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

Can’t see myself living here somehow. If I keep it, I’ll rent it out. Oh!’ Nanette said, looking at Vanessa. ‘In the meantime – why don’t you and Ralph make it your base when you move down here?’

After Vanessa had gone back to the UK and he’d had his business meeting with Mathieu, Jean-Claude insisted they enjoyed the few remaining days of Nanette’s official holiday doing things together.

On the last day they drove up into the back country and had lunch in a village square sitting beneath the shade of an ancient plane tree.

As the waiter placed their tomato and mozzarella salad in front of them, Jean-Claude glanced across at her.

‘I’m so happy you’ve decided not to rush back to the UK with Vanessa. I love having you around.’

Nanette smiled at him as he picked up her hand and squeezed it.

‘Have you thought about what you are going to do with your legacy yet?’

‘I’ve done nothing but think about it,’ Nanette answered. ‘There is one idea floating around in my brain I want to talk to you about.’

‘Do you still want to give it all away?’

Nanette shook her head. ‘No, that was a silly idea. I’ll keep it, but I do want to do something useful with it if I can.’ She poured herself a glass of water from the carafe the waiter had placed on the table before continuing, ‘I was wondering about Pole Position. We could have some fun with her, or I could sell her and invest the money. What do you think?’

‘Any ideas where you’d invest such a large sum? She’s worth at least two million dollars,’ Jean-Claude said.

‘I hadn’t realized she was worth that much. But that would be fantastic.’ Nanette smiled at him hesitantly, trying to gauge his reaction to her next words.

‘I was thinking of offering to sponsor Fruits of the Forest for the first year in Zac’s name. Even if it’s registered as a charity it’s going to need a large injection of cash to get it off the ground.’

‘Not your conventional investment then?’ Jean-Claude said smiling. ‘Well, it won’t make you a fortune but it would make a difference to a lot of people’s lives in the rain forest.’

‘From what Monsieur Mille tells me Zac’s left me a small fortune – I don’t need to make another one,’ Nanette said quietly. ‘Right that’s decision number one: next week I’ll find a broker and put Pole Position up for sale.’

Nanette stopped talking to watch a woman pushing a buggy with a sleeping baby and holding a little boy by the hand pass their table. The sleeping baby reminded her of Dylan; they were about the same age.

‘And decision number two?’ Jean-Claude probed.

‘If I’m staying in Monaco I need to find somewhere to live. I don’t want to live in Zac’s apartment in Fontvielle; besides I’ve already offered it to Vanessa and Ralph in the short term.’

‘What is wrong with living at the villa with me?’ Jean-Claude demanded. ‘The guest room has never had a more welcome occupant.’

‘I don’t want to get in the way,’ Nanette said. ‘I was only supposed to be here for a holiday.’

‘Ma chérie, you know how I feel about you. You will never be in my way. You stay at the villa. That’s decision number two dealt with.’ Heedless of the other diners, Jean-Claude leant forward and gently kissed her.

Later as they were making their way back to the car they passed the mother and her two children playing in the park alongside the church. The small boy miss-kicked his ball which landed at Jean-Claude’s feet.

Jean-Claude promptly kicked it back and for several moments he and the small boy had an animated kick around while Nanette talked to the mother.

‘That took me back,’ Jean-Claude said, when they eventually waved goodbye to the toddler. ‘I used to play football with Mathieu years ago.’

‘You obviously like les enfants,’ Nanette said.

‘Before things went wrong with Amelia I’d always hoped Mathieu would have a sibling.’ Jean-Claude shrugged. ‘I’ve always regretted that.’

‘Well, it’s not too late, is it?’ Nanette said. ‘I’m sure Mathieu would still adore having a half-brother or sister,’ she teased, smiling at him. A look of incredulous wonder crossed Jean-Claude’s face as Nanette leaned forward and kissed him.

On the night of the Red Cross Gala, one of the biggest social events of the Monte Carlo season, Nanette carefully slipped the wisp of pale-lemon chiffon that was her evening dress over her head. She was really looking forward to this evening.

It came at the end of a few very busy weeks: overseeing the sorting out of Zac’s affairs; selling Pole Position; helping Vanessa and Ralph move into the Fontvielle apartment and persuading Vanessa to let her use the proceeds from the sale of Pole Position to sponsor Fruits of the Forest for a year.

‘Are you sure? It’s an awful lot of money to be virtually giving away.’

‘Absolutely positive. Zac bought Pole Position about eight years ago and I’m fairly certain it was with his winnings and sponsorship deals, but who knows?’ She shrugged her shoulders.

‘If, and we don’t know for certain how long Zac was involved with Boris, any of this money I have now inherited came from smuggling Brazilian diamonds or money laundering, then this is a way of giving it back legally.’

Nanette slipped her feet into her high-heeled gold sandals and did them up. Her diamond encrusted watch Jean-Claude had given her was already on her wrist and she picked up her beaded evening clutch bag.

Jean-Claude was waiting for her in the sitting-room.

‘You look beautiful,’ he said, taking her in his arms. ‘The belle of the ball. Come on, the others are waiting. Let’s party.’

Jean-Claude had invited Vanessa and Ralph to join their party for the evening – Mathieu and Evie were the other couple. Mathieu had met Evie when she’d started working for Fruits of the Forest and to Nanette’s secret delight, the two were rapidly becoming an item around the Principality.

The whole of Monte Carlo seemed to