She could hardly wait for the guests who stayed there to comment on what they’d done, particularly those who had stayed in the suite before. They got so much return business that most of his best clients knew the suite well and were upset that it was unavailable right now. All of them said that they had loved it before, and the reservations manager assured them that they would like it even better once it was redone. Hugues and Natalie both hoped that would be true.
“There’s an art show at the Armory this weekend,” Hugues commented as they finished lunch. As always, it was delicious, and even if just sandwiches, the hotel’s kitchen and restaurant had added all the little flourishes and touches that they were famous for. “Would you like to go?” he asked her. He was looking for every excuse now to spend time with her, even if it meant redecorating the entire hotel. He was totally smitten with her.
“That sounds like fun.” She smiled at him, finishing the last of their lunch. “I’d love to find you a new painting for the lobby, something strong,” she said pensively, and explained to him exactly where, as he glanced at her with a pleased expression. He had the feeling that she was falling in love with the hotel, just as he had. She was, but she was falling in love with him as well.
“I can’t wait till Heloise sees the new suite,” he said with a delighted expression.
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Natalie added, “although I have to admit I’m nervous about it. She’s a legend in this hotel, much more than even Eloise at the Plaza.”
“Everybody here loves her,” Hugues admitted. “They’ve seen her grow up since she was a baby, and they were wonderful to her when she was a little kid. They still are. She used to push the carts around with the maids, and she was always in the basement hanging out in the kitchen, or following the engineers. I used to worry that she’d want to be a plumber when she grew up. You have to be a jack of all trades in this business and wear a lot of different hats.” Natalie knew he did.
“How do you suppose she’ll feel about our seeing each other, aside from just decorating the suite?” It had crossed Natalie’s mind several times in the past month, since he had started asking her out. It hadn’t gone further than dinner and some very enticing kisses so far, but his daughter was so much a part of his life, and so much of a central focus for him, that she knew whether or not his daughter liked her would matter to him a great deal. And Heloise had had her father to herself for a long time.
“I think we just need to let that develop over time. She’s a big girl now, with her own life, and this French boyfriend I’m worried about. I think she’s ready to let me have my own life.” Heloise had never stopped him. She just hadn’t known about the women he went out with. But it would be different if he introduced Heloise and Natalie to each other. It was a big step for him.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Natalie said as she leaned toward him, and he kissed her. She slipped into his arms then, and they kissed for a long time. The bond between them was slowly deepening and the attraction growing stronger, but they both wanted to let things happen naturally. Neither of them was rushing it, and both had been burned before, so they were cautious about who they got involved with. And she was a very different woman than the casual encounters he had had for many years. She was becoming important to him. And Natalie wanted to take her time and let things unfold, which was comfortable for Hugues as well. They were in no rush, and they both felt that if this were meant to be, and a relationship were to develop, it would blossom at the right time. She knew his resistance to marriage and commitment. They were having fun with each other and discovering new things about each other every day. She wasn’t asking for anything more, and Hugues liked that about her too.
“I guess I’d better get back to work,” Hugues said regretfully as things started heating up between them. “I’m having trouble with my head sommelier, and I don’t want to lose him. I promised to meet with him to discuss it. Not to mention a disability claim one of the engineers is making, and threatening to sue me.” He looked unhappy about it. He had only been sued once by a guest in the past fourteen years, who had fallen in the bathtub and cut herself badly. She’d been drinking, and the fault was her own, but Hugues had settled to avoid bad publicity for the hotel, since the woman in question was well known.
