Heloise stared at him then, with a look of silent pain as tears rolled down her cheeks. “How can you do something like that? You always said you’d never get married again.” She couldn’t believe what he had just said and what he was planning to do. It was the worst news she’d ever had. And then she wanted to hurt him too.
“She’ll probably just walk out on you like Mom did,” she said with an angry look. Hugues made an effort not to react to what she said. He spoke to her quietly from across his desk.
“She’s a very different woman than your mother. I hope our marriage works, but if it doesn’t, it’ll probably be because I screw it up, not because she runs off with a rock star or anyone else. She’s a serious woman. Give her a chance. You might even get to like her too.”
Listening to him, Heloise looked sad. She was losing her father to a woman she hardly knew. She was sorry now that she had gone away to school. She was sure that if she had stayed it never would have happened. She looked heartbroken at his exciting news.
He stood up and came around the desk then, with a loving look at her. He could see how upset she was and spoke to her in a quiet tone. He had just had an idea and hoped the timing was right and that it might help. “Please go to the front desk and get the key to five-oh-two.” They walked out of his office together, and he waited for her at the elevator while she got the key from the front desk. She hadn’t asked him why. She was too upset. The assistant manager smiled when she took it. He had been wondering when her father was going to give it to her. It had been sitting empty for two months.
They rode up in the elevator together in silence and got out on five, and he took the key from her as they walked down the hall. She had no idea why he wanted her there. He unlocked it, pushed open the door, switched on a light, and waved her inside. She walked in and glanced around the room. She could tell that it had been recently decorated. The living room was all done in oatmeal and sand colors. And the bedroom was a delicate shade of pale pink. The fabrics were beautiful. She liked the paintings, and the rooms still smelled of paint. It had an open airy feel to it, and the sun was streaming through the windows.
“It’s very nice,” she said in a flat tone, “and I like the paintings. Am I supposed to be admiring Natalie’s decorating, or is there something you want me to do?” As she asked him, he handed her the key.
“I’ve been waiting to show this to you for two months.”
“Why?”
“Because I had it done for you. It’s yours, whenever you want it. You can stay upstairs in the apartment if you like, but I thought you might like some privacy too. You led a pretty independent life in Paris, and if you want to do the same here, I thought you might like your own place. I’m not pushing you out of the apartment, but whenever you want this, it’s yours. Keep the key.” He could see her face slowly come to life and the excitement in her eyes when he said it, and she didn’t know what to say, and then a worried look crossed her eyes.
“Is this a bribe because you’re getting married?”
“No, Natalie started working on this for you in October. I only decided to marry her two weeks ago.”
“I wish you hadn’t,” she said sadly, and he pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug.
“I promise you, it will be all right. And you’re never going to lose me, no matter what.” He stood there holding her, as tears slid down her cheeks. He hated causing her pain, but he knew that marrying Natalie was right. “You can move into this apartment whenever you want. Or if you prefer, you can stay upstairs with us. And maybe you just want to entertain your friends here. But if you stay upstairs, I expect you to be polite to Natalie.” He was making it very clear to her. She didn’t say a word for a long moment and then she stopped crying and smiled at him. She was touched by what he’d done for her.
“Thank you, Papa. It’s a beautiful apartment, and I love it.” She gave him a hug then and a kiss on the cheek. She was obviously torn between being devastated and being excited about her new apartment. Her emotions had been on a roller coaster since she got home. She couldn’t wait to invite her friends over to see her new rooms, and she hated to leave now and go back to work. She walked around again and loved everything she saw. She was trying to forget that he was going to marry Natalie and to enjoy the gift. “I really like the paintings,” she said finally. They were great: contemporary, bright, and young.
“I picked them all for you,” he said gently. “I’m glad you like it. I would have been really disappointed if you didn’t,” he told her honestly.
“I’m still mad at you for marrying Natalie,” she said, equally honest with him, but the fire had gone out of her. She was in shock. She had never expected him to marry again.
