She was allowed to do her normal work, but there could be no running marathons or doing any physical activity that raised her heartbeat to too high a level. To make certain she was taking care of herself, she had to go in for regular checkups. The doctor said she could continue to clean houses, but to do no heavy lifting.
This last October the doctor scheduled her operation for mid-December. The heart surgeon had plans to leave the country over the holidays, so the operation had to be done before that time.
There were no guarantees where her recovery was concerned. As the time grew near, Cami had to live with that prospect, even though the doctor sounded reasonably optimistic. But the alternative of not undergoing the surgery meant her days would be numbered.
Except for their extended family in Nice, Cami and her mother had never told anyone that she had to have an operation, not even Helene or their coworkers. She was lucky to have this job and needed it too much to lose it. At her last doctor’s appointment, they had set the date of the operation for December 18, giving her the holidays to recover.
But what if she didn’t?
As the doctor had told her, every surgery held a risk. In order not to dwell on it, Cami worked harder than ever and determined to make the most of her life—until she couldn’t.
“You’re to park in front and go to the front door,” Helene explained. “Call me if there’s any problem. Now off you go.”
Since they had all the equipment they needed in their vans, they filed outside under a semicloudy sky. Cami got in the van with her mother and they started driving toward the verdant hills in the distance. The other van followed them. Slowly they wound their way serpentine style to the summit. How would it be to live up here in this glorious paradise?
As they passed by the entrance to the Fontesquieu estate and vast vineyards open for tourists, she eyed the impressive grilled gate with its gold ducal crest. Her mother noticed it too. “You probably don’t remember what your father said the last time he drove us around there years ago.”
“No, but I do remember all the times Papa took us there.” Passing by here reminded her of that special day when the handsome young man had smiled at her. “Tell me what he said.” She’d loved her dad and had suffered after he’d died.
“The Fontesquieu family lives at the footsteps of the gods.” Her mother shook her head. “I can’t comprehend their kind of wealth and never want to. All that money doesn’t bring happiness.”
“Probably not,” Cami murmured. At least that’s what you told yourself when you didn’t have it. Her wonderful mother had worked so hard all her life, turning to housecleaning after high school to make a living. She’d never stopped.
Cami had just graduated from Sophie Antipolis University in Nice with honors in business and finance. If all went well with the operation and recovery, she’d start work in January at La Maison de Chocolat Gaillard in their finance department where she’d interned during her last semester.
Guaranteed an excellent starting salary, she was determined to pay back the small balance left on her student loan and take care of herself and her mom. No more housecleaning for either of them! Of course, that all depended on the outcome of the operation.
After several turns, they finally reached their destination. The rose-colored two-story villa appearing through the lush greenery was so beautiful, it didn’t look real. Several sections of steps rose up the terraced landscaping to the main entry.
Cami pulled the van to a stop in front, thinking that the family who would live in this villa shared those same footsteps her father had once talked about. Feeling as if she’d arrived in a wonderland, Cami got out and started up the stairs with her mother. Before she had a chance to knock, the door opened.
An attractive blonde woman, probably a little older than Cami’s mother, smiled at them. “You must be from Nettoyage International.”
Her mother spoke first. “I’m Juliette Delon. This is my daughter, Camille.” Patrice introduced the others.
“Wonderful. I’m Arlette Gilbert. Thank you for being so prompt. Please come inside.”
Cami and her mother followed the woman into the foyer with its fabulous parquet flooring. A graceful winding staircase divided a salon on the right, empty of furnishings, and the sitting room on the left. The interior contained only two chairs and a modern-looking couch. Both rooms were set off with elegant wood carved French doors.
“Won’t you be seated?”
Cami sat on a chair next to her mother. The other three sat on the couch.
The blonde woman studied them. “The owner will be in and out. In the meantime he’s put me in charge and I’ll be here all week. I assume your manager has explained what needs to be done. I’ll take you on a quick tour of the villa and let you decide how to divide up your workload.
“After the tour, I suggest you drive your vans up the driveway where you can park in the rear between the garage and the outdoor swimming pool. I’ll unlock the back door so you can bring in your equipment. If you need me, you’ll find me here in the sitting room.”
Within a half hour they’d moved their vans in back and had made decisions of what areas to tackle first. Cami and her mother chose to clean the four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms upstairs, estimating it would take them several days. All five of them agreed to save washing the windows inside and out until their last day.
They carried their cleaning supplies upstairs. As far as Cami was concerned, this villa was a small palace. What would it be like to live here, to wake up every day to such luxury and beauty, to be able to decorate it the way you wanted and not count the cost?
Her mother shook her head as she looked around. “Just the upkeep on this place would cost a king’s ransom. I’m glad it’s someone else’s headache.”
No one could bring Cami down from the clouds faster than her practical mother. With a resigned smile, she noted that the villa had higher than normal ceilings. The owner had provided a substantial ladder. Being up high made it easy to clean with no extra stress on her heart.
