Diplomacy

managed to split the egg. Young man, you have hidden talents!! You’re going to make this pie for me, while I whip up the egg white.” Jack reached into the fridge. “But first, my dear spectators, this is something I prepared earlier.” He took the cling film off a carefully rolled up circle of dough already on the baking paper.
    “Lucas, take the blueberries, put them in a bowl, add three tablespoons of sugar and the zest of one lemon.” Maria was already getting Lucas the lemon and the zester. He raised one eyebrow as he turned to the young Brit. “Don’t tell me I have to show you how to use a zester?”
    Lucas gave him a desperate look. “Okay, you mix the ingredients, I’ll zest the lemon. Lucy? Can you whip up the egg white, please?” With hands that were clearly more experienced than Lucas’s, Jack proceeded to use the curious implement to take off tiny strips of the outer layer of the lemon peel.
    Jack turned to check if the oven was hot, then clapped his hands and looked at Lucas, who was enjoying this even though he didn’t look completely at ease.
    “Okay, chef, let’s assemble this pie. Baking tray, pie crust. Use a fork to punch little holes in the center.”

    D i p l o m a c y | 33

    Lucas followed the instructions after which Jack turned to Lucy.
    “Bottom is a layer of whipped up egg white. Then add the berries.” He waited until Lucas emptied his bowl. “Now comes the hard part.”
    He winked at Lucas, standing close to him, like they had been standing before in the kitchen, only now he put his arm around the Brit’s shoulder while he pointed at the full baking tray. “We have to close the crust around the berries. Make a nice pouch.” Jack looked up at the two women and their amused faces as Lucas proceeded to fold the sides of the dough over the berries, sealing them in. He felt how tense Lucas was and figuring the women’s eyes were trained on what Lucas was doing, lowered his hand, gently stroking down Lucas’s back. Jack could see the young man look at him hopefully and smiled. He then pointed at the pie again.
    “Make sure there are no holes, otherwise the juices will flow out and that would be a pity.”
    Lucas playfully patted the dough here and there to make sure.
    “Now ‘le moment supreme’ . To give it a nice color we brush some of the yolk over the top and then put it in the oven. In about twenty-five minutes, we’ll have the best blueberry pie Lucas has ever made.” 34 | Z a h r a O w e n s

Chapter Six
    WORK was incredibly busy that week and by Friday afternoon, Jack was happy that he could finally go over his correspondence in the peace and relative quiet of his own office. In fact, it was the first time this week he was in his office long enough to actually sit behind his desk.
    There was an opening of an art exhibition he would have to attend tonight, but for now he was content to just sit there going through the many letters and documents that required his attention.
    His secretary quietly entered his office carrying a tray of coffee and cake with a folder under her arm.
    “There you go, Mr. Christensen. Nice of you to drop by the office.” She smiled at him cheekily. Since she was the one keeping his appointment book, she knew exactly what he had been up to all week, and she knew he had spent most of it in the back of his chauffeur driven car being taken from one meeting to another.
    She handed him the folder after she had put down his coffee tray.
    “This is the draft of the legislation on same sex marriages they are trying to get approved in the Chamber and Senate and an overview of debates preceding it, complete with any polls I could dig up on how the Belgians feel about it. Frankly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about, but I don’t suppose my opinion is important here.”
    Jack was amused. She was a deadly efficient secretary and sometimes he felt she could read his mind. This case was no different. He had asked his legal team to get him the draft, but it was Mrs. Claessens who had added the debates and polls, knowing he would be interested in more than just the new law. Her professional demeanor meant she could D i p l o m a c y | 35

    not give her opinion, but since she was Belgian and therefore a citizen of only the second country in the world to consider allowing same sex marriage to become legal, he was interested in knowing what she thought about a subject he knew was a very sensitive issue in his own country.
    “Come on, Mrs.