Follow Your Star, Jennifer Bohnet [best fiction novels to read txt] 📗

receiver in hand, she listened to the ringing tone before shaking her head at Ralph.

‘Still no reply. I don’t understand it. Oh … hello Jean-Claude? Where is everyone? I was just about to hang up.’

Vanessa was silent as she listened to Jean-Claude for several minutes.

‘OK. Will you tell Nanette I’ll ring her tomorrow then with our plans? Yes, we’ve had a great time. Hope to see you soon. Goodbye.’ Vanessa slowly replaced the receiver before turning to look at Ralph.

‘That was weird. Neither Mathieu nor Nanette were in the apartment. Jean-Claude wouldn’t tell me where they were although he assured me the twins are fine. I’m worried now. Something is going on back there.’

Dawn was breaking over a sleeping Monaco as Pole Position sailed towards the harbour entrance. Nanette, standing in the cockpit, felt an overwhelming sense of relief sweep through her body. Another half-hour and she would be back on dry land.

A tense Zac had insisted they spent the entire return journey up on deck and now Nanette watched the shore lights getting closer with unconcealed pleasure.

As Phil carefully positioned the yacht to motor slowly into her allocated berth and the crew tied the large navy fenders in place, Zac turned to her.

‘I guess you and I are all washed up now. No chance of even remaining friends?’

‘We were all washed up, as you put it, when you decided to lie about the accident,’ Nanette said, watching Phil press the button to lower the gangplank. ‘I can never forgive you for that.’

Zac suddenly turned her to face him, gripping both her arms tightly.

‘Stop it, Zac, you’re hurting me.’

The pressure increased on her arms as Zac ignored her words and squeezed harder. Nanette closed her eyes, willing him to stop inflicting pain, and waiting for him to release her.

‘You think this hurts? Be warned, Nanette – it’s nothing to what could happen. Other people don’t have my scruples – or share a past with you. Do one last thing for me: walk away from whatever you think is going on.’

The grip on her arms lessened and Nanette opened her eyes to see Zac staring at her intently.

‘Goodbye, Zac,’ she said. Trembling, she moved away from him towards the gangplank desperate to put as much space between her and Zac Ewart as possible.

Blinded by the tears that had started to run down her cheeks, she didn’t see Jean-Claude standing on the quay with Mathieu until it was too late and she’d run into him.

‘Doucement, ma chérie,’ he said, gently enveloping her in his arms. ‘Doucement. I’m here now to take care of you.’

The gentle kiss he placed on her forehead wasn’t enough for Nanette. She turned and looked at him before hesitantly kissing him deliberately on the lips. As she surrendered herself to Jean-Claude’s passionate embrace, she was conscious of a statue-like Zac watching them with an unfathomable look on his face.

It was the swish of the curtains that woke Nanette and she blinked as sunlight flooded the bedroom. Jean-Claude had entered the room quietly and placed a tray of coffee and croissants on the bedside table before crossing to the window to open the curtains.

Nanette smiled sleepily to herself as she watched him. He’d been insistent she go to bed after he’d brought her back to the apartment early that morning.

‘I’ll take the twins to school if Mathieu hasn’t returned. You get some sleep. Afterwards you can explain exactly why you went alone to the yacht,’ he’d said.

Nanette had done as she was told and gone to bed. To her surprise within minutes she’d fallen into a deep dreamless sleep.

‘What’s the time?’ she asked, sitting up as Jean-Claude placed the tray on her lap.

‘One o’clock. How do you feel?’

‘Fine.’

‘Are you ready to tell me why you went alone to Pole Position?’

Nanette, about to answer flippantly ‘It seemed a good idea at the time’, looked at his concerned expression and said quietly, ‘I’m sorry, Jean-Claude.’

She stretched out a hand to gently touch his face.

‘At least he didn’t push me overboard as I thought he might do at one stage,’ she said quietly.

Jean-Claude looked at her horrified. ‘Mon Dieu. I would kill him if he hurt you.’

‘Any hurt Zac inflicted on me is now in the past. I have no intention of going anywhere near him in the future,’ Nanette said, tiredly. ‘I’ll tell you all about last night but first I must get up. Give me ten minutes to shower and dress.’

‘I’ll wait for you in the sitting-room,’ Jean-Claude said, kissing her gently on the cheek as he took the tray. ‘Take your time.’

Half an hour later, Nanette joined him on the balcony where he was reading a newspaper.

‘The charges against Takyanov are getting longer by the day,’ he said folding the newspaper. ‘And more people are being drawn into the net.’

‘Is Mathieu around?’ Nanette asked.

‘No,’ Jean-Claude shook his head. ‘No idea where he’s gone. Vanessa phoned while you were sleeping. She and Ralph arrive back in the UK next week. She wants you to take the twins over. She said something about her and Ralph taking them on holiday. Anyway, she’s going to phone you this evening to discuss it.’

Nanette looked at Jean-Claude in dismay. She’d forgotten Vanessa’s return would signal the end of her stay in Monaco. ‘Next week?’

Jean-Claude caught hold of her hands. ‘You leave the twins with Vanessa and come back to me, yes? You will have some holiday due?’

‘Patsy’s baby is due soon. If I’m in England I’ll have to be there for that. Maybe afterwards? But where would I stay? Mathieu won’t want me in the apartment without the twins.’

‘At the villa, no question. My housekeeper will prepare the guest suite, and look after us.’ Jean-Claude took her in his arms. ‘It will be wonderful, chérie. Just you and me. Getting to know each other properly. We’ll swim, relax, go to Italy.’

Nanette smiled at him. ‘Sounds wonderful. Maybe by the time I get back all this business with Mathieu and Takyanov will be resolved. Has