Because Cami’s mother had arthritis in her shoulders, Cami insisted on cleaning those, plus the walls and moldings. That left her mom to do the hardwood floors and bathrooms. Their system worked and they got busy.
At noon they walked out to the van to eat their lunch like they always did on the job. Her mother turned on the news. They both liked to know what was going on. The radio would do when there was no TV.
After listening to the world headlines, they heard the announcement that France had lost one of the great vintners from Provence.
“Today France is in mourning over the death of le Duc Armand Fontesquieu, who will be laid to rest on Thursday on the Fontesquieu estate in Vence.”
Cami and her mother eyed each other in surprise. They’d passed the famous estate on their way here earlier this morning. What a coincidence!
“The renowned CEO and vintner died at eighty-five years of age and left a dynasty of billions to his family. The future now lies in the hands of his grandson Raoul Fontesquieu, married to Sabine Murat of the Murat industrial millions. Today it was announced he is the new CEO of the Fontesquieu empire. The grandson—”
Her mother turned it off. “I’ve heard enough.”
Cami understood what was going on in her mom’s mind. The news was a reminder that 99 percent of the population couldn’t relate to a world like the Fontesquieux or billionaires like the owner of the villa they’d been cleaning.
“Let’s go in and get started again.”
* * *
After grabbing lunch, Raoul had driven Dominic back to the office. He turned to his cousin. “Thanks for coming with me this morning. Only you could know how happy I am to be done with the secrecy about Alain. I’ve almost gone out of my mind having to keep all knowledge of him quiet leading up to the divorce.”
“Despite all the problems, you’ve ca
rried it off.”
“But he won’t be a secret any longer. As you know, the psychiatrist advised me that Sabine was fragile after losing the baby. No heart trouble had run in her family or mine. It was devastating. That’s why I didn’t want her to hear of Alain’s existence until the divorce was finalized.”
Dominic looked at him. “You were fragile too, even though little Celine turned out to be some other man’s daughter.”
“Nevertheless I loved that baby, but it’s all behind me now.”
“Nothing could make me happier for you, Raoul.”
“My son is going to find out what it’s like to have a father who loves him and is free to give him all the attention he needs. If you and Nathalie would get busy, maybe he’ll have another little cousin to play with soon.”
Dominic grinned. “Who says we haven’t been doing our best?”
A chuckle came out of Raoul who felt a new happiness envelop him. Dominic’s wife, Nathalie, had been the one who’d united Raoul with the son he hadn’t known anything about. She and Alain’s mother, Antoinette, had been stepsisters.
When Antoinette had died of a staph infection ten days after he’d been born, it was Nathalie and her mother who’d looked after Alain in La Gaude, a town fifteen minutes from Vence. But it wasn’t until this year’s grape harvest that she’d come to the vineyard looking for the nameless father of her nephew. By a miracle she’d found Raoul!
“I’m on vacation from the office for two weeks now. When everything’s ready, I’ll resign and bring Alain home to the villa. The housecleaning service I engaged on Saturday should be busy there cleaning by now. Arlette volunteered to be in charge.”
“Where’s Alain?”
“Minerve is tending him during the day while we get the villa ready. By the time the cleaners are through at the end of the week, I’ll be leaving your old suite for good.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve moved out permanently. Nathalie and I have our own home we’re in the process of furnishing. There’s no hurry.”
“Oh, yes there is. I want nothing more to do with life at the château. Thank heaven for Minerve who’s been Alain’s nanny since he was born. She’s going to come with Arlette to help me with him during the transition. When Alain and I are on our own, I don’t want him to miss them too much.”
“It’ll all work, and Nathalie will help too, but Minerve will be difficult to replace.”
“You can say that again. I’m working with an established nanny training service. On Wednesday some women will be sent out for interviews. Arlette will help me vet them.”
“She’s the perfect one to help. I’ve got some good news too, Raoul. Arlette couldn’t be a better mother-in-law to me and has hired another pharmacist so Nathalie only has to work part-time or not at all. From now on she can help you more when you need it.”
“That’s terrific.”
“Who’s going to run the marketing while you’re on vacation?”
“I’ve been grooming our cousin Jean-Pierre to take over for good. He’s effective without being pushy. Naturally Papa doesn’t approve, but once I’ve left, Jean-Pierre will be there to save the day. I have great faith in him.”
Another smile broke out on Dominic’s face. “Then that settles it. Jean-Pierre is the right choice.”
They said goodbye and Raoul drove to the villa, eager to take another look at the size of the room he planned to turn into the nursery. He wanted to paint it and needed to estimate how much to buy.
Full of excitement, he entered the villa and bounded up the stairs, but stopped short of entering the room because his breath had caught. An absolutely beautiful woman with a stunning figure was up on the ladder cleaning. She was probably in her midtwenties and totally engaged in her work.
He couldn’t remember the last time any woman had caused him to forget what he was doing or thinking for a minute. Not since Antoinette... The same thing had happened with her. He’d taken one look and was so drawn to her, he’d approached her as if in a trance.
