Diplomacy

looking over at Lucy. “So I guess we honored a Belgian tradition and arrived a little late.” Maria smiled warmly. “Don’t worry, Lucas. Since everything in our lives is so meticulously planned, we try to keep home life a little more chaotic and unplanned. So I apologize beforehand if things seem a little
    ‘unrehearsed’ tonight. We like to keep things relaxed when we have friends over. Jack’s elbow deep into preparing dinner, so come say hi in the kitchen and I can get you some drinks there.” Lucas and Lucy exchanged looks at being considered friends, even though they had only met briefly, but followed Maria nonetheless.
    She wasn’t kidding about Jack being elbow deep into cooking. He had his shirt sleeves rolled up and was wearing an apron, which was a good thing since he was kneading dough.
    “Lucy, Lucas, you found the place!” Jack smiled broadly.
    “Welcome! As you can see, Maria takes care of the house, but the kitchen is my domain, so forgive me for the informal greeting.” 24 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    “Oh, the man does the cooking around here. Lucas, you could pick up some pointers from Jack, then,” Lucy teased.
    “Yeah, well. I’m afraid growing up with a live-in cook didn’t do my cooking skills any good, so I had to find myself a man with hidden talents,” Maria was quick to answer as she put her arm around Jack and stole a kiss.
    Lucas felt himself go pale and hoped it wouldn’t show. What was he thinking? This man was clearly in love with his wife, and why shouldn’t he be? She was perfect, a charming hostess, complete with a sense of humor. He watched her reach up for glasses to put the home made iced tea in, but more clearly noticed the way Jack looked at her, letting his eyes ghost over her perfect female form.

    LUCY and Maria retreated to the garden, leaving Lucas in the kitchen with Jack.
    “You’re unusually quiet,” Jack inquired softly, breaking the rather uncomfortable silence.
    “So you make your own bread?” Lucas replied, since he didn’t want to answer the question.
    Jack smiled. “Yeah, that’s my party trick,” he shrugged. “Maria loves to boast to our guests that I can make bread, so she makes me do it every time.”
    “Must be quite an ordeal. Being made to perform like that…” Lucas answered, trying to crank up his sense of humor.
    “Well, what can I say, I’m a henpecked husband,” Jack snorted, still smiling. “At functions, she’s my sidekick, so at home I’m a good boy and I do what she asks.”
    Lucas could almost see them in bed together, Jack on his back and… He turned around when he realized it would never be Maria bent over Jack in his fantasies.
    “So, Lucas, I could use a hand, if you don’t mind?” The young man turned to face his host again. “Ehm, sure, but as Lucy said, I’m not a great cook.”
    “Well, wash your hands, and I’ll tell you what to do.” D i p l o m a c y | 25

    Jack could tell Lucas was nervous, but nowhere near as nervous as he was himself. It helped that he had things to do. Things that kept his eyes from wandering over the flowing, slightly on the large side silk shirt Lucas was wearing. Things that kept his hands busy (and dirty) so he wouldn’t be tempted to grab the young man as he passed behind him to wash his hands in the sink. Bury it, Christensen, he told himself as he kneaded the dough once more before it was ready for the oven.
    Lucas looked at him expectantly after returning to the counter where Jack was working.
    “Okay, we need to divide this dough into smaller pieces to make individual rolls and then shape them into little balls. Can you do that?” Jack felt the young man’s heat next to his arms as they were standing quite close to each other.
    “Ehm?”
    Jack gave him a small chunk of dough. “Just knead it gently, don’t knock the air out of it. Think of it as a woman’s breast.” Lucas chuckled, “Which in my case will make us end up with very small buns.”
    Jack knocked him playfully with his elbow, and they both laughed as they continued making the rolls.
    Jack looked up through the kitchen window towards the garden, where the two women walked through the rose garden, clearly in animated discussion.
    “They seem to be getting along just fine,” Jack tried after silence had fallen between them again.
    “Yeah, look at that… our women.”
    Jack wondered if he was just dreaming the tone of Lucas’s voice at that statement. He realized he had seen Lucy clinging