Falling For His Unlikely Cinderella (Escape To Provence Book 2)

by Rebecca Winters

Cami went back to her bedroom deep in thought. At eighteen she’d thought marriage would make her blissfully happy. How wrong could she have been? Shouldn’t she have learned some lessons that would prevent her making another serious mistake?

  On Saturday while she’d been arranging those files in his study, for a moment she’d found herself fantasizing about the tall, dark, prince-like Raoul Fontesquieu on the opposite end of the spectrum. There was no question he seemed to be and have everything she’d dreamed about after her father had taken them to see the château and grounds. But there was a glaring divide that excluded her.

  He was born to that billionaire class of people and culture who could have whatever they wanted, who’d recently divorced with a love child in tow from the beautiful woman whose picture sat on Alain’s dresser.

  Raoul was obviously estranged from his family and the stories he’d told her explained why. Any day now he expected to cut himself off from them. There had to be serious trouble inside that dynasty for the media to print news about him that wasn’t true. Since their conversation, she understood why he didn’t want to live in the château that was a treasure of France, an iconic symbol some people would sell their souls to inhabit.

  Even with her empathy for him, could she bring herself to trust a man like Raoul Fontesquieu? How would he react if he knew about her heart condition? Right now he was attracted to her. Would his attraction for Cami be fleeting until he found another woman he wanted to be with? Possibly one from his own strata?

  Cami had made up her mind that until her heart gave out, she needed to survive in her own strata. If she couldn’t become independent on her own, then she would have no one to blame but herself. With her father gone and a marriage dissolved a long time ago, she’d be a fool to go on trusting her growing feelings for Raoul if he didn’t feel the same way. Part of her felt like she didn’t have the right to his love.

  On Tuesday Cami left for work with her mom. Raoul said he’d call her today. Maybe, maybe not. She missed him horribly and began to wonder if those roses had been his way of saying goodbye to her, just as she’d feared.

  While she and her mom sat out in the van to eat lunch, her phone rang. It made her jump before she pulled it out of her purse and discovered it was Raoul. Just the sight of his name started her heart thumping.

  “If that’s who I think it is, I’ll go inside while you answer it.” Her mother was out of the car in an instant.

  Cami clicked On. “Raoul?” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice.

  “I hope it’s the right time to phone you.”

  “Of course. I’m eating my lunch.”

  “I would have called sooner but I’ve been out of town and just got back. The villa isn’t the same without you being here. Are you free tonight? I thought we’d take a drive along the côte and eat dinner somewhere. There are things I want to talk about with you.”

  Her body reacted as if she’d suddenly been hit by a bolt of electricity. “I’d love to do that.” Despite all her fears, she realized there weren’t many more days before her operation. She had to admit she wanted to spend every free moment with Raoul.

  “How soon can you be ready?”

  “By six thirty.”

  “Perfect. À tout à l’heure, ma belle.”

  He’d never used an endearment like that with her before. She hung up so excited, her feet hardly touched the ground as she went back in the house to join her mother. On their way home at the end of the day, Cami told her that Raoul was taking her out for the evening. She could tell her mother was happy about it.

  Before he picked her up, she showered and washed her hair, leaving it loose. After blow-drying it, she picked out a skirt and sweater in shades of tan and white and spent time doing her makeup.

  This time Cami waited until he came to the door. She invited him in because her mother wanted to thank him for the flowers. Once he’d ensconced her in the car, she turned to him.

  “As my mother told you, she loved her marguerites. No one has sent her flowers since Papa died. You couldn’t have done anything nicer for her.”

  “That’s because I’m grateful for all your hard work.”

  “Those lavender roses are so exquisite, they take my breath away.”

  “I have the same reaction when I look into your eyes. I’m glad you like them. If the hyacinths in the vineyard were in bloom, I’d have sent you an armful.”

  “You’re much too generous.”

  He started the car and they headed for the main route out of Vence. “You have no idea how I’ve been living for this evening. I thought we’d drive to Beaulieu and eat dinner on the water at a wonderful little spot that serves delectable cod croquettes you’ll love.”

  “I was already hungry before you told me that.”

  “Good. The whole time I was in Fréjus, I was planning out what we’d do when I got back.”

  “What were you doing there?”

  “News of my leaving the family business has reached all our clients. Some have been upset, so I arranged for a conference to meet with many of them and introduce them to Jean-Pierre.”

  “How did it go?”

  “Very well.”

  She eyed him steadily. “No one could ever measure up to you, Raoul. I’m not surprised they’re upset.”

  “No one boosts my confidence the way you do.” He reached for her hand and held it all the way to the sea. His warmth spread through her body.

  The delightful little restaurant in the coastal village looked magical with its patio heaters. The place was crowded, but Raoul had reserved them a table overlooking the water. True to his word, the cod was out of this world, as was the Fontesquieu wine he’d handpicked.

  “I have a confession to make,” he said after they’d finished their meal.

  Cami had no idea what was coming next.

