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

by Rebecca Winters

Raoul’s eyes flickered. “You won’t get any complaints from me.”

  Why did she have to say that?

  “After our swim we’ll have a meal in the kitchen that you and your coworkers have made shine.”

  She hadn’t been imagining it. Last night Raoul had told her he wanted to be with her all the time, but it could be a very short-lived relationship. It all depended on the result of the operation.

  “Come upstairs with us first and I’ll get him changed. Then we’ll go down. We want company, don’t we, mon gars?”

  It was crazy, but there was nothing in the world she wanted more than to be with him like this. “Let’s go.”

  When they reached the nursery, Raoul put the Porsche on the dresser and pulled a little swimsuit out of the drawer with baby sharks on it.

  Cami chuckled. “Did you buy this?”

  There was a glint in his eyes. “I couldn’t resist.” He lowered Alain in the crib and put a clean diaper on him like he’d been doing it forever, then followed with the suit. Alain kept staring at her.

  “I’ll take him to my bedroom while I change. You would know there’s a bathroom off the hall with towels outside the indoor pool. You can change in there and we’ll meet at the pool.”

  She hurried off with a throbbing pulse and discovered the luxurious bathroom that now contained every amenity and a supply of beach towels. Someone had been busy adding all the furnishings. Cami removed her jeans and blouse. She’s brought her modest blue bikini.

  On her way out the door she reached for three towels and went to the pool.

  Raoul had beaten her there and was pushing his son around on a blue inflatable raft. Fully clothed or in a swimsuit, he had to be the most exciting-looking male alive with a dusting of black hair on his chest.

  She felt those matching black eyes appraise her as she walked to the shallow end. After putting the towels on a deck chair, she sat on the top step of the pool.

  Alain saw her and pointed. “That’s Cami,” his father said. “Can you say Cami?”

  “Cam—” he blurted to her delight.

  “That’s right, Alain,” she cried. “I bet you’re having fun with your papa.” Her gaze darted to Raoul’s. “Has he ever been swimming?”

  He pulled Alain off the raft and moved closer. “Nathalie took him to a pool a couple of times during the summer, but that’s the sum total of his experience.”

  She noticed how tender he was with his son, swishing him around in the water at the shallow end without alarming him. In a minute she slipped in the warm water and swam by them. Raoul urged him to kick his legs. Cami stretched out alongside and kicked her legs too. Pretty soon Alain got so excited Raoul’s laughter resounded in the pool room.

  She swam over to them. “Shall we watch your papa?” Cami instinctively reached for Alain.

  CHAPTER SIX

  RAOUL WAS EXCITED to see that his son went to her willingly and didn’t cry for him.

  “Let’s see how big a splash he can make,” she said to him.

  Raoul sent her a smile before he starting swimming on his back. His legs and feet created a geyser that fascinated her and Alain. “Papa—”

  “That’s right, Alain. Your papa didn’t tell us he was an Olympic champion!”

  More laughter escaped Raoul’s lips. It was all too fun. In another minute he joined them and put Alain through another series of kicking exercises. She swam to the raft and pushed it over to Raoul. He lifted Alain onto it so he could move him around again.

  She followed them while Raoul made figure eights and circles. Alain was loving it. So was he. In fact this was the most fun he’d had in ages.

  “You really are an amazing swimmer. Did the château have a swimming pool?”

  “No. I wish there’d been one. On occasion I was allowed to swim on the estate of a friend my family approved of. In my midteens Dominic and I swam in the ocean when we finished our vineyard work. That’s another reason I bought this villa. My son is going to be able to swim whenever he wants.”

  “He’s taking to it already.”

  Raoul pushed Alain on the raft toward her. “I want him to love his life growing up. I wasn’t as happy at home or at school.”

  Cami pushed Alain back to him, causing him to laugh. “Why didn’t you like school? I love hearing about your life.”

  “You already know a lot. The private school I attended was structured the way my grandfather ran everything.”

  “In other words, you didn’t get a break.”

  “Not until college.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “I went to the Institute of Vine and Wine Science in Bordeaux.”

  “Bordeaux? So you really got away from here. How did you manage that?”

  He smiled. “Jerome’s wife, Danie, was born in Bordeaux. Decades ago Jerome went to a wine conference there and happened to visit her family’s vineyard. The two met and married. In time she inherited a small château. They visited it once in a while.

  “When I turned eighteen, they prevailed on my grandfather and father to let me go live with them while I studied at the institute. It was understood we’d all be back to live at the château and I would work for the family. Living with them during that time was one of the happier periods of my life.”

  “So the Degardelle name comes from her side of the family.”

  “Your mind doesn’t forget a thing, does it? Yes, that was one of her family names that goes way back. I’d love to tell you more, but Alain is starting to fuss and it’s time to go in. We’ve been out here long enough and he’s hungry. I think we all are. I’ll meet you in the kitchen and feed him before putting him down.”

  He watched her hurry out of the pool and wrap a towel around her beautiful body before she disappeared.

