by Judith Keim
He held up a finger of warning. “He knows nothing about this. And I don’t want him to. We have a great working relationship and a personal one, too. I don’t want that to change. If he should indicate that he wants to leave the valley, we’ll have to address that issue then.”
“Okay, I promise I won’t say anything about it to him.”
Rafe smiled with satisfaction. “That’s settled then.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you, little one. You’re my greatest gift—-a surprise to be sure, and one that has filled my heart and soul.”
When he pulled away, Cami saw the tears that had leaked from his eyes.
Not bothering to wipe his cheeks, he smiled at her. “Such a weepy old man I’ve become.”
“A dear one,” she replied, praying they’d have many more years together.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Friday afternoon, Cami realized there was no way she could gracefully skip the engagement party for Becca and Dan. Besides, she was thrilled for them and wanted to share in their joy. Though they wouldn’t marry for a year or so, Becca was full of ideas about how she wanted her wedding at Chandler Hill and had talked all week about it. Vanessa, Cami noted, held onto every suggestion Becca made, adopting Becca’s ideas for her own wedding.
Listening to her, Cami doubted Drew knew Vanessa was still making plans.
As Cami prepared to leave the inn, Becca knocked on the door to her office. “Be sure and come a little early. Dan and I are sharing a special toast with you and a few others before we go on to the party. You are coming, right? Bernard told Dan this afternoon that you probably wouldn’t make it.”
Cami gritted her teeth. She’d stewed all week about Bernard hosting the party for her best friend, placing her in an awkward situation socially. Now, it seemed he was baiting her. “He knows I wouldn’t let you down.”
Becca beamed at her. “That’s what I told Dan. I don’t know what he sees in Bernard, but they’ve become friends of sorts. Just good neighbors, as Bernard says. I personally don’t like him, especially after knowing what a slime he was to you. But, as Dan says, our community is a small one, and we need to get along with everybody.” She gave Cami a hug. “Even so, I’ll always be there for you.”
Grateful for her friendship, Cami hugged her back.
###
That night as Cami was dressing for the party, Sophie stared up at her from her place on the floor.
“What do you think, Soph? The red or the black top?” She held up a red silk shirt and a light-weight, black knit sweater with a low V-neck.
Sophie barked when Cami showed her the black knit top.
Cami laughed. “Okay, then, I’ll go for this one.” She slid it over her head and studied herself in the mirror. The sweater called for something to offset its starkness. She lifted the grape necklace and hooked it around her neck. Staring at the sparkling diamonds mounted on the grape leaf, she liked the reminder of the woman who had worn it and the man who’d given it to her.
She said goodbye to Sophie and left the house determined Bernard wouldn’t ruin the party for her.
Becca greeted her with a smile. “Drew and Vanessa are already here. We’re going to have a quick toast with champagne and then head over to Bernard’s apartment.”
“Best wishes,” Cami said, handing Becca the small package she’d prepared and wrapped earlier.
“What’s this?” Becca asked, grinning as she held up the package and shook it.
Dan approached. “Hi, Cami! I’m glad you could make it.”
Becca handed him the package. “Cami has given us a gift. May I open it?”
Dan chuckled with his usual kind nature. “Sure. Go ahead. I’ll watch.”
Becca untied the gold silk ribbon and ripped off the silver paper. She lifted the lid of the plain white box and let out a whoop of excitement as she held up a gold key.
“Really? We get to stay in the Presidential Suite for two nights this summer? Wow! Thank you!”
Cami smiled. “I thought you’d like a special time there to practice for your wedding.”
Dan wiggled his eyebrows at Becca. “See? I keep telling you practice makes perfect.”
Becca’s cheeks colored when she realized everyone else knew what he was really talking about, and then she joined the laughter.
“Time for a little champagne, I think.” An impish grin remained on Dan’s face.
Drew and Cami smiled at each other. Vanessa took his arm and they all followed Dan into the kitchen.
