Falling For His Unlikely Cinderella

“Neither does the fact that he turned down the CEO position,” Cami murmured. Most successful businessmen clamored their whole lives to achieve that status, but she already knew he wasn’t like other men.

Raoul Fontesquieu was his own person. After telling her in a quietly fierce tone that the media had spread lies about him, he could no doubt be formidable on occasion.

Still, a tremor shook her body. Something had happened to her today, something she hadn’t thought possible. His jaw-dropping appeal had taken her by surprise in a way that made her feel—oh, she didn’t know—thrown off course when her path had been set for so long.

After they arrived at the apartment and ate dinner, Cami went to the store for a few groceries in their old black Citroën 2CV. It was on its last legs and looked like an umbrella, but it ran. She hoped it would help her find a way to clear visions in her head of the most devastatingly attractive man she’d ever met in her life!

Raoul met the pool contractor Wednesday morning. He walked him down the corridor from the kitchen. They passed the locked study and continued to the end of the house. The square-shaped tiled pool was sealed off with a sliding door.

The contractor brought in the supplies; a water kit, balancers, conditioners and chlorine tablets used to test the water. Raoul worked with him so he could do it himself from now on, then saw him out.

Before the applicants for the nanny job started to show up, Raoul took the staircase two steps at a time. He saw Cami in her safety glasses midway down the hall. Behind her he glimpsed one of the other workers cleaning a linen closet.

Cami was up on the ladder scrubbing the ceiling and moldings. Her loose-fitting hunter green T-shirt couldn’t conceal the lovely shape of her body.

Afraid to startle her, he stayed where he was. When she saw him she waved with her free hand. “Bonjour, Raoul. It’s okay to approach,” she teased.

Amused, Raoul strode toward her. “I came to see how things are progressing. You’ve transformed the villa. It sparkles.”

A smile broke out on her face, beguiling him. “That’s good to hear. Our boss will be relieved.”

He liked the way she fastened her black hair in a chignon that suited her oval face and high cheekbones. “Is she a slave driver?”

“Yes. Don’t you agree, Maman?”

His gaze darted to the older brunette woman who’d just lifted her head and glanced at him from the closet. He saw the facial similarities and smiled at her. “You’re all such hard workers, I’m impressed.”

Both women chuckled. “Raoul? Meet my mother and best friend, Juliette Delon.”

“Bonjour, madame.”

“Bonjour, Monsieur Fontesquieu. It’s nice to meet you. My daughter’s right. Our boss cracks the whip, but she’s nice.”

“She’s terrific,” Cami chimed in.

Raoul admired their loyalty. “How refreshing to see a mother and daughter who work well together.” He couldn’t think of a single positive instance within the difficult female circles of the large Fontesquieu family. Years of living together under the roof of the château had done its damage. “I’m glad to have met you, Madame Delon. I promise to give all of you a top rating.”

“We couldn’t ask for more than that. It means work for another day,” the pragmatic older woman commented before getting back to cleaning the shelves.

He couldn’t imagine his ex-wife doing manual labor like this, let alone worrying about where her next euro was coming from. Naturally the comparison wasn’t fair, but he couldn’t help but be impressed by the Delons’ work ethic.

“Don’t let me keep you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Already he knew he’d like to take Cami out to dinner so they could get better acquainted.

“Isn’t your grandfather’s funeral tomorrow?”

She’d remembered and had shown concern for his loss though he hadn’t felt it himself. After living around his austere relatives, her natural warmth was like a healing balm. “Yes, but I’ll be back in the afternoon.”

Cami’s thoughtful gaze met his briefly before he walked away. He’d have preferred to stay and talk, but not while she was working with her mother.

After going downstairs, he met with two applicants for the nanny position. Neither he nor Arlette were impressed.

Raoul had been guilt ridden over having to give up Antoinette, knowing the pain he’d caused her. He hadn’t been there for the pregnancy he’d had no knowledge of.

Once he’d found out, he’d felt responsible for her death and the anguish he’d caused her and her family. On top of that he was well aware how deeply Arlette missed her daughter. Though she could have blamed Raoul, she’d never been anything but accepting and wonderful to him.

His latest worry was what kind of a father he was going to be. Could any nanny he chose measure up or tend Arlette’s grandson with the love and care she and Minerve had provided?

This was a difficult decision for him to make, in truth the hardest of his life. He decided he’d made a mistake by not bringing Alain to the villa today. During the interviews, Raoul needed to watch the women interact with his son on a first meeting simply to see if there was any chemistry at all. If not, it might be a long time before he found the right person to take care of his precious boy.

Raoul could only hope one of the applicants sent to the villa tomorrow after three in the afternoon would stand out. He was also looking forward to spending more time with Cami. Besides her having an intrinsic charm that was growing on him, she had a way of encouraging him, of making him feel he could be a good father. Somehow he felt instinctively he could talk to her and connect.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.