The next night Emma was busy preparing for her 'date' with Jack when the phone rang. Sam's voice came down the other end and Emma smiled, since the undercover had started Sam and Emma were becoming closer and they'd had several non-work related phone calls in the past few days.
"You all set for tonight?" Sam asked as she leaned across her sofa to grab her glass of wine.
"Oh yeah I'm just straightening my hair, I'd be ready by now if YOU hadn't phoned!" Emma joked before stopping and listening intently down the phone. "Hey Sam, not to be prying or anything but is someone else at your house?" She asked giggling.
"No, erm that's my grandson Jared. Erm Abi just dropped him off." She replied, motioning for Phil to shut up quickly.
"Yeah I believe you, just tell Phil that if he ever gets the cork off that wine bottle to have a glass for me okay!" Emma said, laughing and hanging up.
Sam stood with the phone in one hand and watched laughing as Phil fell over while trying to uncork the bottle. "Emma's sussed us, you know she must be a pretty good copper to work it out over the phone!" She said as Phil looked enquiringly up at her.
Meanwhile Emma was putting the finishing touches to her outfit before stepping back and looking at herself in the full-length mirror. She smiled, tucked her hair behind one ear and set off for the pub she was supposed to meet Jack in.
She entered the pub and walked up to the bar, ordering two red wines and taking them over to a small table at the back of the room. As Jack approached, she broke into a grin in spite of her self. "Hey darlin'." He said, kissing her cheek gently.
"Hi, here I got you red wine to drink." She replied passing him the glass and shivering as their hands brushed. "So how are you?" She asked leaning back into her chair.
"Oh you know, the usual. A bit of a hard day at work, just got better though." He replied eyeing her up. "How about you?"
"I've got the week off to sort out my new flat and that so yeah it was pretty uneventful!" She said, thinking fast. "How far do you live from here?"
"About ten minutes, so it's walking distance if we're pissed." He answered, blushing slightly as he realised what he'd implied.
"Invitation is it?" Emma asked him flirtatiously, smiling at his cute little blush. Jack grinned back at her and took her hands across the top of the table. He began drawing circles on her skin and she lost all focus, letting him and him alone occupy her thoughts. Several hours later, and after a few pints Jack leaned across and pulled her to her feet.
"Coming back for…coffee?" He said cheekily. Expecting a 'no' for an answer he turned to leave but was surprised to feel Emma's hand slip into his. They walked along the street in a companionable silence until they reached his flat and he unlocked the door. "I'll go and put on the kettle then shall I." Jack said once Emma had sat down in the living room.
"Um yeah I have to go to the toilet anyway, where is it?" Emma asked him shyly. He helped her back up and showed her to the door further down the corridor before making his way back to the kitchen. Coming back into the living room with two coffees a few minutes later he found Emma sitting on the sofa sucking a bleeding finger.
"Hey babes, what happened to your finger?" Jack asked surprised that she'd not come and told him.
"Oh I did it a minute ago on the bathroom lock, it was sharp and I sliced it open. I'm gonna go get a plaster." She replied walking through into the kitchen and starting to look in the drawer under the sink. She located the little paper box filled with plasters but something else caught her eye. Something all too familiar. The shiny black leather case of a warrant card stared up at her and she ran her hand over the badge on the inside. There was no mistaking it, "Jack" was a copper.
Well…strictly speaking, Will Fletcher was a copper. Emma quickly stuffed the warrant card back in the drawer and put the plaster on her finger. She stood for a minute, trying to work out what she should do. Then taking her phone out of her pocket she staged a loud, fake phone conversation with her "sister" and then went back through into the living room to where Will was sitting flicking through the T.V. channels.
"Hey Jack, I'm sorry but that was my sister, her little boy's been taken into hospital with a broken arm so I've got to go and look after the others. Can we do this some other time?" She asked nervously.
"Course we can darlin'. Just give me a phone tomorrow and we can meet up then if you like." Will replied softly. Leaning in and kissing her quickly before pulling away and handing her, her jacket.
Emma smiled and waved before turning and leaving the flat. As she walked along the street she thought about how she should play it. She knew she had to tell Sam but what should she do about "Jack" in the meantime. He wanted to see her again but if he was a copper then there was a chance that she was screwing up his undercover op. However if he was pretending to be a copper then she could bust him for it. All of these thoughts whizzed through her mind until she remembered that Phil was at Sam's and she wouldn't want to be disturbed. Letting herself into her flat she collapsed fully clothed onto the bed and the last thing she thought to herself was it will all look better in the morning.
Kaching only five more chapters to go! xxpip