“I know you are. I hope you get over it one day. Will you be my witness?” he asked her with a serious look.
“Maybe.” She looked sad again then, glancing around her new apartment. “She’s a very good decorator. But you don’t need a wife. You have me.”
“And I always will. A daughter can’t be replaced. But you’re not going to stick around forever. It’s nice for me to have companionship in my old age. And I love her. But I love you too and always will.” Heloise nodded as she listened and slipped the key to her apartment in her uniform pocket, as though she were afraid he would take it away because she had been so angry at him for the past many weeks.
“Thank you. I love the apartment.”
“Good,” her father said as he put an arm around her shoulders. “And I love you. Now get back to work.” She smiled as he said it, and they went back downstairs. Everyone at the desk was smiling. They knew where they had been, from the moment she took the key.
“What do you think?” the assistant manager asked Heloise, and she smiled broadly.
“It’s very cool.” She glanced at her father, and he smiled as he walked away. And he called Natalie to tell her all about it after that.
“Did she like it?”
“Are you kidding? She loved it. I told her we’re getting married, and I wanted her to know that she doesn’t have to live with us if she doesn’t want to. She can move downstairs to her own place if she prefers. And she won’t feel as displaced. She can do whatever she wants.”
“Was she furious that we’re getting married?” Natalie asked, still sounding nervous. She didn’t want the stepdaughter from hell living with her for the rest of her life, or even the next six months.
“I think she was more shocked. She’ll adjust,” he said confidently. “I think seeing her own apartment was a good distraction. She loved it. She also told me that sooner or later you’ll get smart and leave me for a rock star too.” He was smiling as he said it. It had been a childish thing to say.
“How awful,” Natalie said. “I’d never do that to you.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” It had been quite a morning, and he felt drained. He hoped that Heloise would start to calm down now and get to know Natalie. It would be good for her to have a stable woman in her life too, not just him. Natalie was going to be a blessing for them both.
“I asked her to be my witness,” he told her then.
“What did she say?”
“She said maybe. That’s the best we can hope for right now. By July she’ll have calmed down.”
“I called my brother and he said he’d give me away. Now I have to find a dress.” Their wedding was only five months away, and there was a lot to plan.
“You should talk to the catering manager as soon as possible,” he told her. “She’s a great girl. And we have to set a date. Fortunately, in July, the ballroom isn’t usually too booked. Everyone wants to get married in May and June, on Valentine’s Day, or at Christmas.” But they both liked the idea of July. “Where do you want to go on our honeymoon, by the way?” Having told Heloise, now they could make plans.
“Someplace pretty,” she said innocently. “You decide.” And as she said it, he knew just the place. The One & Only Palmilla in Baja, California. He sent guests there all the time, and everyone loved it. It was the height of luxury and a perfect place for a honeymoon. Either that or the Hotel du Cap in Cap d’Antibes. But he thought Baja sounded like more fun.
“Thank you for doing such a nice job on Heloise’s apartment. One day she’ll thank you, but maybe not just yet.”
“She doesn’t need to thank me. It was your idea, and you paid me to do it. She should thank you.”
“She did,” he said, smiling, as he sat at his desk. They talked for a few more minutes and hung up, and Jennifer walked in a few minutes later with papers for him to sign and a cappuccino, and he smiled at her.
“Thank you for the excellent suggestion,” he said to her. “I asked Natalie to marry me last night. It was all your idea, and it worked out very well. She said yes, and we’re getting married in July. If we can get a date for the ballroom.”
“I think I have connections, and maybe I can help you,” she teased him. “And congratulations to both of you. Or best wishes to the bride. Have you told Heloise yet?” she asked, trying not to look worried.
“I just did.”
“Was she all right with it?”
“No. But she will be. It was a shock.” Jennifer wasn’t surprised to hear it, but she was glad Hugues had followed her advice.
