He’d returned to the car while she’d been deep in thought. “Let’s go.”
“Was the shipment there?”
“Not yet. I need to inform Etienne.” He pulled out his phone to text him, then started the car and they left for Vence.
“Will your grandfather be upset?”
“I’m afraid he was born in that condition, but he’ll live to see another day.”
“What’s your grandmother like?”
“She’s afraid of him and allows him to rule her life.”
“Are you afraid of him?”
“Let’s put it this way. I learned not to like him or my father.” She winced from so much honest emotion. “They have a hard streak that dominates their existence. As soon as I turned eighteen, I left to go to school in Paris.”
“Didn’t they try to prevent you from leaving?”
“Yes. They told me that if I deserted the family, there’d be no money, no inheritance. That suited me fine. From my bank account I withdrew the pitiful amount of money I’d earned and bought a third-class train ticket for Paris. I slept all the way. When I arrived, I found a job at a warehouse the next day and bunked with some of the workers until I could pay for a semester of college.”
“You’re amazing!”
“No—only desperate to get on with the life I wanted to lead. At that point, I took out a school loan and got another job as an eighteen-wheeler truck driver. It paid more and I could sleep behind the cab while I had to make deliveries between classes and on weekends.”
“Where did you drive?”
“All over Paris and the outskirts. In the process, I made lots of contacts. After a month, I found a rooming house so I could bathe and eat breakfast daily. That’s how I lived while I pursued an education in money management. After college I worked for an investment firm.”
Dominic was getting to her in ways she didn’t think possible. Nathalie knew he had to be a remarkable man, but hearing some of his history told her she would never meet a more extraordinary human being.
“Did your family know where you were?”
“My cousin Raoul knew. That was all that mattered to me. Do you know the sad part of this is that I wanted to have a close relationship with family, but it never happened. My father is made in my grandfather’s image, which explains why we don’t get along. Both men are driven and cold.”
“What about your mother?”
“She’s not as cold, but is in lockstep with him over aspirations for their children. You have to do it their way. There is no other.”
Her heart pained for him. “I’m so sorry, Dominic.”
“It’s life, but I don’t want to talk about them. I’d much rather focus on you.”
He drove swiftly to the vineyard and pulled up behind her car outside her rental. After shutting off the engine, he turned to her. “We’ll only need pickers for another ten days at the most. Since the vendange is so short a season, I’d like to spend as much time with you in the evenings as possible before you go back to work at the pharmacy. How would you feel about that?”
The question sounded like heaven. Nathalie’s mind was spinning with possibilities now that she thought he might not be Alain’s father after all. “Maybe one evening I’ll provide groceries and cook. Another night you could do the same.” During one of their conversations she would ask him straight out if he’d known an Antoinette. After that, anything could happen.
“I’ll bring the food for tomorrow’s meal.”
“Um. That sounds perfect.”
She undid her seat belt. “Thank you for a lovely dinner and drive. Learning about red grapes has made me feel more legitimate as a grape picker. Good night.”
To her surprise, he got out and walked her to the door. “I wish you didn’t have to go in.” The next thing she knew he’d cupped her face in his hands and lowered his dark head to kiss her. She’d been wanting this all evening.
The feel of his mouth on hers sent rivers of warmth through her body, but his kiss didn’t last long enough. She moaned when he stepped away far too soon for her liking.
“A demain, Nathalie.” His voice sounded husky.