Love Metamorphosis

Chapter 20

                  

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Eric asked, watching her carefully as though she may collapse at any minute.

"Positive," Jemma responded flipping through a cake book at a party planning company. "Why would you ask?" She asked glancing at him suspiciously.

"I heard about your case this morning," Eric said coming up close, "It must have been very hard."

"No," Jemma said with a smile, "It was a relief to get back to work and help catch the bad guy. I didn't take very many cases like this back home, just as a temporary consultant. This time I will be seeing Lucy off and on to help with her recovery. Just seeing him in handcuffs made her feel safer and she admitted to her mother the truth with me there. Sorry, I shouldn't be talking about the case I was just so use to doing it with Jeff."

"I can't believe it was one of the father's business partners," he said shaking his head.

"We got onto him because he used to take her to flute lessons and then accost her on the way." Jemma started with a frown.

"You're amazing," Eric said, his voice filled with genuine admiration, "I couldn't face the ugly part of the world like that with such confidence. Diplomatic relations rarely gets half that exciting."

Jemma smiled, "I am sure you have seen your fair share of the ugly part of the world, but enough of that lets focus on this party."

"Ah yes, I have wonderful news," Eric said smiling, "I found a 1934 version of Raggedy Ann before it went into mass production, and they were still handmade."

"Mary is going to love that!" Jemma exclaimed with pure excitement, "Now if we could just agree on a cake."

Flipping a few more pages, Jemma tried to focus but he was standing intimately close to see the pictures and the tabloid title kept entering her mind. Eric seemed to lean back from her and look outside the shop through the front windows, as though looking for something. Jemma immediately peered round the side to see what he was looking at.

Two men with camera's sat chatting against a black van, one was smoking while the other one was talking on the phone, "From the tabloids?"

Eric looked at her obviously surprised as he stated, "You don't strike me as someone who reads the tabloids."

Jemma couldn't help but laugh, "Only the covers when I am in line at the grocery store. Candice called me."

"Ah, that makes sense," Eric said smiling down at her before looking back to the window. "What should we do to leave without getting attention?"

For a moment Jemma was disappointed, her heart fell because he wanted to sneak out as not to become possible romantic headlines in the tabloids. Immediately following that feeling she was guilty over how she was already moving on and embarrassed that she had even thought that Eric would consider her as anything but a friend. Standing up she moved slowly toward the front of the store, just out of view of the two camera men.

"I don't like the idea of sneaking out the back like a guilty person." Jemma said her face was a little sad as she peered around the corner.

"Well let's try a different way," he took her hand and pulled her toward the front door.

As they stepped out into the street they stepped into a crowd of tourists. They wore I heart New York t-shirts and their camera's flashed like they were at a fashion show. They both ducked down a little to blend in, and Jemma had to cover her mouth from the absurdity of it.

He pulled her around the corner and into safety, the cameramen none the wiser. "What a hassle." He said running a hand through his hair.

With an exaggerated sigh she looked up at him, "You sure are. I never had so much trouble shopping in my life."

He laughed, "I wouldn't want them to write another slanderous article about you again. I don't particularly care what they say about me, so I would say you are the hassle."

Jemma stopped and since he kept going their joined hands broke. "You were protecting me?" She asked confused.

He stopped and looked back at her, "Of course. I know how important Jeff was to you, I wouldn't want his name to be tarnished by a rich playboy dating his fiancé so soon after he passed."

Of all the reasons he had smuggled her out of the shop that hasn't been one of them, and it choked her up. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying, she really was tired of cry even if it was for a different reason.

"Eric," she said wrapping her arm around his and putting her head on his shoulder, "Thank you for being such an awesome friend."

She missed the look on his face, first surprise registered then a fondness that seemed to go beyond that of a friend. They didn't say much on the way to the next bakery, but Jemma kept thinking about Mary and her party. It was the best thing to concentration on since thinking about anything else only confused her.

an/x։Ҵ