"I didn't expect Director Smith to know Jackson."
Emma walked lightly over to Jackson and linked her arm through his naturally, as if to affirm the closeness between them. The gesture did not escape Anna's notice. She immediately caught it and broke into a sly smile.
"Emma, what exactly is your relationship with him?" Anna asked, deliberately adding a teasing note to her voice, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "The two of you seem very close."
Emma merely smiled, her eyes glinting with mischief as well as confidence.
"We're just friends," she replied naturally, revealing nothing but calm composure. "He's a good friend of mine."
Anna looked at Emma, the corners of her lips curving into a suggestive smile.
"Just friends? I don't believe that," she teased, her voice soft yet provocative. "I think the two of you make a very good match."
Emma laughed, as though responding to Anna's teasing with playfulness of her own.
