Cody nodded but then frowned. "I can't see you Friday either though, India. I'm helping my sister move into a new apartment, and I've even got the day booked off work to do so."
"Then maybe I should see my dad Friday instead?"
"No, no. It's alright, India. You go visit him but do me a favor and call me when you get home and let me know how it goes?"
"Alright. Will I see you Saturday?"
"Of course. You think I could stay away from you that long? If you did, than you're as crazy as I am."
She smiled but ignored the comment as she asked, "What time on Saturday?"
"We'll see. I don't know what time I'll get back from my sister's or if I'll stay the night there since it's out of town. I'll phone you. I promise."
"Okay," she nodded.
Cody climbed out of the car into the drizzling rain that had almost stopped, "See ya, India."
"See ya."
He shut the door but then yelled teasingly towards her car loud enough that he knew she'd hear him, "Say hi to your dad for me!"
India stuck her tongue out at him as she drove away.
“I hate my job.”
Cody knew he shouldn't smile as he read India's email that flashed across his computer screen at work, but he did. He'd been a bit down this morning as he thought he wouldn't see her for a couple of days, but it was definitely helping that they'd been emailing each other back and forth for the past few hours. He quickly hit the reply button and responded: “What triggered the comment this time?”
“You know those photos of my niece and nephews I was going to put up? Well, I did it. I just wanted to make the work environment more cheerful, but it's triggered a bunch of gossip. Everyone keeps asking whose kids they are. It's none of their business, and I told them so. Now they stand by the water cooler discussing them as if I weren't two feet away. Duh! I can hear what they are saying!”
“And what are they saying?” Cody typed the question onto the screen.
“That they're YOUR kids and that I've put up the photos to try and impress you by making you think I like your kids!”
Cody burst out laughing as he read it. “You know,” he responded, “you could've just told them who they were in the first place.”
“I didn't want to. They didn't ask because they cared; they asked because they're being nosy.”
Cody glanced at the clock on his wall. It was nearly lunch break, and he knew that they hadn't planned on seeing each other today, but he wondered if she could go for a fancy coffee and a hug. He wouldn't have much time with her, only a couple of minutes by the time he got the coffee and drove to her office, but he found himself thinking it was worth it. He grabbed his keys and wallet and snuck out of his office three minutes early, knowing his boss wouldn't really care about the few extra moments of lost time. He always got his work completed anyway.
He felt everyone's eyes on him as he entered India's office building. There was a group of them eating lunch by the water cooler, and he recognized Alice amongst them as he made his way over to India's cubicle. She was still working away, a half-eaten sandwich on the desk beside her, when he approached.
"India," he said gently, placing a hand on her back. She started and whirled around in her chair.
"Cody! What are you doing here?"
"I thought perhaps you could use a hug and a cup of fancy coffee," he flashed her a grin.
India smiled back at him gratefully as she stood and took the steaming cup from his hands and placed it on the desktop beside her. "Thanks. You don't know how much I appreciate this! I thought I wasn't going to see you today and that put me in a bad mood right off."
"Yeah," Cody agreed, "but I couldn't keep away when I knew you were upset." He leaned closer to her ear to avoid being overheard by the far too curious group standing at the nearby water cooler. "Want me to set them straight on the photos? Or throw them an even bigger loop?" He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.
"How are you gonna do that?"
"They think they are mine right? The kids?"
India nodded. "Yes, they've assumed."
Cody casually picked up one of the photographs and studied it for a bit, wandering a step away from her and a step closer to the water cooler as he did, acting as though he was just studying the picture. Then he spoke just loud enough that they'd all overhear, but it still sounded like he was having a private conversation with India. "Cute kids. This one's obviously Anabelle but is the baby boy Andrew or Gus?"
India smiled. "Gus. Andrew's the toddler."
"Right, adorable. Hopefully, I can meet them one day. You'll have to introduce me." He put down the photos and stepped back to her, pretending not to see the confused expressions of those nearby as he reached for one of her hands. "Look, India, I've gotta get going now so I'm not late getting back to work. But call me when you're off, okay? I wanna hear about your visit with your dad."
She nodded and smiled as she squeezed his hand back. "Cody? Thanks. For everything."
"You're welcome. Are you grateful enough for me to get that hug?" He teased.
India lifted one of her eyebrows, clearly amused. "Wait a minute. I thought you said you came here to give me a hug."
"Right you are," Cody grinned, tugging her hand to bring her a bit closer. "Come here then."
India stepped toward him and immediately found herself enveloped in his arms. He held her for a moment, kissed her cheek, and then broke away. "Better?"
"Better," she agreed.
Cody took a secret side glance at her coworkers and found them blatantly staring. "They're still watching," he admitted regretfully. "Sorry I couldn't help with that."
She shrugged. "No worries. I expect they just haven't ever seen me smile before. It confuses them."
Cody laughed. "Alright, well I wish I could stay, but I really do have to leave."
"Wait!" She suddenly stopped him with a hand to his arm. "Take these. I finished them, except the changes you want." She ruffled through a stack of papers until she found the ones with the pictures she'd drawn of his dream house. Cody smiled when he saw them.
