Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER...
I stood outside Chateau Descoteaux, taking in the view that never failed to steal my breath. The vineyard stretched out before me, a sea of lush green leaves swaying gently in the Proven?al breeze. A year ago, these vines had been neglected and struggling. Now, they were bursting with life, promising a bountiful harvest.
The transformation wasn’t limited to the vines. The chateau itself, once fading from neglect, now stood proud and beautiful. It had taken time, and my American desire for instant gratification had to adjust to French bureaucracies, but after a few months of working with the Architecte des Batiments de France , we were able to start work on the old tasting room. And étienne had been right—I was even able to apply for a small grant to make some of the repairs. The changes told a story of rebirth, of second chances. Kind of like me, I thought with a wry smile.
A burst of laughter drew my attention to the newly constructed tasting room. Through its wide windows, I could see étienne and Régis wrestling with an oversized barrel while Félicité directed their efforts with the precision of a military general.
"A little to the left! No, your other left, étie!”
I chuckled, shaking my head. Some things never changed, and my siblings’ playful bickering was one of them.
The tasting room had been a labor of love for all of us. It hadn’t taken nearly as much convincing as I’d thought when I’d proposed they all come on board to make the winery a truly thriving family affair.
We’d argued over every detail, from the rustic wooden beams to the sleek tasting bar. But the result was worth it—a space that seamlessly blended the old and the new, just like our family.
As I made my way down the stone steps, the scent of lavender and sun-warmed earth enveloped me. The grounds were a hive of activity, with caterers setting up tables and local vintners arriving with bottles in hand. Our first tasting event—hosted jointly with Remi and a few other winemakers in the area. Even old Marcel Leroy had RSVP’d.
"There you are,” Remi’s voice called out. I turned to see him jogging toward me, a mixture of excitement and anxiety playing across his features. "I was beginning to think you’d fled back to California.”
“I was tempted. But someone has to make sure you don’t drink all the profits."
Remi clutched his chest in mock offense. " Moi ? I’m wounded, truly."
I touched his arm. “Before I forget in the chaos of things. I have great news.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly. “They dropped the lawsuit.”
His face lit up. “Truly?”
I nodded. “Truly. The judge ruled the investor hadn’t done enough due diligence on the financials to warrant being ‘lied to’ by Evan. And basically,” I bobbed my head, trying to contain a grin. “He agreed there was some oversight on our part, and the bookkeeping was shaky. But essentially that Evan wasn’t clever enough to pull off full-on investor fraud.”
He pulled me close and kissed my head. “Congratulations, Elodie. Such a relief.”
“Thank you. I feel like it was the last thing tethering me to California. Now I really feel like I can move on.”
A compact black sedan rolled up then, pulling our attention. I grinned as I watched a flustered Régis jump from the driver’s seat and rush around to the back. He opened the door and carefully lifted a tiny bundle from the car seat. Danielle came out from the other side, looking the quintessential part of new motherhood—glassy-eyed with under-eye bags—but happy and glowing.
“Ahh, ma petite! ” I squealed, reaching for my niece. “Come to your auntie.”
I thought my heart might actually explode as Régis set the little squishy piglet in my arms.
“Quick, let’s run while she’s distracted,” Régis joked to Danielle.
"Oh, Régis, she’s so perfect,” I said, bouncing the baby gently. She cooed sleepily, eyelids briefly fluttering open, then closing again.
"She’d be more perfect if she slept through the night," he said, but the bags under his eyes couldn’t dim the loving pride in his gaze.
“Ahh, is that my little Ana?s? She’s getting so big already,” Félicité cooed as she came over. " Mon Dieu , she has our family nose," she declared, caressing the baby's cheek.
"Alright, alright," étienne stepped in. "Let's not smother the poor child before she’s had a chance to try her first Chateau Descoteaux vintage."
“étienne!” I gasped in mock horror. "She’s three months old!"
“I was planning on waiting until her first birthday, obviously.”
"Okay, troops," Remi said, clapping his hands together. "As much as I'd love to stand here cooing over this little lump all day, we have a tasting to host. Battle stations, everyone.”
I handed Anais back to Danielle. “Take her to the break room in the back and rest.”
