had bought just before she left, with his permission, and high-heeled boots, and her long red hair was tucked into a knitted cap. She looked very stylish, and she chatted animatedly all the way to the hotel. She didn’t mention Francois, and her father could see that she felt better. She’d obviously been ready to give that up, and they had talked anyway about breaking up when she left. But he had chosen an unpleasant way to do it.
As they had the year before when she came home for Christmas, many of the employees were waiting for her in the lobby, which looked beautiful with the tree and decorations. She hadn’t been home for a year, and the party in the ballroom the next day was going to be a surprise for her, as was the apartment. But Hugues wasn’t ready to tell her about that. He didn’t want to rush her and thought he’d give her a few days to settle in before he showed it to her. He didn’t want her to feel like he was pushing her out of the familiar apartment where she’d grown up. And Natalie was going to stay at her own place for a few days until Hugues had a chance to talk to Heloise about them. And Natalie knew he would this time. He wanted their time together now as much as she did, even if it meant upsetting his daughter. She had her own life, and he needed one too. But it was going to be a major change for Heloise, and possibly not one she was going to like. He hoped she would understand, but he also realized she might not. He was braced for an explosion.
As she had the year before, Heloise went out with friends the night she got back, after having dinner with her father. She was dying to see everyone, but she seemed more settled now and more mature. The internship at the George V had taught her a lot. She had worked at the concierge desk for the past two months, which was always hectic, and she had proven herself to be calm under fire.
Hugues was planning to put her at the reception desk, at least for the first month, to hone her skills handling guests. And he was even thinking of having her spend a month in accounting. She had to learn all aspects of the business now. And a few weeks at the room service desk would do her good too, and the concierge desk for several months. He wanted to round out her experience by June, and then she had to go back to Lausanne for graduation, which he was going to attend with her, and maybe even Natalie by then, if all went well. He was guardedly optimistic, and Natalie hoped he was right.
The morning after she returned, Hugues and Heloise had breakfast together, and then she went all over the hotel dropping off little gifts she’d bought in Paris for special people like Jan, Ernesta, a box of Belgian chocolates for the telephone operators, Jennifer, and Bruce, the head of security. She stopped to chat with each of them, and then she went out to finish her Christmas shopping.
She had told her father that she might go out with friends that night again, and he told her that he needed her in the hotel to help him. She looked a little startled that he expected her to get to work so quickly, but she didn’t argue with him and said she’d be there, and asked him what time. She seemed far more mature about everything after her job in Paris. They had trained her well.
“If you’re back by seven-thirty, that should work. I’ll meet you here. We have some important guests coming in,” he said to get her to her surprise party in the ballroom. He had invited Natalie too. He wanted her there. Heloise promised to be on time, and then left for the day.
She was dressed and ready as promised, at seven-thirty, and Hugues looked formal and official as they went down in the elevator. He had told her to wear a cocktail dress, since they had to stop by a function in the ballroom too. And she was wearing a pretty black lace dress she had bought in Paris, with high heels, and her hair in a bun. He loved the way she looked, and he smiled as they rode the elevator to the second floor. He told her they would stop at the ballroom first, and then greet the VIPs in the lobby after, as they came in. She didn’t ask who they were but followed him blindly to the ballroom. There was music playing and balloons everywhere, and as soon as they walked in, she saw everyone she knew and most of the employees waiting for her, as everyone shouted “Surprise!” and she looked genuinely stunned for a moment as she turned to her father.
“Is this for me?” She was amazed. Even her friends from the Lycee were there, and everyone was smiling at her, while she fought back tears. She was so touched by what her father had done for her and that everyone was there.
“Yes, it is. Welcome home!” There were over a hundred people there. She couldn’t believe they’d given her such a big party, and in the ballroom. It took her a few minutes to absorb it, recover, and start moving around the room to talk to everyone there.