"Thanks, India," he smiled, not bothering to explain again that he wasn't actually planning on building it. Suddenly he grabbed her cup of fancy coffee that was on the desk. "Sorry," he said. "Just one sip?" He took one before she could answer and then handed the cup back with another kiss on her cheek.
India laughed. "I'm gonna find a support group for you, seriously. I'd ask why you didn't get yourself one, but you probably drank it on the way here."
"Guilty," Cody admitted as he saluted her with the rolled up paper house drafts and bowed out of her cubicle. "Call me!"
"Bye," she whispered, plopping herself down in front of the computer, missing him already but in a considerably better mood than she was before.
A few hours later, Cody sat in outside in his field with a cup of fancy coffee in one hand and the plans India had made for his dream house in the other. He hadn't really looked at them yet. He was busy wondering how her visit with her dad was going. His cell phone sat beside him ready to be answered the moment she called. Finally, he picked up her drawings to examine them closer. The stack of papers she'd given him had been rather thick, and he was wondering exactly how big she thought this house should be, but he soon noticed that there were only four sheets for the actual drafts of the main floor plan. One showed where on the grounds the house would sit in relation to his stable (and apparently he wanted a pool…) and then there was one for the downstairs, one for the upstairs, and one for the rooftop porch. The others were more detailed drawings rather than blueprints. She'd not only drafted the house, but she'd designed each room, including where he'd place the furniture, hang portraits, and even what colors he'd paint the walls. He couldn't believe how much thought and work she'd put into the project.
He had never thought much how he'd design the house, but he did like what she'd done with it. He burst out laughing when he saw she'd drawn in a tiny jar on a table labeled "Spare Cha
nge for Fancy Coffee". After that, he noticed a bunch of other tiny details that really made it look like the house was especially meant for him and not just anybody. But not just for him, either, he noticed with a smile. There were a few things, including an office and bedroom that were specifically labeled with her own name on them, and there were little notes scrawled across the bottoms of those pages that read things like "Or, you know, a guest room. Sorry but I was having so much fun designing I couldn't resist imagining my own dream rooms as well. I imagine these are the ones you'll want to be changed."
Cody wasn't so sure he did want them to be changed. He wondered if she was just having fun or if she'd seriously enjoy living out here with him. For one thing, they might even be able to afford the place if they had two incomes going toward it. He grinned at the thought and for the first time he started to think that his dream place might actually be possible as a reality.
The idea presented him with one problem, though. They would need the two incomes to build it, but to be honest, he really, really wanted India to quit her job. Once he'd gotten back to his office after lunch, her earlier words had really hit him about how her coworkers had probably never seen her smile before. He knew she hated her job but never? She'd never been happy enough there to even so much as crack a smile? He'd actually planned on asking her if she wanted to crash on his couch until she could find something new so she could afford to quit but when he looked at the papers in his hand, he thought that maybe his dream had just become her dream too, and she wanted this place as much as he did. Hadn't she told him it was the one place she was happy? And it seemed to him that she'd put an awful lot of work into the planning if it wasn't for herself as well. He sighed, wondering what to do as he studied her pictures longer. Finally, he decided he'd just talk to her about it.
For a change when India stepped into her dad's room, she wasn't greeted by the usual, "Do you have a boyfriend yet?"
Instead, he just smiled at her and said, "India! Twice in one week? It's not my birthday, is it?"
India laughed and took a seat on the side of his bed, watching as he spun his wheelchair around to face her. "No, Dad. It's not your birthday."
"Christmas? Father's Day? Your birthday?"
"It's August 24th, Dad. I just came to visit. That's all."
"Good girl. I met your boyfriend yesterday."
India didn't know why this fact surprised her at all, seeing as Cody had already informed her of the visit, but a tiny piece of her was surprised. There was this little part of her that had half expected he'd been lying. After all, what sort of a guy wanted to stop by and meet the cranky father only a few days after meeting the girl? Then again, what sort of a guy thought the crazy lady yelling at the coffee shop staff would be a good potential girlfriend? India smiled at the thought. Cody was one-of-a-kind that was for sure.
"India?" her dad cut into her thoughts, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I knew. He told me about the visit. But he's not really my boyfriend yet, you know."
She saw a frown flicker across her dad's face.
"No? Why not?"
She shrugged. "I've only known him a week. We just haven't discussed it yet."
"Well you should. Have you at least kissed?"
"No, Dad, not properly. He kisses my hand and cheek and stuff but… but you know what, I'm not sure I want to discuss this with you."
To her surprise, her dad chuckled. "Well, I'd be concerned but after talking to him, I know he wants to be your boyfriend, so I'm not worried."
"Did he say that?"
"More or less."
India wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she knew her dad well enough to know she wouldn't get any more information out of him, so she changed the subject.
"Dad, he's got the nicest property. That's where we go to see the stars. But he doesn't live there. He said he can't afford to build on it right now. I designed his house for him, though."
"You designed a house?"
"It wasn't a real one. Just for fun."
