Thank heaven he’d said that.
He looked at his brother. “That’ll free you to meet the Spanish ambassadeur from Madrid. Félix just informed me that he and his entourage will be arriving within ten minutes. I have no doubts you’ll have them eating out of your hand.” He eyed Abby. “Shall we go?”
She stood up. “Thank you so much for the tour, Jean-Marc. It’s been one of
the highlights of my trip here. And this is a charming little bistro.”
“À tout moment,” he said through wooden lips.
Abby didn’t know what that meant. But she did know that the advent of Raoul coming into the restaurant had changed Jean-Marc’s mood and she couldn’t have been more grateful to leave.
When they walked out to the Jaguar, Paul climbed in back and Raoul helped her in the front passenger seat. On the short drive back to the estate, she turned to him. “I’ve never heard the expression à tout moment.”
“My brother meant that he would be glad to do it for you anytime.”
“Oh. Thanks for telling me.” She looked over her shoulder at Paul. “I understand you and your wife have one child and another one on the way.”
He nodded. “Maurice is three and waiting for a brother.”
“How exciting! When’s the due date?”
“Two months.”
“Have you thought of a name yet?’
“No. We’re still arguing over it.”
She smiled, but talk of babies was no doubt painful to Raoul. If he married again and had a child, would it help fill the hole in his heart? Every day he had to live with the loss of his little girl.
Before long they arrived at the estate. Raoul stopped at the petit château and let her out. “I’ll call you in a few minutes.”
She nodded. “It was nice talking with you Paul.” Abby got out of the car and hurried inside her apartment, wishing Raoul didn’t have to leave.
* * *
Much as Raoul wanted to follow her, he had to drop Paul off first.
His brother-in-law leaned forward. “She’s one beautiful woman. Nice.”
“I agree. If we hadn’t happened to stop in there, Jean-Marc would have forgotten all about the appointment with the Spanish contingent.”
Except that it wasn’t an accident. Raoul had seen Jean-Marc’s car. He was curious why he’d gone there to eat so late on his first day as concierge. It wasn’t his kind of place. Seeing Abby at the table explained everything.
Raoul wound around to the east entrance. Paul got out. “I can’t thank you enough for giving me the new job. I know Josette complained to your father.”
“That’s not the reason, Paul. Since my trip to Switzerland, I’ve been thinking about several changes to relieve me of so much work. Your head for finance makes you the ideal choice to work with the Paris group. You’ll be a great asset.”
“Thanks for the confidence, Raoul.”
They shook hands. After he walked away, Raoul headed back to Abby’s apartment. He phoned her from the car to let her know he was out in front. She didn’t know it yet, but he had plans for the two of them.
She came out the entrance a minute later and hurried to the car. After she got inside she said, “I hope you don’t thin—”
“I don’t think anything,” he cut her off. “Jean-Marc has always had a roving eye.”
“Still, you looked upset when you first walked into the bistro, and I couldn’t explain. The thing is, I didn’t know what to do when Jean-Marc saw me out in the vineyard and told me he would show me the office. I didn’t want to be rude to him.”
“Rudeness isn’t in your nature. What you saw was a man who experienced a temporary fit of jealousy when he saw you having dinner with another man, even if he happened to be his own brother.”