Free Saving The Game by Constance Bright Page B

the situation but I must be married to him to do so. Is your contact still in place and ready for my call?"
    Van Meer narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "He is ready and is waiting for your call, yes. You will fix this?" The last statement a command rather than a question.
    "I will take care of it, Papa." Lucille stood up. "I have a few more things to finish here before my flight."
    Van Meer looked his daughter in the eye. "I trust you to take care of it. You will not disappoint me, Lucille."
    Turning towards the thick oak door to her father's office and walking with full composure she stated simply, "I have not disappointed you yet, Papa." She exited the room and closed the heavy door behind her noiselessly.
    Van Meer stared at the empty chair where Lucille had sat. "This is true. Not yet." He stood and walked to his desk. Pressing a button on his phone he told his secretary to connect him to the secure line.
     
    ******
     
    James  relaxed in one of the leather-upholstered chairs in the large bay window of his office in his upstate New York mansion. Outside it was a warm early summer evening and the western sky glowed orange behind the line of beech trees across the far side of the vast lawn. The office remained at a perfect 68 degrees, the entire mansion having centralized air conditioning.
    His former body guard and now one of his best friends, Arthur, occupied the other burgundy leather chair and he raised his glass of bourbon. "Congratulations, Jim."
    James raised his glass and commented, "You don't exactly look overjoyed, Art."
    "We've both been here before, Jim. I do hope Lucille's the one; from what you've told me she sounds terrific. I guess...I don't know, Jim; maybe it's because I haven't met her and out of the blue I find out that you're getting married...again."
    James smiled and sipped his drink. "You been talking to Karen recently? You sound just like her."
    Arthur laughed,  "Haven't seen her in weeks, actually. She's got about a thousand friends for each day of the week. It is true, though, that both of us have learned a great deal about business, and the care and feeding of it, from you; so it doesn't surprise me that she's voiced her opinion about what has come before the company gets sliced down the middle twice before.  But, hey, you had a prenup made out and it didn't seem to bother Lucille--in fact, it protects her as much as you--so, yes, I am happy for you. Like I said, Jim, when I meet her in person she'll probably seem more like the perfect match that you describe her to be."
    "Believe it or not, Art, I had the exact same reservations as the both of you. I didn't want to think of her that way but, I admit, I was relieved when she came forward and told me that she was a Van Meer and had only kept her former husband's name to fly under the radar, as they say. I already had my mind made up to get a prenup this time around but I couldn't think of a way of telling her without it looking like it reflected badly on her. Then she tells me that her father is Bram Van Meer and I saw an opening. A prenup would be best for both of us. I hope she didn't see how eased I was when she told me." he squinted out the window at the glowing beech trees.
    "You lucked out there then. I can see how it made it a lot easier to broach the subject of a prenup." Arthur said, looking at his friend.
    Still gazing out the window, James commented, "Yes, I suppose I was lucky. I really can't say if I would have ever got up the nerve to ask for a prenup if events didn't turn out this way."
    Still looking at his friend, soon to be married again, who was staring at the sunset, Arthur made his own comment, "You do love her, Jim. I see that now more than ever. She really must be an amazing woman."
    "I do." James looked from the window to his friend and smiled warmly. "And she is."
    The two friends continued to drink and talk long into the night.
     
    ******
     
    Lucille was alone in the back of one of the Van Meer family