Illusion of love

Chapter Eight

"Emma, meet my grumpy soon-to-be husband, Nathan Adams," April beamed.

She was right. Damnit!

Emma's mouth did not know how to lie, "We...We kn...know each other."
"What! Wow, that's wild!" April exclaimed.

"We attended the same primary school," Nathan said, sending a chill down Emma's back even on that hot Summer's day.

"It's a small world isn't it," Joel said.
"Yeah," Nathan replied.

"Emma, let's begin with the consultation," April said, removing her hand from Nathan's and placing it ontop of Emma's, "I can see that we'll be good friends. It's a pity that I had to drag this man to South Africa. He wants nothing to do with this beautiful country."

Ruth interrupted them, placing complementary drinks on the table, along with some cake that they've ordered earlier on. April and Joel were thanking her, but Nathan was silent, staring at his long fingers on the table. Emma looked at him, she was trying to see if her friend was still in there, but only got a wall. Ruth touched her on the shoulder, ending her daze.

Emma opened her laptop and placed it between April and Nathan. On it were more designs that were not in the brochure or menu, she had made them for other clients. She even had unseen ones.

"Extravaganza Desserts, cares not only about the look and taste of our goods, but also about the quality of the ingredients. We have products especially geared towards the health-concious, gluten intolerant, diabetic and other bloodsugar related illnesses."

April looked impressed and so did Joel, but Nathan looked disinterested. In fact, his attention was on his phone's blank screen.

"Our healthier options include vegan treats, low glycemic and low glycemic load desserts as well as gluten free, sugar free and dairy free alternatives. Of cause, portion size matters and even a good thing can turn bad without self control and monitoring portion sizes."
"Gosh! I love what I'm hearing. I don't think we need to look any further," April said looking at the two men.
"I agree," Joel said, smiling brightly at Emma.

Everyone was staring at Nathan, who was staring at a man that was looking at Emma. Emma's face scrunched up when she noticed Alexei staring  at her. April turned around to see what had gotten Emma and Nathan's attention.

"You can go and talk to him, if it's important. We don't mind waiting," April said.
"No, he can wait. Let's get down to business," Emma replied.

April looked at the cake designs and asked questions about the prices and sizes, whilst Nathan's eyes were stuck on Alexei.

Alexei Popov was Emma's other employer. She worked at his bar after hours. The wages were reasonable, but the tips were much better. The bar had a large expat European clientéle, and they had no problem parting with their money for good service.

Emma wondered why he was at Extravaganza Desserts. Whatever it was, he just had to wait untill she was finished.

April was overwhelmed with all the options, she wanted another session with Emma.

"I'll tell the receptionist to scedule an appointment for you. She'll take your time and availability into consideration. Thank you for giving us your time, it is much appreciated," Emma said, smiling at April and Joel, ignoring Nathan, who's attention was on his phone and Alexei.

"Meeting you was our pleasure," Joel said, giving Emma a toothy grin.
"I agree with him," April said, "I want to take you back to Australia with me."
Emma smiled while catching a glimpse of Nathan staring at his feet.
"You can always invite her over for a holiday," Joel suggested.