With a chorus of groans and good-natured ribbing, my siblings dispersed to their assigned tasks. Régis, our new tasting room manager, and Félicité, head of events, headed into the tasting room while étienne, newly appointed head of all things finance and logistics, slipped into the back to check inventory.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Remi’s voice was soft in my ear as he slipped an arm around my waist.
I leaned into him, savoring the warmth of his solid presence. "Just thinking about how funny life is sometimes. How much things have changed in the last year. For all of us, really. The unexpected just comes at you.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple. "Speaking of unexpected," he said, a note of nervousness creeping into his voice, "there’s something I wanted to—"
"Elodie!" Félicité’s shout cut him off. "Crisis in the tasting room! We need you!"
I groaned, shooting Remi an apologetic look. "Rain check?"
"Rain check," he agreed.
***
The crisis of missing cases averted, the tasting room now buzzed with energy as guests milled about, glasses in hand. The warm afternoon light streamed through the windows, catching on the rich amber and ruby hues of the wine. I took a moment to breathe it all in—the excited chatter, the clink of glasses, the earthy aroma of oak barrels mingling with the fruit-forward notes of our wine.
"Not bad for a bunch of amateurs, eh?" étienne appeared at my elbow, looking dapper in a pressed shirt and slim navy trousers.
I arched an eyebrow. "Speak for yourself. I’ll have you know I’m a highly trained wine... drinker."
He snorted, raising his glass in a mock toast. "To Madame’s expertise.”
“I am highly impressed, Elodie,” a woman’s voice purred.
I spun around to see Céline holding a tasting glass and looking impeccable in a long-sleeve floral dress that clung to every dip and curve of her slender frame. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a chic twist, and she sported a massive glittering diamond on her left hand, courtesy of her new husband.
For a moment, I stood in shock as I hadn’t expected her to attend. But then she raised her glass with the tiniest of smiles. “Both Pierre and Pascal would be proud.”
I was so stunned I nearly forgot to smile. Then, without thinking, I threw my arms around her. She grunted and fell back but then gently slid her arms around me and returned the gesture—if not a little stiffly.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
***
I caught sight of Remi across the room. He was in his element, regaling a group of local vintners with the story of his first harvest with Pierre. His eyes shone with passion as he gestured animatedly, and I felt a familiar warmth bloom in my chest.
“He’s a natural with people,” I said to étienne, nodding toward Remi. “You wouldn’t ever guess it, considering how broody he can be.”
“Passion will do that to you. It changes your whole DNA,” étienne said.
“étienne?” Vanessa sauntered up then. She was stunning as always in a sleek pantsuit and wedge sandals, with her dark hair pulled up into a stylish knot with tendrils framing her face. “We have someone with a question about overseas shipping.”
Wait—was it me, or did étienne’s eyes light up at the sight of her?
“Sure. Coming now,” he said.
Ohhh, yes. He was definitely checking her out. Remi was going to flip.
As the afternoon wore on, I found myself constantly in motion—pouring tastings, answering questions, and soaking in the overwhelmingly positive responses to our wine. I was about to make my way to the back for a little rest when the sharp ping of a glass being tapped cut through the chatter. All eyes turned to Félicité, who stood on an overturned barrel like it was a stage.
"Mesdames et Messieurs," she announced, her voice carrying easily through the room. "On behalf of the Descoteaux family, I want to thank you all for coming today. A year ago, this place was little more than a dream and a lot of dusty grapes." She paused for appreciative laughter. "But thanks to hard work, a bit of luck, and a stubborn American sister who refused to know when she was in over her head—we’re here today, celebrating our first vintage. And my brothers and I now have jobs that don’t make us want to die.”
A round of applause and laughter erupted. She raised her glass. “Merci to our wine community.”
Régis stepped up to the stage then. “I also wanted to say something.”
We all flashed him a curious look.
“As you know, my lovely partner Danielle and I welcomed our baby girl three months ago. And now that we know what it’s like to be knee-deep in poop together, we’ve decided to take it another crazy step and get married.”
The little crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Félicité ran to Régis and crushed him in a hug.
"Can’t... breathe..." he gasped, laughing.
"I can’t believe my little brother is getting married!"
“Umm, I’m older than you,” Régis said, pushing her off.
"Details," she waved dismissively.
étienne appeared then with a tray of glasses filled with sparkling wine.
"I think," he said, just a touch of pride breaking through his stoic expression, "this calls for a toast. This is courtesy of Marcel Leroy.”
