Spice Of Love (Phoneix 2)

Chapter 5

Emily had everything packed and was ready to move into his house as planned the day before. However, James was preoccupied examining the contract paperwork when Emily placed a cup of coffee from Sip & Dip cafe on his table.

He was taken aback by her gesture. "Did you get me a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah!" She said as she sat down in front of her desk.

"Why?" He asked her, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind her actions.

"Because I am naturally a pleasant person who always brings you coffee." She stated with a sweet smile on her face.

James could feel that Emily was trying to cover something up.

"This is the first time you have ever bought me a cup of coffee." He told her, as a matter of fact.

"Really? I will try to get you more coffee than." She told him with the most genuine smile she could muster.

"Emily, what did you do?" He questioned her, hoping to get a straight reply, which was highly unlikely.

"I did nothing. Consider this a compensation for your treat from last week and for letting me crash at your place. It means a lot to me."

Emily prayed that James wouldn't look any deeper into it so that she could inform him about her mishap when the moment was right.

"Emily...." He said slowly, scrutinizing her every reaction.

"Jeez, can't I just do something nice for you without an ulterior motive?" She attempted to outwit him, but James was far too smart.

"You can, but you aren't right now. So, what the hell did you do?" He asked her again as he sipped his perfectly brewed coffee.

Emily got right to the point with his order. He wasn't even aware that she knew his drink. As he took another sip from the cup, she began, "This morning, Cecelia Grams called me."

"And?" James knew she screwed something up.

"Well, please don't get angry at me, but I might have said something I shouldn't have." Emily tried to choose her words carefully.

"Please don't tell me that you blew our cover." He hoped that she didn't.

Faking a relationship was the greatest way to get close to her and possibly learn if he might have a future with her. He didn't mind that it was all a ruse to dupe CC Grams because it was only a bonus at the moment.

"No. I didn't do that, but...." James was relieved that at least that part of his life was on track.

"But what did you do?" He motioned for her to continue.

"I told her that we are living together. Like living in together. You know, as a..."

However, James completed her sentence. "A couple?"

"Yup." Emily was trying to comprehend his reaction as he gave her a blank stare. He remained deafeningly silent for a few seconds, so Emily attempted to communicate with him. "Don't be mad, please. Listen to me about what happened."

"I am listening." He told her mechanically. He was still trying to process what he had heard.

"Cecelia Grams called me, as I previously stated. She went on and on about a man she thought would be perfect for me, which irritated me to the point that I blurted out that I was already dating someone. She didn't believe me because she felt I was bluffing, which is something I frequently do in that department. So I tried to convince her that I like the guy I am dating and believe that we have a future together, but she began interrogating me, making me nervous. I tried to divert the conversation by informing her about the flood in my apartment. But she's far too clever for me. Even though she was worried about me in the beginning, I assured her that I was fine and had already found a place to crash, but then she asked me why not at my so-called boyfriend's place if I was so serious about him. So I blurted out, 'We are already living together.'" Emily explained while she waited for James' reaction.