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. Like leaving the way I did, maybe?”