  “I almost phoned your manager at NI on Saturday to ask her to talk to you on Monday about being my part-time housekeeper until you left for the holidays on the sixteenth.”

  Cami was stunned by the news.

  “I planned to tell her I needed one and wondered if you’d like the position. It’s true that I need someone on the premises now that I’m working at home. Not all day every day. Maybe twice a week. Arlette served that purpose for the last two weeks, but she’s back working at her pharmacy now.”

  Somehow that was the last thing Cami would ever have expected to hear. She averted her eyes. For a moment she was speechless. And hurt. She’d thought—oh, she didn’t know exactly what she’d thought, but it wasn’t to take over for Arlette!

  She’d thought it odd when he’d asked her to help clean his study on Saturday. What did he really want? Cami had done nothing but think about him since Sunday night. Now this—What was going on?

  “Raoul—”

  “Don’t say anything,” he interrupted her. “I only told you this to let you see how desperate I am to be with you morning, noon and night. Surely by now you must realize you’re the woman I’m so attracted to. I only want to be with you.

  “For the week you were cleaning, I knew I’d see you every day. But after it was over, I didn’t want it to end so I thought up the idea of asking you to be my housekeeper. But of course, that’s not what I want at all. Now you know the truth of my feelings.”

  In the last minute he’d taken her emotions on a giant roller coaster ride. While she was still trying to catch up to the fact that he wanted a relationship with her, he said, “I hope it’s clear that I need to be with you as much as possible, but I know you have to work during the day. The only solution is to be with you every evening and on weekends or I’m not going to make it. Please tell me you want the same thing.”

  She took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t be having dinner with you tonight if I’d wanted to stop seeing you.”

  “Dieu merci for that. Come on. I’ll drive yo
u home because I know work comes early for you in the morning.”

  They walked back out to his car. She felt like she was in a dream. He reached for her hand once more and clung to it all the way to the apartment. At the front door he drew her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. Cami couldn’t get enough of him.

  “Thank you for this evening, Raoul. I do love being with you.”

  He buried his face in her hair. “Tomorrow will you come to the villa after your work and bring your bathing suit?”

  “Is your indoor pool ready to use?”

  “Yes. You can help me christen it with Alain.”

  She finally eased away from him, but it was almost impossible to stop kissing him back. “That’s exciting. I’ll probably get there by five thirty.”

  “I’ll leave the back door unlocked for you. I can’t wait,” he murmured before walking out to his car.

  Cami went inside and closed the door.

  “Cami?”

  She reeled around. “I’m home.”

  Her mother walked into the salon in her robe and sat in a chair. “How was your evening?”

  Cami couldn’t lie to her mom and sank down on the couch. “Wonderful.” She told her what he’d said about wanting to hire her for his housekeeper before admitting to the real reason why. “Sounds like Raoul is infatuated, and has been totally honest with you. Have you told him about your heart condition?”

  “No.”

  “That’s because of your ex’s reaction.”

  The problem with talking to her mother was that she knew Cami’s fears and secrets way too well and was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

  “Christophe knew I had a heart murmur, but he never thought about it until after we were married and he wanted me to do one of those fun run marathons with him. When I told him I couldn’t, he freaked out when he heard the reason why and wouldn’t even talk to me about it sensibly. He didn’t treat me the same after that. We’d been divorced over two years before my symptoms indicated I’d eventually have to undergo an operation.”

  Her mom leaned forward. “Even more reason why you should let Raoul know your situation the next time you’re with him. He’s fallen for you.”

  “What if he freaks out too?”

  “Raoul Fontesquieu is a strong man who won’t fall apart. But if you don’t tell him and he finds out you held back, then he might not trust you. That could doom your relationship.”

  “I’m already doomed.”

  Her mother scoffed.

  “Maman—have you forgotten I have to get through the operation? We don’t know if I’ll be able to live a full life or take that job at Gaillard’s. I might not even leave the hospital,” her voice faded.

  “Nonsense. I know you’re going to be fine.”

  “No—you don’t know! None of us, not even the doctor can predict what will happen.”

  “That’s true,” she came back. “But the thought of losing my precious daughter is something I refuse to consider. So please do me this favor and tell him the truth soon.”

  * * *

  On Wednesday morning, Raoul woke up to play with his son, relieved that Cami would be coming to the villa this evening. Last Saturday while she’d worked alongside him, Raoul had found himself enamored of her. It was no longer just a physical attraction.

  In meeting Cami, he’d started to come alive again. As he’d told her, he’d been developing a new consulting business to do with wine not connected with Fontesquieu. Raoul knew his father was enraged over the divorce and for his noncompliance as CEO, but that didn’t worry him.

  Now that he’d cut himself off from the family business, Raoul already had his own resources to do something that would bring income and a sense of pride over what his great uncle—a scientist, vine culture expert and artist—had envisioned years before. He wanted to build this into a legacy for Alain.

  Cami not only applauded his ideas, she’d assured him his son would follow him anywhere. Just remembering what she’d said put a smile on his face. To envision her driving around Vence in her own taxi came close to giving him a heart attack. Her engaging personality was like no one else’s.

