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“I’m sure Julien will be back soon to enlighten us,” Cole offered.
“You mean, you don’t know?” Marc asked.
Emma felt Cole stiffen beside her at the implication he was clueless as to the goings-on at the very company he was meant to be heading.
“You know Julien enjoys his little surprises,” she jumped in to spare Cole having to reply.
“Emma is correct.”
They all turned at the sound of Julien’s voice. “I decided to surprise you. I thought it would be good for you all to get away for a weekend, as a team. To get to know your new leadership.” He dipped his head in Cole’s direction.
Excited murmurs rippled through the group, but Emma watched Cole carefully. He frowned in dismay, obviously not quite as pleased as the rest of the group. Little wonder, given that Julien hadn’t clued them in to his plans beforehand. She slid her gaze in the older man’s direction, but he did not seem to recognize that he had possibly caused offense.
“Julien,” she murmured, but he was too busy beaming in reaction to his other employees’ responses to the news.
“Julien,” she repeated more forcefully. His eyes found hers, and she frowned. “Could we speak for a moment in your office? Please?”
His pleased expression faltered, and she noticed his eyes shift from her face to Cole’s.
“Oui. Certainly.”
The others didn’t seem to pick up on the unease clouding around their American counterparts as Julien led Cole and Emma from the room. As they arrived at Julien’s door, Emma reached out and laid a hand on Cole’s arm, leaning in to whisper softly enough that Julien would not hear.
“Give him a chance to explain.”
Cole glanced at her briefly and then nodded before stepping into Julien’s office. Emma closed the door behind them.
“Julien, why wasn’t I consulted about this decision?”
Julien frowned at Cole’s question. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
Emma stepped forward before Cole could speak again. “Julien, I think you should have informed Cole of your idea before announcing it to the others. He— We both,” she corrected, “were at a loss in there.”
Julien’s eyes suddenly widened in understanding. “Ah, I am so sorry.” He shifted his gaze from Emma to Cole. “I apologize, to both of you. I only thought a retreat might be a helpful way for you to get to know your team and give them the opportunity to embrace you as a leader.” Julien took a step forward and addressed Cole. “It was utterly thoughtless of me. I have been so used to making all the decisions as owner of the company, I forget that as my CEO, you should be allowed to take the lead.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Cole relax. “It’s all right, Julien. No harm done.”
He didn’t say so, but she knew that if it hadn’t been for the rocky start between them, he might not be so on edge.
“But I’m not sure if this is a good idea. Won’t the board find a weekend at a château a bit extravagant?”
“As board chairman, I can make those kinds of decisions. You leave the board to me.”
“But shouldn’t our efforts be focused on the company and making sure our clients are still confident in our abilities after the merger?”
Julien waved a hand. “It is only one weekend. It will be the perfect opportunity to learn each other’s strengths. You will find it invaluable, I promise you.”
Emma was surprised when Cole turned to her.
“What about you? Do you think this is a good idea?”
She found her jaw sagging slightly in surprise that Cole had asked her opinion. Snapping her mouth closed, she looked from Cole’s hesitant expression to Julien’s hopeful one and then back to Cole.
“Yes, I think it’s a good idea.” She straightened her shoulders before speaking again. “It will solidify your position as our boss.”
He eyed her a moment more before nodding. “All right, then. When did you book this retreat for?”
Julien smiled proudly. “You leave on Friday.”
* * *
EMMA DEFTLY GRABBED a bottle of perfume out of Avery’s fingers as her daughter ran from her bedroom. She tossed the fragrance into her cosmetic bag as Jacqueline shook her head.
“She has so much energy. I grow tired just watching her.”
Emma reached for a blouse and folded it neatly before tucking it into her bag. “She’s really excited that you’ll be watching her this weekend. She’s been looking forward to it ever since I told her you’d be coming.” She moved toward her former mother-in-law and took her hand. “Thanks for agreeing to babysit while I’m away. I’d have hated to ask Melanie to change her plans for the weekend.”
Jacqueline squeezed her fingers in return. “It is my pleasure, dear. You know I am always eager for a chance to spend time with my granddaughter.”
“I know, but I’m sure it’s still a bit of an inconvenience, taking the train from Le Mans into the city on such short notice.”
