“Stay in bed and relax. Theo did all the background checks on Friday’s applicants and informed Gregoire. No red flags on anyone.”
Which meant none on Mademoiselle Fournier, whose image refused to leave his mind. She’d never been in trouble. No parking infractions or car accidents, no warrants out for her arrest. He hadn’t really expected anything negative to come up on her but relief had swept through him when he learned she was squeaky clean, even though he still had the feeling she’d come to the vineyard for a hidden reason. He planned to get to the bottom of it.
“That’s good considering we need workers,” Etienne murmured. “This is a bigger harvest than last year, Dieu merci. Such news will make Grand-père happy.”
“I’ll drive to the tent now.”
“Paul will be there to help. Thanks, Dom.”
“Au revoir.”
After hanging up, Dominic quickly showered and shaved. On his way out the door dressed in jeans and a fresh white shirt, he grabbed a plum and a baguette to hold him over until lunch.
Hurrying to the main garage on the property, he picked one of the trucks rigged with gear to help the workers and headed for the tent at the base of the western terroirs. Judging by the temperature outside, it was going to be another hot day, which meant the bulging grapes needed picking now.
Mademoiselle Fournier was in for some hard, menial work. By the end of the harvest he’d discover why she’d really come to the vineyard. With more excitement than he should be feeling, he parked near the tent where Gregoire and Paul were addressing the latest crop of new workers.
Though dressed like the others in rainproof layered clothing and gum shoes to protect themselves from the morning dew, she stood out from everyone else. Her height plus the feminine mold of her body made it impossible for him to look anywhere else.
This morning she’d tied her shimmering hair back at the nape of her neck with a band, revealing high cheekbones and a softly rounded chin. He’d studied the enticing shape of her mouth on Friday and the image had stayed with him all weekend, making him wonder how he’d last until he’d be close to her again.
He parked next to the other two trucks and waited until Gregoire gave final instructions to the workers. One by one they climbed into the truck beds with the aid of ladders. From here they’d be driven to the vineyard needing attention.
At that point Dominic got out of his own truck. He lowered the tailgate and attached his ladder so the last ten workers being ushered by Paul could climb in. He was happy to see the pharmacist among them and watched as Paul said something to her that produced a smile before she climbed in. Paul was a gossip, the last person Dominic wanted around their new worker. He would make sure that ended fast, he thought as he shut the tailgate.
Gregoire waved to Dominic before driving into the vines. Paul followed and Dominic brought up the rear. When they reached the designated terroir, he shut off the motor and walked around to open the tailgate.
After the workers used the ladder to get down, he climbed up and opened the locker. “Before you follow the others, I’m handing out scissors, gloves and knee pads for all of you to use while you work here. For those of you who have done this before, you know the gloves help prevent stains, but it’s your choice whether to wear them or not. I presume you’ve brought water bottles and sunscreen.” Everyone nodded and waited their turn.
“At the end of the day, more trucks will be here to take you back to the tent area.”
In a few minutes they were ready and followed Gregoire and Paul’s groups, lining up and down the rows of grapes to get started. Dominic took a walk along another row, satisfied to see that the trailer had arrived for the collectors who gathered the picked grapes to transport to the winery.
When Paul had to leave to help some of the other workers, Dominic took advantage of the moment to catch Mademoiselle Fournier alone. She was kneeling on the pad and had started cutting grapes. He noticed her gloves stuck in one of the back pockets of her jeans.
“Bonjour, mademoiselle.”
She looked up in surprise, giving him the full view of her light green eyes. The woman’s beauty took his breath away.
“Bonjour, monsieur.”
“You prefer not to use gloves?”
“Maybe I’ll put them on later, but I need to practice without them first to get a feel for the work.”
He was surprised as that’s what he would have advised. Paul had obviously shown her what to do and already she’d put some grapes in the bucket provided.
“Did you apply sunscreen already?”
“I did at the last minute.”
“That’s good. The heat is already building. You don’t want to get a sunburn before the end of your first day. You’ll also likely find you need an over-the-counter painkiller to deal with aches and pains tonight.”
An enticing smile broke out on her lovely face. “I brought some just in case. That’s very kind of you to be concerned.”
“He, Dominic.”
“Salut, Paul.” The other man had come back. Dominic still held her green gaze. “Just remember not to kill yourself off today. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”
She smiled. “I appreciate the warning. Merci, monsieur.”
Dominic nodded to Paul, then walked toward the truck in the distance. On his way back to the office, he ate his snacks, but he’d need coffee. To his relief Theo had already made it for both of them.
No sooner had Dominic poured himself a cup and walked into his private office to get busy than Raoul arrived. All the family offices were in the same building.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, mon vieux. Come on in and shut the door.”
“I was hoping you’d be here.” He’d brought a cup of coffee with him and planted himself on a leather chair opposite Dominic’s desk.
“Anything new at the conference in Saint Tropez?”
Raoul shook his head. “The Provencal vineyards seem to be doing marginally better, but it’s going to take years before every vintner in France recoups losses from two years ago. Dieu merci for the personal investments you’ve helped me make.”
“You’re not worried about money, are you?”
“I might be.”
“That sounded cryptic.”
“Let’s just say I’d like you to go over my accounts and let me know what I’m worth. I might need some of it before long.”
Dominic sat forward. “I’ll look into it before the day is out. But promise me you’re not thinking of doing something drastic.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.