  Feelings and desires that had been buried for the last few years had come back. His mind told him he wasn’t practicing enough caution with Cami, but at this point his heart was driving him and trumped everything else.

  Frustrated that she wouldn’t be coming to the villa anymore to work, he’d asked her out to dinner last night so he could express his feelings. To his joy she’d agreed to come swimming. Tonight, he would open up his heart to her.

  At five, he went upstairs to shower and shave. Cami would be arriving any minute. Alain was in the playroom with Nathalie. He came back down to the kitchen. Through the window he saw her Citroën approach.

  His pulse went into high gear. He loved her hair flowing, but once again her lustrous black tresses had been caught back in a chignon. She got out wearing another pair of jeans and an ivory-colored pullover that revealed her lovely shape. He opened the back door to let her in.

  She entered and looked around. The room was cluttered with boxes full of all the things needed to supply a functioning kitchen. They needed to be opened.

  Through her black lashes those hyacinth eyes met his. “What’s all this?”

  “Nathalie and Arlette picked out all these items at the store. It needs to be sorted and put away. I’ll get around to it when I have time, but I’m afraid that living at the château all my life didn’t teach me to deal with these logistics.”

  She smiled. “The fact that you were asked to be CEO proves your talents were better spent outside the kitchen.”

  “I guess we’ll never know. The coffee’s hot. I’ve poured you a mug.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Just give me a moment and I’ll be right back.”

  * * *

  Cami had to pinch herself to believe she was here again when she’d thought she’d seen the last of him. While she was sipping the hot liquid, she heard footsteps. Suddenly Raoul entered the kitchen with the cutest little boy she’d ever seen in her life.

  With curly black hair and a lean build, his son Alain couldn’t belong to any other man and would grow up to be impossibly handsome like his striking father. Both were in jeans and T-shirts. Alain wore a light blue one with a bulldog on the front.

  Raoul flashed her a smile and hunkered down by him. “Alain, this is Cami.”

  Her heart melted as she leaned toward him and smiled. Talk about the perfect child! What she would have given for a son like this, but not when she’d been in a bad marriage.

  “Bonjour, Alain—” You darling boy. Obeying an impulse, she touched the dog on his shirt. “I like your chien.”

  He didn’t hide from her. Instead he stood very still, staring at her through piercing black eyes exactly like his father’s.

  “I’m planning to get him a bulldog as soon as I can find the right nanny and she gets settled in. We’ll all train it together.”

  “They’re a lot of work, but they’re wonderful.”

  “I wanted one all my life, but there was a no pets rule while I was growing up.”

  “Really? More than once I heard my father say a child needed a dog.”

  “Not all parents feel the same way.”

  She frowned. “That’s no fun, Raoul. We had two dogs while I was growing up. I’d get home from school and play with them for hours.”

  He smiled. “Lucky you.”

  “I know I was, especially because I didn’t have any siblings. When the last one died, we didn’t get another one because by then I was married. Then after the divorce, I started working with my mom. We didn’t get a new dog because we couldn’t give it the attention it deserves.”

  “That’s not going to be our problem around here,” Raoul murmured.

  “A b
oy and his dog. Could anything be cuter?” She reached for her purse on the counter and pulled out the little present she’d bought for his son at a toy store on the way here. “You were so excited about Alain coming home to live with you, I wanted to get this for him in celebration. This is for your nursery collection.” Cami had noticed he didn’t have a white toy car.

  Raoul’s eyes thanked her as he took it from her and unwrapped it. “Look, Alain. A white Porsche Cabriolet. You couldn’t have bought him anything more exciting.”

  Alain’s attention fastened on the car before reaching for it. In the next instant he got down on the floor with it and started pushing it around making funny sounds she was sure his father had taught him. That brought laughter from both of them.

  “I can tell you’ve already been teaching him the important things of life, Raoul.” His eyes met hers in amusement, causing her heart to beat faster. “I don’t know what it is about men. They all love sports cars. I have to admit I love them too.” But she’d never had the fun of driving in one. Her friends and acquaintances couldn’t afford them.

  His burning black eyes played over her, sending sensations of warmth through her body. “I’m hoping he’ll love to swim too. I’m giving him his first lesson in our indoor swimming pool.”

  “Are you sure you want anyone else there while you’re teaching him?”

  He cocked his dark head. “I’m thinking if he sees someone else swimming, it will give him courage.”

  “That’s a thought, but I’m only an average swimmer.” The doctor hadn’t told her to curtail her normal activities, but he’d cautioned her not to overdo. As well as instructing she should do no heavy lifting or running marathons, he’d said she shouldn’t take part in swimming meets either.

  An enticing smile broke the corner of his mouth. “All it takes is a little practice.”

  “I’m sure that’s true.” This could be the last time she ever went swimming in her life, let alone with this man she adored. Raoul had to be the most eligible, hunky male on the planet. “How about I just dangle my legs over the edge of the pool.”