To Win His Heart

Cesar had been leading up to something important. “But Luc didn’t admire you?”

“On the contrary. He backed me, went to most of my races. Supported me when mother wanted me to quit racing before I got killed.”

“Then what happened to change everything?”

His expression became a study in pain, reminding her so much of Luc she groaned.

“Her name was Genevieve Leblanc.”

Olivia’s heart pounded out a nonstop tattoo.

“She came to the Cote D’Azur from Toulon, looking for work. He hired her to be a secretary for the company he’d started up. One thing led to another and they got engaged.”

Of course Luc had had girlfriends. But the knowledge that he’d had a fiancée hit Olivia as if she’d been dealt a physical blow.

“How long ago was this?”

“Almost two years to the day.”

She shifted in the chair. Taking her courage in her hands she asked, “Why aren’t they married, Cesar?”

He unexpectedly pushed himself away from the table and stood up. “A month before their wedding, Luc had to fly to the States for a special robotics engineering conference. I was in Monza racing and came in third. To my surprise, Genevieve showed up to lend her support while Luc was away.

“It surprised me even more when she insisted on coming back here to Positano, allegedly to cheer me up and enjoy a little vacation from the frantic wedding preparations.

“I told her to make herself comfortable. Then I excused myself. You see, after a race there’s a routine I always follow to restore me.

“Strapped in the car like an astronaut, you start to feel claustrophobic. To help me unwind, I get on my dirt bike and push myself physically through the mountain roads here until I’ve worn myself out. After a swim in the ocean, I fall into bed and sleep for ten to twelve hours without dreams.

“However this time when I got under the covers, I discovered I wasn’t alone.”

At this point Olivia slid off the chair and walked over to the railing, needing to cling to something.

“No one will ever know the horror I felt. Disgust drove me to the bathroom where I was literally sick. When I returned to the bedroom, she was still there with a smile on her face. She said she thought I understood she was attracted to me, and was positive I reciprocated her feelings.

“She said a lot of things, the upshot being that Luc never had to know. It would be our secret. Then she urged me to come to bed.”

A moan came out of Olivia.

“I told her I loved my brother more than my own life. If she didn’t tell him what she’d done, then I would. In the next breath I threw her out and told her I never wanted to see her again.

“A few days later, Luc returned from the conference. I was summoned to the family villa where he’d gathered our parents together. He informed us there wasn’t going to be a wedding after all. Heartsick as I was for him, I was thankful the truth had come out.

“Later that evening I took Luc aside to talk to him about everything. To my shock he said there wasn’t anything to talk about. It was over.”

Olivia swung toward him. “He never let you explain what happened?” she cried.

“No. A wall had gone up between us. Our relationship has never been the same since.”

“But she could have told him any lie she wanted, and probably did!”

Cesar’s eyes were alive with pain. “True. Still, Luc had grown up with me and knew me. He had to know I loved him too much to ever betray him like that. I would have done anything for him.”

“Then she must have painted a picture that made it impossible for him to figure out the truth without help.”

“You’re right, but he never gave me the chance. In the two years since his breakup with Genevieve, the only thing he has ever asked of me was to show up on the Piccione to meet you after the Grand Prix. I was overjoyed because I thought it meant he’d finally worked it out and realized she’d been the one to blame.”

“So you took me behind the scenes of the racing world in order to get back in your brother’s good graces?”