Now here he was again three years later, captured by the sight of this stranger. It threw him. He leaned against the doorjamb for a moment before entering.
CHAPTER TWO
AFTER LUNCH, CAMI was back to the second bedroom down the hall from the curved staircase. With her safety glasses on, plus her rubber gloves, she’d climbed the ladder she and her mom had placed on top of the drop cloth.
First, she’d removed the light fixture in the center of the room in order to clean it. Then she vacuumed the cobwebs off the ceiling and cove moldings before scrubbing everything.
As she started to climb down to wash out her flat board mop, she caught sight of a tall, black-haired male lounging against the doorjamb at the entrance. It surprised her so much it caused her to stumble. “Oh—” she cried.
Like lightning he sprang forward on those long powerful legs and saved her from landing on the hardwood floor with a bang, like the mop. “I’m sorry to have startled you,” he said in a deep voice, lowering her carefully. She felt his warm breath on her skin.
“It was my fault. Thank you.” She stepped back, marveling at his speed and embarrassed to have been that clumsy in front of him.
“I should have knocked on the bedroom door to let you know I was standing there.”
She took in the sight of this man who was probably twenty-nine or thirty, dressed in a black cashmere sweater and gray trousers. With those alive black eyes, he was so incredibly attractive, Cami struggled to gain her composure.
“I was deep in thought and probably wouldn’t have heard it. Madame Gilbert mentioned the owner would be in and out.”
He nodded. “I had something else on my mind too. This room is going to be my son’s. I was trying to think what color to paint it tomorrow.”
All the bedrooms had off-white walls with white moldings. “How old is he?” She was still trying to recover. The faint tang of the soap he used in the shower lingered.
“Alain is eighteen months.”
A father with a toddler. She wondered if he resembled his gorgeous papa. “Then you must be planning to turn this room into a nursery.”
“I was at a furniture store earlier picking out everything and fell in love with a white crib and dresser.”
That made her smile. “Is he into trucks or cars?”
A light entered his eyes. “Both. And boats.”
While Cami chuckled, trying not to study his striking masculine features through her safety glasses, Madame Gilbert appeared in the doorway.
“Raoul, the gardener is downstairs waiting to talk to you.”
“Tell him I’ll be right there.”
After she disappeared, he plucked the mop off the floor and handed it to Cami. Their hands brushed, causing an unbidden current of electricity to dart through her body. She could still feel the imprint of his hands on her arms. “Forgive me for interrupting your work.”
She shook her head. “Thank you for saving me from a crash. All I need is a broken leg.”
“Heaven forbid,” he murmured. This close he was so handsome it hurt. She’d heard that expression before, but for the first time in her life she felt the truth of it. “It was the least I could do after all your hard work. I can see differences already. We’ll definitely be seeing each other again tomorrow,” he said with a smile that made her legs go weak before leaving the bedroom.
Long after he’d gone, his smile stayed with her. Something about it haunted her, as if she’d seen it before. Her heart kept thudding. She’d forgotten it could do that.
Struggling to rein in her thoughts, she worked harder than ever, but couldn’t forget what had happened. When she’d finished everything and had cleaned up, she carried her equipment to the third bedroom and spread the drop cloth on the floor in preparation for the next day. She put her safety glasses in her purse.
After pulling
on her sweater, she walked to the master bedroom to collect her slender, brunette mother who was cleaning the bathroom’s exquisite Provençal floor tiles. “How’s it going, Maman?”
“How it always goes,” came the typical response, then a wry laugh escaped. “I’ll be ready to leave in a minute.”
“No hurry.” Cami looked around. It made total sense that the owner’s bedroom was next to the nursery. She wondered why his wife hadn’t been here to let them in this morning. But anything to do with him was none of her business. Cami needed to put a governor on her thoughts.
Unfortunately his image remained in her mind and she had difficulty taking her own advice while she helped carry her mom’s equipment to the third bathroom so they could begin first thing in the morning. Her mother deserved an easier life. Cami was determined to make that happen for both of them. But the operation might not fix what was wrong. That was the big imponderable.
Soon her mom had finished and their day’s work was done, but they’d be back tomorrow. That meant Cami would be seeing him again. Her heart did a little kick she seemed to have no control over. Ridiculous when the man had a family, even if she hadn’t seen a wedding band.
His fabulous villa had to be worth millions. Though it had sat idle for a while and truly did need a good cleaning, everything looked in excellent condition.
Again she tried to imagine owning a home like his, the kind you’d see in one of the posh interior design magazines from Provence. Imagine living in it with the right man, making a home with him, never worrying that your heart might give out just when life was getting wonderful...
But that was pure fiction. If she wanted any kind of a future for herself and her mother, she would have to work by the sweat of her brow for as long as life and her heart allowed her to draw breath. She had learned never to depend on anyone else.
Falling For His Unlikely Cinderella (Escape To Provence Book 2) Page 2