I called in to work, letting my assistant, Marci, know. My hangover did not pass until some time after noon, but the feeling that there was lead in my stomach did not surpass. I walked upstairs to my bedroom, in need of a hot bubbly bath. Henry would not be out of school for another three hours. 'Should I ask Miss Swan if she'll collect him?' I thought to myself as I began to fill the tub up with semi-hot water. I sighed heavily, her words echoing in my head causing tears to surface, and fall down my cheeks.
I wiped them away, adding some lavender bubble bath to the still running water. I slipped off my night gown, leaving it on the floor, and stepped into the stinging water, submerging my body in the water. I let out a sigh of contentment as the water begins to relax my muscles. I slid forward, tipping my head back into the water, running my fingers through the damp locks. I sit up for a few seconds, lathering my hair with a rose scented shampoo and conditioner mix.
I slipped back down and rinse it out, careful to not get any of it into my eyes. I sat back up, letting my shoulders rest against the cool porcelain. After about another half-hour of soaking, I stepped out onto the plush black bathmat, taking the burgundy towel off the rack hanging off the wall. I wrapped my body up, picking up my discarded panties and gown. I tossed them into the dirty clothes' hamper, and went over to my closet.
I slid hangers over, settling on a black pantsuit and a light blue silk blouse underneath. I squatted down, grabbing a pair of black heels. I turned, discarding them on my bed as I went to collect a bra and a pair of underwear. Once my undergarments are on, I quickly dressed. I buttoned up the blouse as my phone started to ring. I walked over to the night stand, unplugging my phone. I rolled my eyes at the sight of the caller ID. It was Graham.
I sighed heavily, rejecting the call. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him quite yet, no matter how good of a lover he was to me. I go back over to the full length mirror, straightening my attire out. I grabbed my black blazer, sliding it over my slender shoulders. I button the two buttons on the bottom up, and I tucked my phone into the inside pocket of the blazer. I sighed heavily and went back downstairs. I grabbed the keys out of the crystal bowl by the front door.
Two more hours until Henry was out of school, but I needed to find Emma. I walked outside, hurrying down the stairs to my car. I got in and drove it towards town. I reached into my pocket, withdrawing my phone. I clicked on Emma's contact information, and placed a call. I held the phone to my ear, waiting patiently for her to answer. When she did, she did not sound happy. "What?" Her voice was hard and cold. I sighed, grateful that she at least answered.
"Miss Swan, we need to talk," I said, disguising the hurt in my voice. "It's very important, and I would like to speak with you in person."
"Look, if this is about this morning, I am not apologizing. You deserved everything I threw at you." Tears were burning in my eyes. 'Wait tears? Over Emma Swan?'
"I'm not saying that. I just want to talk that's it."
"Then talk. I don't need to waste my time." I sighed heavily.
"Please, Miss Swan, it's about Henry," I half-lied. I did want to talk to her about Henry, but I mostly wanted to apologize to her for the way I had acted that morning. Her attitude immediately changed when I mentioned my son.
"Is he alright?" she asked, sounding frantic.
"Yes, he's fine, Miss Swan. However I would like to discuss...I want to set up some visitation arrangements between you and him. Can I interest you in some lunch down at Granny's? It'll be my treat." I bit my lip, anxious that she would say no. 'It's not a date.' I told myself. 'Not a date.'
"Um..." she mumbled something to someone else. "I'm already here actually. So, yeah if you want to buy lunch...come on down." I smiled.
"Great. I will be there in a few minutes." With that, I hung up. I parked in front of the diner and walked in. Emma was sitting in a booth closer to the back. I made my way over to her and sat across from her. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." She sat back, her arms crossed over her chest. I browsed over the menu, settling on a Caesar salad. I sat the menu down, waiting for Ruby to come over to take my order. "Did you order already?"
She nodded her head, arms crossed over her chest. She leaned forward, and I fought the urge to glance at her incredible bosom. "So, you said something about letting me have visitation with Henry?" I nodded my head, forcing my eyes to meet hers.
"I agree with a lot of what you said this morning. I had no right to be rude to you and I am sorry. To show you that I mean what I say...I want for you and Henry to spend some time together. If you're being serious that is." Her eyes lit up and an adorable smile crossed her face.
"Yes, I'm being serious! I don't lie! Oh, Regina, you won't regret this, I assure you!" She shouted happily, causing for others to turn their heads and stare. I glanced around and their heads snapped back to their fronts.
"It's still Ms. Mills to you, Miss Swan, but I rather enjoy the idea of you and my son spending some quality time together." Her smile was undying and it made my heart warm that I could make someone happy. "In fact, I'd like to invite you over for dinner tonight. You could pick Henry up from school and I can put something together for the three of us?" She nodded her head and Ruby came over, ending the little moment.
"I'll have a Caesar salad if you wouldn't mind, Ruby," I told her and she made note of it and took off for the kitchen. I looked back at Emma. "What do you say, Miss Swan?" She chuckled lightly.
"Well...I did have plans tonight, but I can switch them around for the kid. Not a problem, I'll be there to pick him up. When do you want us at your house?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"Around six would be great!" Ruby came back with salad and I began to take small bites. The bell chimed and Emma glanced up, smiling. She looked back at me, still beaming.
"Would you excuse me for a moment?" She got up and walked away. When I turned my head to see who she went off to, I gasped. It was Graham. My nails dug into the palm of my hand, and I fought the urge to go up to him and give him a tongue lashing unlike any other, but the presence of Miss Swan killed the urge, and I turned back to my food.
When she came back, she was still smiling. "So, I see you have gotten rather acquainted with the sheriff," I said, keeping my tone light. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to brush it off.
"I guess you could say that. I was just letting him know that I wouldn't be able to go to the shooting range with him later. Not a big deal." I ground my teeth together, trying to hide my displeasure. I forced a smile.
"I see. Well, I'm sorry to have gotten you on a busy date. I look forward to seeing you this evening with Henry," I got up, my salad finished and dropped twenty dollars on the table. I grabbed my purse, turned, and walked out passed Graham, who followed me to my car.
"Mayor Mills, can I have a moment of your time?" he asked, and I shook my head, getting into my car. He climbed into the passenger seat and I groaned in disdain.
"Get out of my car, Sheriff." My tone was hard and firm, but he refused to leave.
"Regina, I'm sorry about last night, okay? I was really drunk and I know that's not an excuse for my behavior....but I'm really hoping that we can move passed this." I glared at him and he scooted closer to the door. "I know that you're still angry with me, but I'd like to make it up to you, if I may. How about tomorrow night? You could come over to my place for a change."
"And who am I to leave Henry with? I certainly won't leave my son unattended for an evening." He scratched the back of his neck.
"What about Emma Swan? She seems like she'd love to spend some more time with the kid." My glare intensified.
"Firstly, Graham, that kid is my son. Secondly, Emma Swan is just earning my trust enough to pick Henry up from school and take him around town and back to my house for dinner. I will not allow for her to spend the evening in my home with him. Understood? You want to earn my forgiveness, you can prove that you deserve it by coming over this evening to my house. Otherwise, do your damn job before I fire your ungrateful ass. Now get out of my car." Graham nodded his head sadly, mumbled an apology, and left my car.
I went into the office afterwards and tried to get some work done.