  “Alain must have gone down easily,” Cami said as Raoul came in the kitchen soon after.

  “Yes. He ate fast and all the exercise wore him out.” A minute later he’d put salad and sandwiches on the table and joined her.

  “He’s wonderful, Raoul, and so well behaved I’m impressed.” Cami started eating.

  “That’s Arlette’s and Minerve’s doing.”

  “If you can’t find the right nanny, would this Minerve agree to go on doing it?”

  “No. She lives with her family in La Gaude. I’m in the process of looking for one who lives in Vence.”

  She sat back in the chair. “Since she’s been with Alain from the beginning, that’s not going to be easy.”

  Raoul shook his head. “I’ve already interviewed five candidates, but no one seems right yet. Especially not the last one.” They both smiled in understanding. He finished one sandwich and started a second one.

  “It must be difficult to trust another person to take care of your son. I don’t envy you.”

  He focused his attention on her. “I haven’t thanked you for the Porsche you gave Alain. As you noticed, he loved it.”

  “He was so cute. What I could see was the bond you two have. I’m happy for you. It won’t be long before he’s swimming circles around you. Now I have to leave.”

  “I know you have work tomorrow. Cami? Do you ever want to do anything else that isn’t so physically demanding all the time?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  Raoul thought she’d paled a little and noticed the troubled look that crossed over her features. “I’m sorry if I offended you, Cami. It’s just that you work so hard every day, it seems like you rarely get a break. But I didn’t mean to impl—”

  “You didn’t offend me,” she broke in. “You would never do that. It’s just that your question surprised me because I’ll actually be starting a new job after the holidays.”

  “What do you mean new? Is it with a different cleaning company?”

  “No. I’ll be working in the finance department at La Maison d
e Chocolat Gaillard.”

  Gaillard? It was probably the biggest historic candy company in Southern France with headquarters in Nice. One of their branches was here in Vence. Fabrice Gaillard, the CEO, was a friend of Raoul’s father. They were the same kind of formidable men who belonged to the same exclusive bridge club only a few elites were permitted to join.

  He sat forward. “Now you’ve got me mystified.”

  A smile broke out on her lovely face. “Let me start at the beginning so you can understand how I got into cleaning. After my pathetic ten-month marriage, I divorced my husband.”

  “You said it was over fast.”

  “I should never have married him. We met while we were both in a play in high school for our drama class. It was a watered-down version of Le Vicomte de Bragelonne, better known as The Man in the Iron Mask. I played a maid and Christophe took the role of a groom of one of the Musketeers.”

  “The Dumas tales are some of my favorites,” Raoul interjected.

  “Mine too. We had a lot of fun and performed for four nights. Between the costumes and all the makeup, it was very exciting. He was cute and loaded with personality. Everyone liked him, especially the girls.

  “After it was over, we started seeing each other until we became inseparable. He brought excitement into my life and I was convinced I’d fallen in love. We wanted to get married.” She flicked Raoul a glance. “Big mistake.”

  Raoul eyed her intently. “Why didn’t it work?”

  “Naively, I thought he wanted a real marriage. I intended to be the best wife possible. We got married midsummer and moved in with his parents. He had a Vespa and we got around on that until we could afford to buy a car. He was an only child. They had room at their house and insisted we live with them until we got on our feet.”

  “You liked them?”

  “Yes, but by the end of our first month I was unhappy.”

  He squinted. “Only a month?”

  She nodded. “By then I knew our marriage was never meant to be. He’d lost his job at a car body shop. I found out later he’d been going in late and not finishing his work. He was a child who liked to play too much. Christophe wanted things, but he didn’t have the money to pay for them.”

  “How did you manage?”

  “I got a job at a librairie and sold books.”

  His brows went up. “So it was you who brought home the paycheck.”

  “Yes, and his parents provided a home for us. He applied for another job at an epicier and kept it for a while. But one night he came home drunk, and confessed he’d lost that job. I found out later he’d gotten involved with a girl who worked there.”

  Her story was a terribly sad one. “I’m desolé for you, Cami.”

  “Things went from bad to worse. When I found out he’d been with another girl and couldn’t hold on to his next job, that was it. We weren’t going to make it. Thankfully I hadn’t gotten pregnant and couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into such a bad situation. He had no desire to go to college or learn a trade. I told him I wanted a divorce.”

  “How did that go over?”

  “He took off. That was his way when he couldn’t cope. Of course he always came back to his parents when he ran out of money. At that point I didn’t care and went to court to obtain a divorce with the money I’d earned at the bookstore. Then I moved back in with Maman.”

  “How could he have let you go? I can’t comprehend it.” Raoul couldn’t imagine it. “Didn’t he try to fight you on it?”

  “Not Christophe.” She started to say something else, then held back. There was still something she wasn’t telling him. He had an idea it was important. Cami had sounded far away from him just now. Raoul knew a serious issue of some kind was going on inside of her that had nothing to do with her disastrous marriage seven years ago.

