“Yes?”
The person who answered sounded young and out of breath. Luc checked his watch. It was two-thirty here, which made it one-thirty in London. Probably one of the staff had picked up, since the restaurant didn’t open until five.
“I need to speak to your wine buyer. This is an urgent call.”
“I don’t think he’s come in yet, but I’ll check.”
Luc frowned. “I’m talking about Rachel Valentine.”
“Oh. She doesn’t work here anymore.”
Luc stood on his brakes. “Is she at one of the other Bella Lucias?”
“No. She lives in New York now.”
He cursed under his breath. “Does someone at the restaurant have her new number?”
“I don’t know. Call back tonight when we’re open. I’ve got to go. Sorry.”
Luc would do better than that. As soon as he’d given Giselle the order from their newest buyer, he’d stop by the hospital to see Paulette, then fly to London this evening and speak to Rachel’s father in person. The man kept a thumb on his daughter and could tell Luc what he needed to know.
Since their excruciatingly painful encounter in London, he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t concentrate. Until he could see her again and they could really talk without interruption, he’d remain in this nightmarish limbo, unable to go backward or forward. Much more of this and—
He stopped right there because his thoughts were too black.
Upon entering the parking area surrounding the winery, he noticed every space taken by tourists.
Though on some level it pleased him that business was flourishing, he couldn’t summon the old excitement he’d once felt for just being alive.
This wasn’t living.
Giselle had been right about that. Existence wasn’t enough, but fate had been serving him up a belly full of it. He’d be damned if he was going to keep on swallowing it to the last dreg.
No sooner had he driven around the back to let himself in his private entrance than his cell phone rang. It was the hospital. He assumed Yves was in Paulette’s room and needed to talk.
He clicked on and said hello.
“Monsieur Chartier? This is Louise.”
His favorite upbeat nurse, but she sounded subdued, which was very unlike her.
“Yes, Louise?
“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this when you’ve been praying for a miracle. I’m afraid Paulette died a few minutes ago.”
What?
“She died?” he whispered incredulously.
A shock wave passed through his body. His thoughts reeled as his whole life with her suddenly flashed before his eyes.
He barely had the presence of mind to stop the car before it ran into the wall.
“Did the family ask for the machines to be shut off?” He’d thought they’d had an understanding.
“No, no. Her lungs unexpectedly filled with pneumonia. It happened after my second-to-last check on her. When I came in at the end of my shift, she was gone.”
Tears trickled from his eyes.