“I borrowed the tulip glasses from the hotel,” Becca confessed as Dan made a show of popping the cork from the bottle of champagne.
“Any time,” Cami said. “And you and Vanessa can purchase things like that through the hotel for your trousseaus.”
“That would be fantastic,” gushed Vanessa.
“How about me, for my apartment?” Drew said. “I’m working on getting it spruced up.”
“Yes, I told him if I’m going to live there, it has to be nicer.” Vanessa smiled at Drew and lifted on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
The frown that creased Drew’s brow was a contrast to the smile on Vanessa’s face. Drew glanced at Cami and looked away.
Cami accepted champagne from Becca and waited until they each held a flute.
“Here’s to Dan and Becca!” said Drew. “May they be happy together.”
Careful to avoid looking Drew’s way, Cami lifted her glass in salute, wondering where the next few months would take all of them.
Dan poured out the last of the champagne. “When we finish this, I guess we’d better head over to Bernard’s place. I told him we wouldn’t be late.”
“What’s with you and Bernard, anyway?” Drew asked. “I’ve met the guy, and he’s an ass.”
Dan shrugged. “I know he’s been a pain to some people but he’s trying to fit in. I’m ready to see if he means what he says.”
“He’s very handsome,” said Vanessa. “And that accent of his would make any woman swoon.”
Cami let out a soft sigh and told herself not to worry about Bernard, but to simply enjoy tonight. She was getting to know some of the other people her age in the valley and was anxious to see them again.
###
Bernard greeted them at the door to his second-floor apartment. He gave Becca a kiss on both cheeks. “Chérie, you look lovely.” He turned to Vanessa with shining eyes and a broad smile. “And you? Ooh, la la!”
Cami stood back and watched with fascination as Vanessa fluttered her eyelashes and beamed at him. “Merci.” She elbowed Drew. “See? I know French.”
Drew remained quiet. Cami could see how irritated he was by the way his lips thinned, but Vanessa didn’t seem to notice as she turned to Bernard. “Bonjour, monsieur.”
“Bonsoir,” responded Bernard with amusement. “It is evening after all.” He turned to Cami with a smile. “And you, Cami, are the picture of perfection.”
His words felt oily on her skin. She’d once fallen for that charm of his but she wouldn’t again.
Dan shook hands with Bernard. “Thanks for doing this party for us. Becca and I are real grateful to you.”
“Bah! It is nothing. Come in.”
Cami didn’t know what to expect, but when she stepped into the living room, she stopped and stared at the sophisticated glamour of the space. A leather couch, upholstered chairs and glass-topped end tables looked like they’d come out of a decorator’s magazine. Cami wondered where Bernard got that kind of money. Then it hit her. Jacques must have paid him to leave the vineyard. Rod Mitchell wasn’t known in the valley for paying his employees well.
“You like my place?” Bernard said, coming to stand beside her. “No cheap stuff for me. I deserve the best, as do you. I think we should talk some more.”
Drew came over to them, making a response unnecessary.
“What can I get you to drink?” Drew asked her, barely looking at Bernard.
Cami smiled at him with relief. “I’ll g
o with you and choose. Thanks.”
As she walked away, Cami could feel Bernard’s stare, like sharp-edged knives entering her back.
“Thanks for the rescue,” Cami said softly.
“Not a problem. I don’t like the guy any better than you do.”
Sipping her wine, Cami studied the crowd. There was a nice mix of people from throughout the valley. As busy as she was with the inn, she knew how important it was to be active socially with others in the community. Besides, she’d found since coming home, they were a fine group of hardworking people, who liked to have a good time. And she needed that.
She was deep in conversation with a worker from Yamhill Wineries when shouts erupted from the balcony off the living room. She looked up in time to see Vanessa running to the bathroom in the hallway, tears streaming down her face.
Drew stormed after Vanessa and came to a sudden stop when she slammed the door in his face.
Drew slumped against the wall and took several deep breaths.
Cami went over to him. “What’s going on? Anything I can do to help?”
