had been.
“Are you okay? No one’s bothering you?” He didn’t want one of Greg’s rock star friends coming on to her, although he trusted Heloise to handle it. But he was concerned that no one would protect her there. She led a very sheltered life at home. She had a hotel full of hotel employees to keep an eye on her.
“I’m fine. It’s just the whole music rock star scene.” She had tried to talk to Arielle and Joey that morning, but she couldn’t seem to connect with them either, although she made an effort. But they were so disjointed and used to such a different life than hers. She was very square compared to all of them.
“Are they doing drugs?” Hugues sounded worried. He didn’t trust his ex-wife or her husband.
“I don’t know,” Heloise lied to him. “It’s okay. I just haven’t seen them in a while, and it’s kind of a shock after Bordeaux.” It had been so easy and so much fun for her there, even more than she’d hoped.
“Well, if it gets too strange, just leave. You can tell your mother we had an emergency here and you had to come home. You can fly out from Nice.”
“Don’t worry, Papa. I’m a big girl,” she reassured him. “I’ll see how it goes. I can always stay in Paris for a couple of days on the way home.” Two of her friends from school were there that summer, staying with relatives.
“I don’t want you going to Paris alone. Maybe it’ll be okay in St. Tropez. Give it a chance,” he said fairly, with no idea what was going on around her, and Heloise didn’t tell him since she didn’t want him to worry, and he would have.
By that night Heloise was more uncomfortable than ever. Everyone was drunk, doing coke, and having sex in every room available, including Greg and her mother with another couple, which they announced to everyone before the foursome went upstairs. It was more than she wanted to deal with, or know about her mother, and she was embarrassed to be there. She felt like she was in way over her head, although no one was trying to seduce her. Some of Greg’s friends had come on to her, but they had realized she was too square. And she felt no connection with her half-brother and -sister, who were bratty and badly behaved, and sadly, she felt even less connection with her mother, who was a creature from another world. She was even less mature than Heloise, and the only person she seemed to care about was Greg. She appeared to have lost interest in her other children too and paid no attention to them.
Heloise stayed for two more days and then quietly decided to pull the plug on her stay in St. Tropez. It was just too awkward, and she was spending no time with her mother. And it was unnerving to be there, with everyone doing drugs. She felt sorry for her half-brother and -sister growing up in an atmosphere like that. Heloise didn’t call to tell her father she was leaving, because she didn’t want to worry him and didn’t want him to make her come home. She wanted to go to Paris first. She told her mother that she had to get back earlier than planned, and Miriam didn’t object or even ask her why. She could see how unhappy Heloise was, and as far as Miriam was concerned, she wasn’t much fun to have around.
Heloise left the next morning, when everyone was still in bed, and left them a note thanking them. She took a taxi to Nice, which cost her two hundred dollars, and flew to Paris. She was in the city by four o’clock and looked up a youth hostel in an old convent in the Marais, in the fourth arrondissement. She took a taxi to get there. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and seemed appropriate, with wholesome-looking young people hanging around outside with backpacks on. Some of them were American and said hello to her when she walked in. There were several British kids and Australians, a few Italians, and two boys from Japan. Heloise was able to get a bed in a double room for very little money.
It was the size of a closet, but she was
“Are you okay? No one’s bothering you?” He didn’t want one of Greg’s rock star friends coming on to her, although he trusted Heloise to handle it. But he was concerned that no one would protect her there. She led a very sheltered life at home. She had a hotel full of hotel employees to keep an eye on her.
“I’m fine. It’s just the whole music rock star scene.” She had tried to talk to Arielle and Joey that morning, but she couldn’t seem to connect with them either, although she made an effort. But they were so disjointed and used to such a different life than hers. She was very square compared to all of them.
“Are they doing drugs?” Hugues sounded worried. He didn’t trust his ex-wife or her husband.
“I don’t know,” Heloise lied to him. “It’s okay. I just haven’t seen them in a while, and it’s kind of a shock after Bordeaux.” It had been so easy and so much fun for her there, even more than she’d hoped.
“Well, if it gets too strange, just leave. You can tell your mother we had an emergency here and you had to come home. You can fly out from Nice.”
“Don’t worry, Papa. I’m a big girl,” she reassured him. “I’ll see how it goes. I can always stay in Paris for a couple of days on the way home.” Two of her friends from school were there that summer, staying with relatives.
“I don’t want you going to Paris alone. Maybe it’ll be okay in St. Tropez. Give it a chance,” he said fairly, with no idea what was going on around her, and Heloise didn’t tell him since she didn’t want him to worry, and he would have.
By that night Heloise was more uncomfortable than ever. Everyone was drunk, doing coke, and having sex in every room available, including Greg and her mother with another couple, which they announced to everyone before the foursome went upstairs. It was more than she wanted to deal with, or know about her mother, and she was embarrassed to be there. She felt like she was in way over her head, although no one was trying to seduce her. Some of Greg’s friends had come on to her, but they had realized she was too square. And she felt no connection with her half-brother and -sister, who were bratty and badly behaved, and sadly, she felt even less connection with her mother, who was a creature from another world. She was even less mature than Heloise, and the only person she seemed to care about was Greg. She appeared to have lost interest in her other children too and paid no attention to them.
Heloise stayed for two more days and then quietly decided to pull the plug on her stay in St. Tropez. It was just too awkward, and she was spending no time with her mother. And it was unnerving to be there, with everyone doing drugs. She felt sorry for her half-brother and -sister growing up in an atmosphere like that. Heloise didn’t call to tell her father she was leaving, because she didn’t want to worry him and didn’t want him to make her come home. She wanted to go to Paris first. She told her mother that she had to get back earlier than planned, and Miriam didn’t object or even ask her why. She could see how unhappy Heloise was, and as far as Miriam was concerned, she wasn’t much fun to have around.
Heloise left the next morning, when everyone was still in bed, and left them a note thanking them. She took a taxi to Nice, which cost her two hundred dollars, and flew to Paris. She was in the city by four o’clock and looked up a youth hostel in an old convent in the Marais, in the fourth arrondissement. She took a taxi to get there. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and seemed appropriate, with wholesome-looking young people hanging around outside with backpacks on. Some of them were American and said hello to her when she walked in. There were several British kids and Australians, a few Italians, and two boys from Japan. Heloise was able to get a bed in a double room for very little money.
It was the size of a closet, but she was
Similar Books
