when you emerged from the pool.”

Sloan looked as if she was trying not to laugh herself. “Come on, Jas,” she chided. “Be nice.”

“Are you okay?” Jackson asked.

“It’s nice to know that someone in this family cares about me.” I turned to him. “Thank you, Jackson. Yes. I’m fine.”

“Of course we care about you,” Jasper said around a mouthful of food.

“And Liliana?” Jackson’s gaze was piercing.

“I asked the resort doctor to visit her this morning, just to be sure. And she’s fine.”

“Yeah, she is,” Jasper said in a suggestive tone. “Is it just me, or did she get hotter since she quit working for Graham? Probably because she’s no longer working for an evil overlord.”

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