Danielle Steel - Hotel Vendome

“So when am I going to meet her?” Natalie sounded excited at the prospect, and she wanted to get the ice-breaking over with so she could get to know her.

“How about coming for a drink tomorrow? After work.”

“That sounds perfect,” Natalie said happily. “I can’t wait. This is like meeting a celebrity or a movie star,” she said, laughing.

“She is to me,” he confirmed, but she knew that. “How about seven? If it goes well, maybe we can all go to dinner.”

“Great!”

“I miss you,” he said in a whisper. He didn’t want Heloise to hear him, although he knew she was sound asleep, but just in case.

“So do I. I love you, Hugues.” And she hoped that one day she would love his daughter too. She wanted that for all of them. She wanted to be Heloise’s friend, not stand in for her mother, which wouldn’t have felt right. More like a favorite, very close aunt.

“I love you too, Natalie,” he said gently, and a moment later they hung up. He went to stand in Heloise’s bedroom doorway for a moment. She was sleeping peacefully with a small smile on her face. He closed the door softly and walked to his bedroom with a feeling of peace he hadn’t had since she left. He knew where she was tonight, that she was safe and that he would see her at breakfast in the morning. All was well in his world.

The next morning Hugues and Heloise ordered room service for breakfast. Two waiters came upstairs to serve it instead of one, and both kissed her excitedly when they saw her and told her that the hotel wasn’t the same without her and she’d better hurry up and finish school and come back.

And after that she went out Christmas shopping, and her father insisted she take an SUV from the limo service since it was snowing, and he knew she wouldn’t find a cab.

She shopped all day, met an old school friend from the Lycee for lunch, and was back looking happy and tired at five o’clock. She bounded into her father’s office, and Jennifer looked up at her with a smile.

“It sure is nice to have you back,” Jennifer said as Heloise kissed her on the cheek on the way past her into her father’s inner office. He was signing checks at his desk, and looked up with delight when he heard her come in.

“Do I have any money left, or did you spend it all today?” he asked with a grin.

“I spent most of it. But I left you enough so you can buy me a Christmas present.” She cackled at her own joke, and he laughed.

“Oh really? What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know, something I can use at school. Like a tiara maybe, or a full-length sable coat.” Her face grew serious then. “Actually, I was going to ask you if I can have new skis. My old ones are all beaten up, and I’d love to have new ones for Gstaad.” It was a reasonable request, and one he liked.

“I was thinking of that myself.” He had also bought her a shearling parka at Bergdorf that he thought she could wear to school, and a gold bangle bracelet with her name engraved on it, and “Love, Papa” engraved inside. He had had a much harder time shopping for Natalie, who was simple and chic and appeared to have everything, and he wanted to give her something sentimental that she would wear. He had settled on an antique locket with a diamond heart on it, on a long gold chain, at Fred Leighton, and he hoped that she would like it. “Do you want to go out to dinner tonight, or just eat here?” Heloise looked embarrassed the minute he asked. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and she wanted to spend time with him, but she wanted to see her friends too. She had made dinner plans with two of them, and they were going to a party afterward in Tribeca.

“I’m sorry, Papa, I’m going out with friends. How about tomorrow night? I won’t make other plans.”

“Don’t be silly. That’s fine. Of course you want to see your pals.” He tried not to look disappointed and had to remind himself that he was not the only thing in her life, and she was young. “By the way, Natalie Peterson, the decorator, is coming over to have drinks with us at seven. She wants to meet you.”

“I’d like to meet her too, but I don’t know if I have time. We have a dinner reservation downtown at eight.”

“You don’t have to stay long. She’s thrilled you like the suite.” Heloise smiled, gathered up her packages a few minutes later, and went upstairs to get organized for that night. And Hugues tried to look calmer than he felt. He didn’t want to insist on her meeting Natalie, but it was important to him, and he was trying to act nonchalant.

When he went upstairs himself at six-thirty, Heloise was racing around the apartment wrapped in a towel, talking to a friend on her cell phone, making additional plans for that night. She waved to her father and disappeared into her own room. And the desk called him promptly at seven to tell him that Miss Peterson was downstairs. He told them to send her up.

He opened the door to her himself and didn’t dare kiss her in case Heloise ran back into the room. He whispered to Natalie instead.

“It’s a little crazy around here. She’s going out. I told her you were coming for a drink because she liked the suite so much.”

“That’s fine,” Natalie said, looking relaxed. She was used to young people Heloise’s age from her nephews and nieces. Her brother in Philadelphia had four, among them twins Heloise’s age.

He poured her a glass of champagne, and half an hour later Heloise appeared in black leggings, a black leather tunic, and toweringly high-heeled black sandals, and her hair was still wet. Hugues had never seen her wear an outfit like that before, and he couldn’t tell if the tunic was a dress or a top. She had always been much more conservative, and in the sexy outfit she looked frighteningly sophisticated and adult. A very fashionable adult, like the women in the halls of the hotel and the bar.

“This is Natalie, the interior designer who worked magic in nine-twelve,” he said as he introduced the two women, and Heloise smiled at her. She thought Natalie looked like a nice person. She had a warm, easy manner and a sincere smile.

“I really love what you did,” Heloise said truthfully as her father handed his daughter a glass of champagne and invited her to sit down. “I can only stay five minutes. I have to pick everyone up at quarter to eight, and we have to get downtown.” It had stopped snowing, but at this time of year, before Christmas, it would be hard to find a cab. She accepted the champagne anyway, sat down on the couch, and took a sip. “My father said he’s giving you more suites to do. I bet they’ll be gorgeous,” Heloise said politely, with a cool smile.

“Maybe you can help me pick the fabrics this time,” Natalie said easily, watching her. She was a very pretty girl and looked more sophisticated than she’d expected or than Hugues had described.

“That would be fun. But I’m leaving pretty soon. I’m sure you and my father will do a good job.” She glanced at her watch then with a look of panic and stood up. “I’ve gotta go,” she said to her father, kissed him on the cheek, and looked at Natalie, oblivious to anything that was going on between them. “Nice to meet you,” she said, and two seconds later they heard the front door close.

“I’m sorry,” Hugues said, looking disappointed. “I wanted you two to have a chance to talk. She wants to see her friends while she’s here. I forgot to take that into account.” Most of all, Natalie realized, he had forgotten to take into account that she had her own life now.

“It’s fine,” she said easily. “Kids don’t want to waste their time with old farts like us.”

“I may be an old fart,” he said with a smile, “but you very definitely are not.” She looked anything but in a short skirt, high heels, and a pretty blouse.