She hesitated but then thought that if her dad saw how serious she was about Cody, he'd keep off her case about the boyfriend thing. So far, this'd been the nicest visit she'd had with him in a long time, and she wanted things to stay like this, so she added, "I even designed a room for myself."
To her surprise, her dad looked horrified. "You did what?!"
"It was just for fun!" she defended herself. "He can't even afford to get the place, Dad."
"Has he commented on it yet?" he demanded.
"No. I haven't talked to him since I gave it to him."
"India! Sometimes I think you're doing this on purpose! You finally meet a guy that is willing to put up with your temper and so you've gotta scare him away some other way?"
"I didn't scare him away! Cody doesn't scare easily. He knows it's just pretend."
Her dad groaned. "Don't tell me you're that dumb. Whether it's pretend or real, he's gonna run away just for the fact that living together has even crossed your mind at this point."
"He will not!" India protested, but she felt a twinge of fear and wondered if her dad was right.
"I can't believe you blew it again," he told her, and she heard the disappointment in his voice. As always, she fought back the tears that threatened to spill out and masked her expression carefully.
"Cody's different, you'll see," she said, trying to sound more confident then she felt. She stood up suddenly and excused herself. "Anyway, I've gotta lot of work to do since I spent the time at my job designing the house, so I've gotta go."
"You'd best forget about work and start coming up with a hell of a good excuse to explain away those house designs!" Her dad shouted after her as she stormed out of the room. She waited until she was safely in her own house to burst into tears, but she wasn't sure if they came from her fear of losing Cody or the fact that, once again, her visit with her dad had ended up in his being disappointed in her.
It was getting really late, and Cody wondered why India hadn't called him yet. He'd gone back home and was starting to get a bit worried when the phone finally rang.
"India!" he answered on the first ring. "I was thinking you forgot to call."
"No," she answered quietly.
Cody immediately knew something was up. "What's wrong, India?"
"Dad and I had a fight, again. I disappointed him, again."
"Oh, India. What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it," she said firmly. "Cody, have you seen the drawings for the house I made yet?"
"Yeah." He nodded even though she couldn't see him. "They're great! I still can't get over how talented you are."
He heard her audible sigh of relief. "Cody, I'm sorry about the rooms I made for me. It was just for fun, you know."
"I know," Cody replied, puzzled as to why she was apologizing for them but thinking it might be a good time to bring up his thoughts from earlier. "But India, I do think we should talk about those rooms."
"Oh."
He heard her catch her breath, and he noticed that she managed to make the single syllable sound quite cold before she continued.
"Maybe when you're back from helping your sister move tomorrow, though. I'm pretty much all talked out tonight, Cody. I just want to get to bed."
"Right," Cody responded. "India, are you alright?"
"I’m fine," she snapped rudely.
Cody hesitated before replying. "Okay, India. Have a goodnight then."
"Doubt I will," he heard her mutter as she hung up the phone.
Cody stared blankly at the phone in his hand wondering if he should call her back again but decided that she was probably overtired and quite obviously not in the mood to talk, so he went to bed.
Chapter 6
India wasn't sure that she hadn't made things worse with her attitude on the phone. She knew she'd sounded angry, but she'd been more terrified than anything. She couldn't have this talk with him right now, not whilst she was still upset about her dad, too. She was a bit r
elieved that Cody didn't press this issue any further and that he still seemed to be speaking to her in the first place after having seen the drawings, but it didn't stop her from worrying when he said he wanted to talk to her about them. ‘It could just be that he doesn't want to break up over the phone,’ she thought to herself.
Cody grinned as he rang his older sister's doorbell in the morning. He hadn't seen Holly for almost seven months now due to their work schedules. He knew that it wasn't far to her place, only about an hour and a half drive, but somehow life had just gotten in the way and time had slipped past them. Now he was helping her move to an apartment in his own city, and he hoped it meant they'd spend more time together.
Holly answered on the first ring and gave him a hug. "Cody! So good to see you! Come in!"
Cody stepped inside and found that most of her stuff was already in boxes, but she'd left out enough items to make a pot of tea for them both before they got started on their work. While she was making it, Cody kept checking his phone for any text messages from India. He had sent her one in the morning to wish her a good day at work. She'd have to be there by now he figured, but she hadn't responded yet, so he fired off a second one to tell her he was at his sister's house now having tea and that he'd see her sometime in the morning.
Holly glanced at Cody as she put the teacup in front of him, "Who's that?"
Cody grinned at her mischievously, "It's not a person, Hol; it's a phone. They make them small and wireless these days."
She rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I meant who are you texting, obviously."
"A girl you don't know. Her name's India."
"A girl, huh? A girlfriend?"
"I think so."
Holly raised her eyebrow in amusement. "You think she's your girlfriend?"
Cody shrugged. "We haven't talked about it or anything but…" he hesitated and glanced at his sister. She looked genuinely interested and not in a nosy way, so he continued, "but I think I love her."
Holly smiled and reached for her brother's hand. "Then she must be special. You'll have to tell me about her while we're driving our first load across town. Can I meet her?"
Spicy Coffee, Sweet Love (A Contemporary Young Adult Romance) Page 6