Hugues walked over to Natalie as Heloise made her way through the crowd, and eventually Heloise came back to where they were standing and thanked him again. She was touched by how beautiful the party was. Her father and Natalie were standing together when Heloise came up to them.
“I’m sure you remember Natalie,” he said, introducing her again and trying to sound casual about it. “She’s done several more suites for us since you were home last year. And one I think you’ll particularly like,” he said cryptically but offered no further details. Heloise was too excited to pay close attention to what he’d said. She said a few words to Natalie, and then drifted away.
Eventually Hugues and Natalie left the party, as did most of the adults and older employees, and the young people danced till two A.M. He and Natalie sat in the bar for a long time afterward, and he sent her home with the driver and Rolls. He was sorry he couldn’t spend the night with her. But she knew it was too soon for him to disappear. It was only Heloise’s second night home.
And in the morning, Heloise thanked her father again for the fantastic party. She hadn’t suspected a thing, and actually thought he was going to make her work with him that night. And then she looked at him with mischief in her eye.
“Were you flirting with the decorator last night? Or did I imagine it? She’s very pretty, and I think she likes you.” Heloise looked amused and not worried as he smiled. Her father was handsome, and women always tried to get his attention. He bantered a bit, and Heloise believed he never pursued it and was a confirmed bachelor.
“I hope she likes me,” Hugues said quietly over their breakfast. “We’ve been seeing each other for a year now. She’s a very special person, and I hope you get to know her.” He had finally opened the door that had terrified him for a year. It was like a breath of fresh air for him. He wasn’t going to lie to her anymore.
But Heloise looked as though he had dumped a bucket of ice on her as she stared at him. She couldn’t believe what he’d just said.
“What do you mean ‘seeing each other’? You mean sleeping with her?” She was looking at him in disbelief. She was not ready for this announcement, and she wanted him to say he was joking or they were just friends. But he didn’t say that to her. The gloves were off. And it was time to grow up. He had promised this to Natalie, and it was long overdue, for all of them, Heloise too, whether she liked it or not. And for the moment it looked like it was “not.” “Is she your girlfriend?” She glared at him, waiting for an answer she didn’t really want.
He answered very calmly, “Yes, Heloise, she is.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” She looked outraged and hurt at the same time and probably felt both.
“I wanted to, but it never seemed like the right time. You were so far away. And we stopped dating for a while too.” Heloise didn’t know what to say. She stood up and walked away to stand at the window, thinking. And then she turned to her father with a heartbroken look that ripped his heart out. “Why? Why do you need a girlfriend? You never had one before.” She was wondering if it was because she’d been gone. “Were you lonely?” she asked, looking sorry for him. Natalie seemed like a decent, respectable woman, but Heloise wished he’d gotten a dog instead. “You never had a girlfriend before. Why now?”
“I’ve gone out with a few women over the years,” he said to her honestly. He didn’t want to go on lying to her, and she was old enough now to know. It felt much better to be truthful. “But none of them meant anything to me,” he went on, “so I didn’t introduce them to you. But Natalie is different.”
“How?” Heloise looked panicked as she met her father’s eyes. She didn’t want to give up her place to someone else. “We have something special together. Why ruin it?”
“Natalie can’t ruin it,” Hugues said gently. He wanted to cross the room to hug her, but he didn’t. She looked like she wanted space and distance, so he respected it. “Besides, you just lived with Francois in Paris. Why can’t I have someone in my life?”
She looked even more panicked then. Natalie was even young enough to have a baby, although Heloise hoped she wouldn’t. She didn’t point out that he was fifty-three years old and Natalie was thirteen years younger. Heloise looked devastated but remained polite. She seemed shell-shocked.
Her father spoke quietly to her then. “We had some wonderful years together alone, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. But you’ve grown up. You just lived with a man for six months, and I didn’t complain about it, although it worried me. I thought you had a right to make your own decisions. Please respect mine. Natalie and I have a very nice relationship and she’s not going to take anything away from you.”