My mouth dropped. I spared a glance at the old man who was in the corner. He was scowling at me, but I caught the little upturn at the corner of his mouth.
“Are you Elodie Descoteaux?” An American accent asked.
I turned to see a couple standing beside me with tasting glasses. She was petite with striking dark hair cut into a stylish bob. He had to be 6’4 with a dark Riviera vibe.
“Yes. That’s me.”
She eagerly extended a hand to me—a gesture I hadn’t seen in a while. “So nice to meet you. I’m Vera Santos. I run a website called Tasting the World . It’s a site dedicated to culinary endeavors around the world and the stories behind the people.”
“Oh my god, yes! I love that site,” I said way too excitedly.
She beamed. “Thank you. We have a section dedicated to wine, and I would love to feature Chateau Descoteaux.”
My jaw dropped. “What? Are you—serious?”
She laughed. “Very. Rafa and I—oh, sorry. This is my husband, Rafa.”
I craned my neck to look up at Rafa.
“Wait, are you—are you Chef Rafa? From Instagram?” I said, recognizing him from a particularly entertaining tomato-slicing reel.
The towering Spanish hunk before me actually blushed a little before offering me a dramatic Spanish bow.
“Si. It is I.”
I laughed. “You are hilarious! We love your account.”
“Gracias, gracias. You are too kind.”
Vera gently shoved her husband aside. “He really doesn’t need the ego boost, I assure you. But, as I was saying. We were down here on a little wine-tasting trip, and we heard about this event. I then, of course, heard a bit about your story, and I just loved it.” She leaned in. “And as a fellow American, I love it just a little extra. So what do you think?”
“That would be—wow. That would be incredible. Thank you,” I said.
“Fantastic! I won’t keep you, but let’s talk.”
We exchanged information, and I was left speechless as Vera and Rafa sauntered off to enjoy the party.
“Who was that?” Remi asked.
I shook my head slowly. “You won’t believe this.”
“That’s really something, Elodie. I’m proud of you,” Remi said after I shared the news. Then he gently tugged at my hand. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
Curious, I allowed him to lead me out of the tasting room and through the bac of the winery. We emerged onto a small, secluded balcony in the back. Before us, the vineyard stretched out in neat, orderly rows, the vines bare from the recent harvest.
The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in a riot of colors that took my breath away. Streaks of gold and crimson bled into deep purples and blues.
“There’s this perfect time of day when the sky does this.”
“Wow. It’s gorgeous,” I whispered, leaning back against Remi's chest as his arms encircled me.
"Oui," he agreed, his breath warm against my ear. "But not as beautiful as you."
I groaned, twisting to look at him. "That was terrible. My man is a walking cliché."
His answering laugh was low and full of promise. "Ah, but I am your man.”
I giggled. “For now.” I turned back to the vineyard, drinking in the view. "If you’d told me a year ago that this would be my life..."
"You’d have had me committed?" Remi supplied helpfully.
I elbowed him playfully. "Probably. But now I can't imagine being anywhere else. I had thought losing Eldodie’s Natural Life was the end of my dreams. But I was wrong.”
“Maybe you can re-introduce some of your products and sell them in the tasting room.”
I smiled. “Not a bad idea. I’m going to think about that.”
“I was thinking.”
“Uh oh,” I said.
“A dangerous pastime, I know. But hear me out. I was thinking—what if we combined our forces a bit?”
I pulled away gently and looked up at him. “With the vineyards?”
He shrugged. “Yes. I don’t have all the details thought through, but we make a pretty good team. And working together, we could build something pretty incredible.”
“That’s—that’s definitely a great thought. There would be a lot to think through, but—yes. I like it. But, there’s just one thing.”
“Oh?”
“If you’re going to work for me—”
“Oh, I’d be working for you then?” He smirked.
“Naturally. But if you’re going to work for me, I think we ought to live together. It’d make things so much easier for me to have access to you whenever I need.” I winked.
He laughed and pulled me in tighter. “You make a compelling offer of employment.”
“I’m thinking my house. It’s bigger.”
He chuckled. “And I thought you’d never ask, Elodie Descoteaux.”
Elodie Descoteaux , I thought. Welcome home. Finally.
Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed French Inheritance , please tell your friends so they can fall in love with Elodie, Remi and Provence, too!