Jennifer smiled as he signed the papers, and she left the room with them. She was happy for him. And she was absolutely certain that Natalie was the perfect woman for him. And once they got Heloise on board, it would be smooth sailing for them after that. She was excited about their plans. And hopefully Heloise would get used to the idea soon. Jennifer was happy too that Heloise was getting the mother figure she had needed for so long. Natalie was what they both needed, whether Heloise knew it or not.
Chapter 17
THE MONTHS LEADING up to Hugues and Natalie’s wedding, and Heloise’s graduation, were hectic for all of them. Natalie was trying to run a business, plan a wedding, have a relationship, and make peace with a stepdaughter who continued to wage a cold war against her and ignored her anytime she was in the same room. It was stressful to say the least. Hugues was trying to be patient and reassure both of them, but nothing he said or did changed Heloise’s refusal to acknowledge Natalie or accept her as her father’s future wife. She ignored her pointedly. She refused to have anything to do with the wedding, which left Natalie to handle it with the catering manager, the florist, and a wedding consultant on her own.
Heloise was using her new apartment to entertain friends regularly and admitted that she loved it. But she was continuing to live upstairs with her father in her old room, which meant that she and Natalie ran into each other frequently whenever Natalie came over to have dinner with him, or they were in the apartment going over wedding plans. He spent the night at Natalie’s whenever he could. And all he could do with Heloise was keep her as busy as possible in her internship at the hotel to distract her from the wedding. He frequently had her working double shifts, long hours, and late nights, and he moved her from department to department, so she would learn different aspects of the business. It was what the Ecole Hoteliere expected him to do, and he had assured them, when they agreed to let her do her internship with him, that he would make no allowances for her because she was his daughter.
Heloise had a tendency to assume that she knew everything because she had grown up in the hotel, and she still had much to learn about the business. But everyone agreed that she was a hard worker, willing to do anything she was asked, and diligent about her work.
Her father was proud of her, but the one area where Heloise would not relent was Natalie. She had told him finally that she wasn’t coming to the wedding, neither as witness nor as guest, and Hugues didn’t insist. He didn’t want to make it worse by pushing her and was hoping she would calm down by July. He still wanted her as his witness.
By the time Heloise was due to go back to Lausanne for her graduation, it was obvious that Natalie wasn’t welcome there, and she said she didn’t mind, as she had too much to do at home. The wedding was scheduled on the Saturday of the July 4 weekend, on July 7, which was the only day the ballroom had been free. Heloise’s only comment about it was that it was fine with her, since everyone they invited would be away for the long weekend and she hoped no one would come.
Her graduation and twenty-first birthday party was to be held in the same room three weeks before, on June 15. She was looking forward to it, as was everyone in the hotel, and it wasn’t a surprise this time. Heloise was planning it herself, working closely with Sally, the catering manager who was also handling the wedding. Heloise refused to hear their plans and refused to speak to Sally or Jan about it.
Heloise’s evaluations from her internship were excellent. Her style, her dedication, her judgment, and her way of dealing with guests and co-workers had all been highly praised. And her meticulous attention to detail and innate sense for the hotel business had been noted by all of her supervisors. Her years of following her father around the hotel had served her well. The only consistent criticism was that she was a little too independent and inclined to make decisions on her own. They felt she was less of a team player than destined for management one day, which was where she was headed anyway. And she would be joining the hotel’s regular internship program, working in reception and filling in with the concierge, as soon as she got back from Lausanne. And most of the guests who had already seen her at the desk had no idea that she was the owner’s daughter. She followed the same rules and guidelines about dealing with the guests as all the other employees, and she wore the same sober uniform, which was a dark blue suit for women that Hugues had had designed for them, and morning coat and striped trousers for the men. And there were rigorous standards for the appearance of the employees. She always wore her bright red hair pulled back in a neat bun on duty, and very little makeup, which was typical of her anyway.
Heloise was flying to Geneva a week before graduation, and her father was planning to arrive four days later. She wanted a little time with her classmates in Lausanne before he got there, and she stopped in at his office the morning she left. As usual, he was signing checks.