He let out a sound of disgust. “No. Yes. Will you see that Vanessa gets home? I’m leaving.”
She studied him. “Do you want me to try and talk to her?”
He shook his head. “Naw. I’m outta here.”
Cami sighed. “Okay, if you’re sure that’s what you want, I’ll drop her off at her house.”
Drew narrowed his eyes at the closed bathroom door, then turned to her. “Thanks.” He left the apartment without talking to anyone else.
Becca came over to her. “What’s with Drew?”
“I don’t know what he and Vanessa were fighting about, but he’s really upset. He asked me to take her home.”
Becca clucked her tongue. “Vanessa’s had too much to drink. She and Bernard have been flirting all evening. I don’t know why she keeps pushing for marriage, not when she’s behaving like this. She and Drew haven’t been together for very long. Drew’s a nice guy, but I can’t imagine any woman pushing him around.”
“Neither can I,” Cami sighed. “I guess I’d better go check on her.”
She knocked on the bathroom door. “Vanessa? It’s me, Cami. Open up.”
Vanessa opened the door. Her cheeks were still wet with tears, and her blue eyes filled with more. Even in this state of disarray, she was beautiful.
“Drew asked me to take you home,” Cami said. “I promised I would.”
Vanessa’s eyes flashed with anger. “He did, did he? Well I’m not ready to go home. In fact, I just might stay here all night. I’m sure Bernard won’t mind. Not after the way he’s been looking at me all evening.”
“Oh, hon,” said Cami, genuinely concerned. “You don’t want to do anything foolish.”
“What do you care?” said Vanessa. “I’ve noticed how Drew is with you.”
Cami’s eyes widened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Drew and I are friends. That’s all.”
“Well, I don’t care. I’m tired of trying to work things out with him.” A smile transformed Vanessa’s face. “I can speak a little French. Maybe Bernard will teach me more.”
Rather than argue with her, Cami said, “Remember, I’m taking you home.”
“We’ll see,” said Vanessa, tossing her blond hair.
Cami walked away, wondering how she could’ve misjudged Vanessa. If she was that desperate for a relationship and marriage, Cami wasn’t sure she wanted Vanessa around wedding parties at the inn. A wedding was the perfect place for hook-ups.
“Everything all right?” asked Becca.
“I’m not sure. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
###
Cami decided it was time to leave the party. She’d spoken to most of the people there, and she was due at the inn early the next morning. She went in search of Vanessa.
When Cami couldn’t find her in the living room, on the balcony, or on the back lawn where a small group had gathered, she climbed the stairs to the apartment once more.
As she walked down the hallway to the bathroom, she heard sounds coming from behind the closed door of one of the two bedrooms. She leaned closer and heard a male voice and the high-pitched voice of a woman. She paused, not sure what to do when Bernard and Vanessa opened the door and stepped into the hallway, looking somewhat disheveled.
Hiding her consternation, Cami said coolly, “There you are, Vanessa. Time for me to take you home.”
Vanessa gave her a triumphant smile. “I’m not going home. Bernard has asked me to stay. Right, mon chère?
He wrapped an arm around her. “Oui.” He winked at Cami. “Vanessa appreciates everything, I mean everything I can offer her.”
Cami knew he was baiting her and remained quiet. Though her stomach grew sour at the idea of the two of them together, she continued to hold back words. Neither Vanessa nor Bernard was about to listen to anything she might want to say.
Turning on her heel, Cami went to find Becca. Maybe Becca would be able to talk some sense into Vanessa.
After bringing Becca up-to-date on the situation, Cami left, dreading the idea of informing Drew that Vanessa intended to stay the night with Bernard. As much as she hated doing it, she would tell him the truth. She owed him that much.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Monday morning, Cami was sitting at her desk talking to Becca when Vanessa came into the office. “Am I missing something?” Vanessa’s gaze swung from Cami to Becca.
“Please sit down,” said Cami. “There’s an issue we want to discuss with you.”