Jacqueline waved this consideration away. “Only an hour’s ride.”
Just then, Avery sailed back into the room. She was dividing her time between watching Melanie pack for her own trip to the Loire Valley, and “helping” her mother prepare for the corporate retreat. Jacqueline reached out and managed to catch her granddaughter in her arms. Avery giggled and squirmed as her grandmother dropped kisses all over the crown of her head. She released Avery, who planted a kiss on her grandmother’s cheek before rummaging through Emma’s cosmetic bag. She pulled out a container of blush and ran toward the mirror to apply some.
“Besides,” Jacqueline went on after the interruption, “I would gladly take the train for twelve hours if it meant a weekend with my granddaughter.”
Avery turned with a grin, one cheek covered in a swath of pink.
“Avery, put that back,” Emma chastised and then reached for a pair of sturdy shoes.
Jacqueline eyed the contents going into the bag.
“This trip was unexpected, was it not?”
Emma shrugged. “I don’t know how long Julien’s had it in mind, but he didn’t consult me ahead of time. Nor the new CEO.”
Avery, with her cheeks so pink it looked as though she’d been sunburned, dropped the blush back into the cosmetic bag resting on the bed and then skipped out of the room once more.
“Did you ask Brice,” Jacqueline finally ventured, “if he would be willing to watch Avery this weekend?”
Emma couldn’t meet Jacqueline’s eye, so she kept her attention focused on the remainder of her packing. She knew it disappointed her that her son didn’t exhibit more care for his daughter.
“He had other plans, I believe.” She didn’t explain that this was to have been Brice’s weekend with Avery anyway, and that he had canceled, as he so often did.
Jacqueline expelled a long sigh. “One day he will recognize what it is he takes for granted. I am always telling him that at some point, he will have to grow up.” The sadness in Jacqueline’s tone caused Emma to reach out and squeeze her former mother-in-law’s shoulder. Jacqueline reached up and touched her hand.
“Don’t worry. As long as Avery has you, she has all the love she needs.”
Jacqueline shook her head but wisely chose to let the matter drop.
“Tell me more about this retreat and everything you will be doing. It sounds delightful.”
Emma filled her in on the activities listed in the estate literature, as well as Julien’s attempts to unify Cole with his senior recruiting team.
“Are you looking forward to it?” Jacqueline often asked her the most pointed of questions.
“A little bit. It will be fun to get away. I only wish I could bring Avery along.”
“Don’t even think of depriving me of a weekend with my granddaughter.”
Avery padded into the room right on cue, wearing what Emma recognized as one of Melanie’s hats. Emma went to her daughter and scooped her up for a kiss before turning back to Jacqueline.
“You may wish you could have switched places with me by Sunday. I have a feeling this little one is going to keep you quite busy.”
Jacqueline opened her arms, and Avery wiggled free of her mother to vault herself into them.
Emma watched them and wondered if her words would be truer for herself. What if this weekend didn’t go well, and she found herself wishing she had stayed home with Avery instead?
* * *
THE NEXT DAY, Emma stood before the eighteenth-century château and simply stared. The others were unloading from the van they had rented to bring them from the train station, their voices overlapping in a melody of excitement, but she was transfixed by the elegant stone facade with diamond-grid windows in front of the circular drive. The exterior of their weekend home displayed an air of old-world charm coupled with new-world adornment in the form of a contemporary white entry door and topiary shrubs in classic stone pots. She relaxed a bit, seeing this inviting atmosphere. She may have been uncertain about the trip to the countryside—feeling guilty for leaving Avery in her grandmother’s care and uncertain about spending so much time in Cole’s company. But now, seeing the welcoming sight of the château, she thought perhaps the next few days might not be so bad.
As the others came up behind her, they began to offer compliments on the grounds, equally as enamored with their surroundings as she was. They dropped their luggage on the lawn as Marc approached the front door and Cole came up behind her.
“Not too bad,” he remarked from beside her, “but I thought it would be bigger. Like a castle.”
Emma resisted the urge to laugh. “A château served as a manor house for the landed gentry. Though some were large enough to be castles, many were simply large country homes, such as this one.”
Just then, their host opened the front door in response to Marc’s knocking.