  “We’ve talked about your divorce, but I didn’t ask if there’s someone else in your life now.” He didn’t really believe it, not after the way she’d returned his kisses, but he had to ask.

  “More like something else.”

  “You mean your new job.”

  After a slight hesitation he heard her say, “Yes. I intend to succeed.”

  Again Raoul had the impression there was more she wasn’t telling him. Before long he intended to find out what it was.

  “As we both found out, not all marriages are happy ones, Cami.”

  “You’re right. I quit my job and started going to work with Maman cleaning houses. That’s how my cleaning career got started. The pay was so much better and paid the insurance. When I’d saved enough money to pay for the first semester, I enrolled in business and finance at Sophie Antipolis University in Nice.”

  His thoughts reeled. “That means you had to be a top student in high school.”

  “My high school English teacher encouraged me to work hard and apply for a scholarship.”

  “And you got it.”

  She nodded. Cami’s modesty was another quality he admired about her. After their first meeting, she hadn’t come on to him at all, or try to impress him. Nothing flirtatious. Just the opposite in fact. That quality made him want her more and intrigued him.

  “I told you my father was a taxi driver. He suffered from the fact that neither he nor my mother ever went to college. Both of them impressed upon me the need to get good grades and attend university since neither of their families had ever gone for higher education.”

  “Your mother must be so proud, but I’m sorry your father still isn’t alive to see what you’ve accomplished.”

  “Me too. Anyway, I matriculated and commuted by bus. I’d work with Maman for one semester to earn money, then attend the university for one semester. I told you our boss at NI was terrific. She let me work when I could. After seven years, I’ve taken my last exams and graduated mid-November.”

  Raoul sat there in shock. The patience and determination she’d displayed to get to this point made her outstanding in his eyes. “You didn’t just get a job there. It means you must have graduated with highest honors.”

  She brushed it off. “What matters now is to prove myself. I was an intern there for the last semester and will be working in the same accounting department as before.”

  “Even those intern jobs are handpicked.” He shook his head. “The way I’ve seen you work around here has been a revelation. I have no doubts they’ll be thankful they hired you.”

  “Thank you, Raoul. Give me ten years and we’ll see if all that schooling was worth it. Now I’m afraid I really have to go.” She got up from the table. “Thank you for everything.”

  “I don’t want you to leave.” Raoul followed her out to the car. “You look so beautiful out here with the light shining from the window.” He kissed her hungrily and heard her moan of desire, igniting his passion. “I don’t know how I’m going to let you drive away, but I realize I have to.”

  “The last thing I want to do is leave, Raoul.” They kissed again, both of them breathless before she got in the car.

  “Your presence in the pool made a difference with Alain.”

  “It was so much fun with him.”

  “I know he enjoyed you. We’ll do it again soon. As for tomorrow evening, will you let me pick you up around five thirty or six? We’ll have dinner and drive around to see the sound and light show in Vence. The car will keep us warm.”

  “That sounds fabulous.”

  He kissed her once more and shut the door before waving her off.

  Raoul was in a daze when he walked in the villa. She was a college graduate with honors and would be starting to work at Gaillard’s in January. She’d worked so hard for everything all her life. What an incredible woman. Tomorrow night he wanted to do something special to surprise and honor her. For that to happen, he needed to make a certain phone call.

  * * *

  On Thursday e
vening Cami and her mom returned to the apartment after work and she got ready to go out with Raoul. Her thoughts were focused on his life that had been so different than she had imagined.

  Being with him made her long to be with him all the time, which was an impossibility if she didn’t have a clean bill of health. That’s what was troubling about daring to dream.

  “Non, Maman,” she said before her mother could ask her if she’d told the truth to Raoul. “But I’ll tell him soon.” With that promise, she hurried to shower and get ready.

  She knew her mom was right, especially after the scare she’d had last evening when Raoul had asked her about continuing with her cleaning career. For a moment she’d feared he’d somehow figured out something was wrong with her physically.

  Cami couldn’t put it off any longer, but wondered if her parent was being too optimistic about the success of the operation. Cami might not have a good recovery and wouldn’t be able to take the position at Gaillard’s after all.

  She might turn into an invalid with a shorter life span. How would Raoul feel about that? What if Cami was one of the small percentage that died during the procedure? Not everyone survived a heart operation, even if they’d been in excellent health otherwise.

  She’d read stories on the internet that had frightened her. In the dark hours of the night she’d sometimes wake up in a cold sweat worrying that something could go wrong. The doctor had advised her not to dwell on the negative, but he wasn’t the one who’d been living with this threat for the last five years.

  When Raoul came to the apartment to pick her up, he was wearing a dark brown suit and lighter brown shirt without a tie. She had to discipline herself not to stare at him. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” Beneath her coat she wore a silky soft orange blouse and navy skirt. Before they reached the car he started kissing her. They must have been out there five minutes trying to become one before someone pulled in to the parking lot and he let her go.

  “We’re eating at Le Petit Auberge. Have you been there before?”

  “No.” She’d heard of it, but her budget couldn’t have afforded to dine there.