Vanessa scowled and took a seat next to Becca. “This isn’t about Friday night, is it?”
“Not exactly,” said Cami. “It’s about your drinking both here at the inn and off-duty.”
“Look, I may have had too much to drink Friday night, but I was very careful the night of the Bachelor Party,” Vanessa protested.
“You shouldn’t have been drinking at the inn. We’ve been friends since college,” said Becca. “I care about you and would hate for anything bad to happen.”
“The drinking is something you need to be able to control while you perform your duties here helping to oversee weddings,” said Cami kindly. Initially, she’d been impressed with Vanessa’s attitude and her work. But being around food and alcohol all the time could become problematic for some. It now appeared that Vanessa might be one of these people.
“We’ll help you in any way we can,” Becca said. “But the decision will be yours as to whether or not you can perform your job the way we need you to do.”
“Why are you two against me?” said Vanessa. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”
“All right. We’ll leave that up to you,” said Cami. “But with so many weddings booked, at the first sign of a problem again, we’ll need to let you go. The inn’s reputation cannot be jeopardized by one of our employees. I hope you understand.”
Vanessa drew a deep breath and glared at Cami. “Rod Mitchell is building a function facility like Chandler Hall, and Bernard wants me to run it for them. I told him no, but I can always change my mind.”
Cami wouldn’t be drawn into an argument. “I can’t force you to stay, but after all the training we’ve given you, it would be the fair thing to do,” she said quietly.
“I know you and Bernard were dating in France,” said Vanessa. “He told me all about it.”
Cami remained in control.
“Just so you know, I’m going to move in with him this week. He’s a fascinating man who owns a vineyard in France and is very talented with grapes. So now, Cami, Drew is yours.”
“Whoa,” said Cami. “Whoa! What are you talking about? We’re just friends.”
“Vanessa, you really hurt Drew. You owe him better than that,” said Becca. “You were talking about marriage, for God’s sake.”
Vanessa stared into space and sighed. “That’s the problem. He wasn’t ever talking marriage. Not really. I was talking about marriage. Drew wanted to wait before any su
ch decision was made. But Bernard is a totally different kind of guy—someone sensitive to my needs, a wonderful lover ...” She stopped and covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry, Cami, I shouldn’t have said that.” She cut Cami a triumphant look as she got to her feet. “I’d better go and see what requests have come in on the computer.”
Vanessa hurried out of the room.
“That was awkward,” said Becca, shifting uneasily in her chair.
“Yes, it was.” Cami had no wish to hear any of the details of Vanessa’s time with Bernard. And she was pretty sure Bernard had owned part of a vineyard, but no longer did.
###
Cami awoke from a dream in which she’d been running after a stranger who ignored her calls for his help. Lying against her pillow she stared out through the blinds. It didn’t take much analyzing to realize the dream related to her desire to talk to Edward Kingsley.
Rosy streaks of dawn fingered the sky, beckoning her to rise. She got out of bed, lifted Sophie into her arms, and headed outside with her. The sun was rising in the sky above the low-lying fog that clung to the ground, softening the landscape for a few moments before it would lift and evaporate in the warmth of the fresh June morning.
Standing on the deck of her house, watching Sophie romp in the grass below her, Cami gazed at the landscape. She thought of her father. His identity seemed as obscured as the ground covered by the gray mist of the fog. Maybe, she thought, instead of trying to talk to Edward Kingsley, she’d write a discreet comment on his blog, forcing him to pay attention to her.
She called to Sophie and went inside, pleased with her decision. It was only fair. Without knowing who her father was, she didn’t have a true idea of her background and who her people were.
Cami poured herself a cup of hot coffee and returned to the deck with a notepad and pen. Looking out over the rows of grapes and the distant grove of trees for inspiration, she began writing. She knew she’d have to be careful how she phrased her note, but if he was the man her mother had been with in Africa, he’d know the meaning behind her words.
After many attempts, she looked at the final version and was satisfied.