Hotel Vendome

Chapter 11

WHEN NATALIE CAME back to New York the day after Christmas, Hugues said he was taking Heloise to the theater that night. It was the most successful new play of the season, and they both wanted to see it. He would have loved to invite Natalie, but he didn’t dare. He had realized on Christmas Eve that there was no way he could tell Heloise about his romance with Natalie before she left. Not after what she had said that night, about wanting to be the only woman in his life. In light of that, Natalie was not likely to be a good surprise. And he didn’t want to risk it.

He didn’t see Natalie again until the night Heloise left, which had been a sorrowful parting for them. He had promised to come to Europe for her Easter vacation and take her to Rome. It was almost four months away, which was a long time for them both, but it would have been hard for him to get away before that, and she was busy with school in Lausanne.

Her eyes filled with tears when he left her at the airport, and he choked up, and he had the car stop at Natalie’s apartment on the way back. She was surprised to see him. She had tried not to be upset about how busy and unavailable he had been while Heloise was there. The last time she had seen him was for lunch on Christmas Eve, six days before, which was a long span for them to be apart.

“Do you hate me?” he asked, as he followed her into the apartment when she let him in.

“Don’t be silly. Why would I hate you?” She smiled at him, but she seemed cooler to him than the last time he’d seen her, when they exchanged their gifts. He was happy to observe that she was wearing the locket he had given her.

“Because I didn’t tell my daughter about us?” he answered her question. He felt guilty about it, and a little bit dishonest with Heloise. “After church on Christmas Eve, she told me that she loves being the only woman in my life. It was tough trying to tell her about you after that. I think she’ll need more time to adjust to it than a few days before she leaves. You’re going to be a big surprise to her.”

“I was hoping to be a good one,” Natalie said, still looking disappointed, “not a major trauma.” It was an unpleasant situation to be in and not the role she wanted. She wanted to make friends with Heloise, not destroy her life. “When are you seeing her again?”

“Not till Easter. I’m taking her to Rome for her school vacation. Maybe I can tell her then.”

“And not before?”

“I don’t think I should say something like that over the phone or by e-mail. And by then we’ll have spent more time together, which isn’t such a bad thing,” he rationalized. If the relationship had fallen apart by then, then he wouldn’t have to tell her at all and would never have upset her. Natalie understood the implication.

“Why? So I can audition?” She was starting to look angry then and seriously upset. She had no intention of auditioning for him. She loved him and believed that he loved her.

“You don’t have to audition for me,” he said, looking upset. “You have to understand, my daughter virtually never had a mother. I’m all she has in terms of family. Anyone entering that inner circle is bound to be a threat to her. You know how kids are.” He was struggling to justify a most unusual situation, and although Natalie was sensitive to it, not all the component parts made sense to her.

“She’s not a kid, Hugues,” Natalie said quietly. “She’s nineteen. Some people have their own children by then. My mother did. And I am trying to understand it, but it’s a weird situation for me. I don’t like being a secret. We’re not doing anything wrong, and it puts a huge burden on us. We can’t even move around the hotel freely, in case someone tells her. That’s not how I live. I’m an honest woman, and I love you. I’m willing to make allowances for this, but I want you to know that I’m not going to stay hidden forever.” She was being totally clear with him.

“And I don’t want you to,” he insisted. “Just give me till Easter. I’ll tell her when I’m in Europe with her. I promise.” She smiled at him slowly then. It was a bit of a crazy situation, but sometimes life was crazy. “Do you still love me?” he asked as he moved closer to her, and she smiled at him.

“Yes, I do. If I didn’t, all this wouldn’t be a problem. I love you very much, and I want to lead a normal, open life with you, so I can show off and be your woman. I’m very proud to be with you.” She had told her family about him over Christmas, and her older brother was pleased for her. He had never liked the man she’d lived with and thought he was a jerk. Hugues sounded like a good guy to him. Her brother, James, was a banker in Philadelphia, and his wife, Jean, was a lawyer, and they had four really great kids. They were a close-knit family, and they were happy to know that she was no longer alone.

Hugues sent the car and driver back to the hotel then and spent the rest of the evening trying to make it up to her for how inattentive he had been for the past two weeks, and not telling Heloise about them, and an hour later they were in her bed, making love. He spent the night with her and was planning to spend New Year’s Eve with her. He wanted to see the new year in with her and start it off right. They had already agreed to spend it at her place after he got their New Year’s festivities organized at the hotel. They always had revelers in the bar that night, a formal dinner in the restaurant, and later guests who’d had too much to drink weaving as they crossed the lobby. Some of them had to be helped to their rooms. And as long as Heloise didn’t know about them, Hugues and Natalie were trying to be discreet, which she didn’t like. Hiding their romance seemed like a lot of trouble to both of them and dishonest, but they agreed that it was the wisest course if they didn’t want hotel employees to let the cat out of the bag.

He left her and went back to his office the next morning. Hers was closed for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but his office was never closed. And they always doubled their security on New Year’s Eve in case too many of their guests got drunk, or someone got out of control. He would have preferred to be at the hotel that night, but he wanted to be with her, so he had agreed to spend the night at her place. He came back at nine o’clock that night and brought caviar, lobsters, and champagne with him in an ice chest. They lay on the couch, eating a feast, and made love at the stroke of midnight. It was the perfect way to see in the new year.