Diplomacy

would have been impossible to fool.

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Chapter Twenty-Five
    LUCAS was on the phone to Liz, trying at the same time to clear away some of the toys thrown all over the floor, when he heard the doorbell.
    “Listen, there’s someone at the door. Hang on while I go see who it is.”
    With the phone caught between his shoulder and his ear, he stuffed a teddy bear and a Furby under his arm and looked through the spy hole.
    He didn’t recognize the woman with the blond ponytail standing with her back to the door, but since the doorman had cleared her, he opened it anyway.
    The petite woman turned around to face him and he gasped. “Oh my God, Liz, I’ll get back to you later.” Lucas ended the call and dropped the phone on the hall table.
    “Maria, I … I didn’t expect you here. Ehm, Jack’s not home yet; he told me you were meeting in town later tonight?”
    “Yes, we are. Can I come in?”
    Lucas moved away from the doorway to let her enter, not failing to notice that she looked amazing as she opened her warm winter coat to reveal tight jeans and a white turtleneck sweater.
    “I didn’t come here to talk to Jack; I wanted to see you.” Her voice was calm, but Lucas could hear just a hint of nerves.
    She looked around the apartment and smiled. “I like what you’ve done to the place. It feels very lived in. Not like when Jack’s parents were still alive and this was only a place to spend Christmas holidays.” D i p l o m a c y | 193

    Lucas was unsure how to react as he stood there, still hugging his daughter’s toys. “So why did you want to see me?” He was sure the coolness in his voice was clear to her. The last time they had spoken was at the hospital when she threatened to ruin Jack’s career if Lucas didn’t leave her husband alone.
    “Listen, Lucas, I’m sure I’m probably your least favorite person on the planet, but…” All of a sudden she no longer looked like the women he had hated so much in Brussels. She was standing in his living room in her parka and he was seeing her as Jack had described her all along: as a kind, but very determined woman, who had her heart in the right place. What harm would it do if he was nice to her? Jack had told Lucas he was meeting Maria and had reassured him that she wasn’t going to steal him back.
    “Why don’t I make us a cup of tea and we can talk?” He gestured to her to give him her coat and they made their way to the kitchen. A few minutes later, they both held steaming cups of tea, and Lucas was apologizing for the mess.
    “I was just clearing up around here. Three kids in the house doesn’t make that any easier.”
    Maria’s eyes went wide and as if by command, AnnElise darted into the kitchen, running behind the table and coming up behind Lucas’s legs. She pulled on his trouser leg and whispered. “Who is this?” Lucas smiled at her and picked her up. “AnnElise, this is Maria; she’s a very good friend of Jack’s.”
    “Is she coming to play with Jack?” The little girl asked seriously.
    Both Lucas and Maria had a hard time keeping a straight face. “No, she’s going out to dinner with him tonight, while I stay home with you and Emile and Charlie. Will you be nice and say hi to her?” AnnElise wiggled until Lucas set her back on the floor and then walked over to Maria, her right hand extended. “Hello, I am AnnElise Carlton. Nice to meet you.”
    Maria took the girl’s small hand in hers and shook it. “Hello AnnElise Carlton, I’m Maria Donnelly.”
    The little girl giggled, retracted her hand, and ran out of the kitchen.

    194 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    Lucas looked apologetic. “Well, she’s four, we can’t stop her giggling and running off yet.”
    “She’s gorgeous, Lucas. How’s Lucy? She is Lucy’s, isn’t she?” Lucas was a little taken aback by Maria’s reaction, but there was none of the reproach he had expected. “Yeah, she is. Lucy’s fine; she’s married to some heir to a supermarket chain, who doesn’t know she has a daughter. Lucy gave me a lovely little girl and I’ll always be grateful for that, but she wants nothing to do with AnnElise and as sad as that is, I can’t help feeling it’s for the best.” He didn’t want to elaborate on how Lucy had almost given his daughter up for adoption.
    “Well, there’s no mistaking her for anyone else but your daughter, she even acts like you. The way she introduced herself was just charming.”
    Lucas smiled softly.