“Bonjour! I am René Denis,” the man said in French. “I assume you are the party from the city, Aquitaine Enterprises?”
Emma quickly translated this for Cole as Marc politely requested the gentleman switch to English, if possible, in deference to their American boss.
“Oui, but of course. Come, bring your bags and place them in the front hall so I can give you the tour.”
They each hefted their luggage and followed Marc into the cool interior of the house. Leaving their bags in the entry area, they were given a quick overview of the château’s first floor. There was a lounge area with quaint furniture and wooden beams adjacent to a game and TV room, a Provençal-style kitchen with a cozy table for intimate meals, as well as a larger dining hall and laundry facilities in the back of the house.
René explained the schedule of meals and then suggested they retrieve their luggage and follow him up to the first floor. There were a total of six bedrooms, each with a private bath, meaning everyone would have their own room. They quickly claimed their quarters and René announced he would give them a half hour to unpack and settle in before they should join him in the kitchen for lunch and then further orientation.
Left to their own devices, they retreated to their respective rooms. Emma was glad to have grabbed one of the middle-size bedrooms near the top of the stairs. Rather than unpack, Giselle joined her. They commented on the beauty of their surroundings.
The view from Emma’s bedroom window revealed a spacious stone-paved patio as well as a glimpse of a sparkling lake. Emma had also read there were hiking and bicycle trails, a nearby outdoor activities course, a forest chapel and, of course, the lake for swimming and fishing.
“We must tell Julien this should be an annual event,” Giselle announced as she stretched out on Emma’s bed.
Despite the charming setting, Emma remained skeptical on that score. “Let’s wait and see what’s in store for us before we sign up for anything regular,” she said.
“Don’t be so worried, Emma. It’s going to be a perfect weekend.”
Emma hurriedly hung her clothes in the wardrobe and placed her cosmetic bag in the bath. She checked her watch. “I’m going to call Avery before lunch and the orientation. I’ll meet you downstairs in a bit.”
“Suit yourself,” Giselle replied with another stretch and peered out the window once more as Emma grabbed her cell phone and headed for the door.
* * *
EMMA ENDED THE phone call and allowed her shoulders to sag with relief. Now that she had spoken to both Avery and Jacqueline, she felt as if she could enjoy the rest of the day. She wasn’t accustomed to leaving Avery for a whole weekend at a time, and she’d grown a little uneasy during the train ride as she imagined everything that could happen in her absence.
Now that she had heard Avery’s voice and received Jacqueline’s reassurances, she determined to lay her worries to rest and focus on the retreat. She was just pocketing her phone as she turned and caught sight of Cole coming around the side of the house.
“Checking in with your daughter?”
“Yes,” she admitted and then noticed he was holding his cell phone. “You?” She gestured.
“Just letting Julien know we arrived.”
They came to a stop at the château’s front door. “It’s a lovely estate, and René seems like a competent host. Julien must have done his research,” he observed.
“He always does. Julien is decidedly thorough.”
Cole eyed her after this statement. “I never meant to imply he isn’t.”
Belatedly, she realized how defensive her words had sounded.
“I admire Julien,” Cole went on, “and despite any misgivings I might have about being in France, I’m honored to be working with him thanks to this merger.”
“I’m...glad to hear it since I’m pretty fond of Julien myself.”
The conversation stalled, and Emma folded her arms awkwardly.
“So, you ready for this?” Cole asked.
“I guess so. How about you?”
Cole shrugged. “After lunch and the orientation, René said our first activity will be at a nearby ropes activity course. He said the purpose of the exercise is to give us ‘the opportunity to bond as a team and find our spirit of camaraderie.’”
Emma couldn’t help grinning at how Cole repeated René’s words, imitating the man’s French accent.
“Sounds like René is determined to unite us.” She didn’t add that he might have his work cut out for him. While she got along with her coworkers well enough, none of them had ever participated in an event like this and certainly not with the intention of bonding with a new boss.
She cleared her throat. “Did Lillian ever send you on a corporate retreat before?”
He shook his head. “This is a first for me. I have to admit, I’m curious to see how it goes.”
“Me, too.”
Just then, René opened the front door and called them in for lunch. Cole gestured for her to go ahead of him into the house, and she followed René into the château’s dining room.
