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 Lycée 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 François 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.”

But she already had. Heloise knew that she had lost a part of her father to her. Things weren’t the same. She was no longer the only woman in his life. She wanted to crawl back into the womb.

He spoke to her very clearly then, seeing all that she felt in her eyes. “You’re not going to lose me. You never could. No one is ever going to replace you. There is room for all of us here.” He said it with enormous love for her in his eyes.

“No, there isn’t!” she said with tears in hers. It was the worst shock she’d ever had, since she didn’t remember her mother leaving. “I’m going back to France,” she said, pacing around the room, and although he didn’t feel it, Hugues tried to appear calm.

“No, you’re not. You have an internship to do here. You won’t get your diploma without it. And besides, this is your home.”

“Well, it’s not hers. I don’t want to see her around here.”

“I’m not going to hide her from you, Heloise. I respect you both too much. I should have told you a year ago, and I didn’t. It was a big mistake, and I’m not going to do that again. I hope you’ll get used to the idea, and to Natalie. She wants to be your friend.”

“I have enough friends. I don’t need her. She’s twice my age.” He didn’t say anything and waited for her to calm down, and instead she grabbed her coat, turned to look at him, and said, “Thank you for ruining my life.” With tears running down her face, she ran out of the apartment and slammed the door. He was sure she was going to one of her friends to complain about him, but at least he had finally told her. Now she had to make the adjustment to Natalie being in his life. And he knew it might take her a while. He wasn’t shocked by what she said, just sad for her.

He called Natalie later that morning and repeated the conversation to her, without the comment about ruining her life. He had been true to his word. He had told Heloise at last and got the reaction he had expected. She was grateful it wasn’t worse.

“How is she?” Natalie asked, sounding worried. She hoped it hadn’t been too bad, for either of them.

“She’s very angry at the moment. And probably scared, and hurt. She’ll get over it. She just needs a little time.” He sounded confident and calm now that he had done it.

Heloise slept at a friend’s that night, and on Christmas she was still not speaking to him. Natalie was at her brother’s in Philadelphia, as she was every year for Christmas, so he didn’t ask her to join them, which was just as well. It was a very tense Christmas. Heloise refused to have dinner with him and worked at the front desk instead.