Roni

Chapter Eight

It's Friday once again and Emma is actually looking forward to the busy night at Roni's. She really enjoys the fast pace of it all, but also the regular customers have been a comfort for her lately. She's been spending as much time as possible with Lucy, anytime that Jacinda can sneak for her daughter away. She really hasn't had too much alone time with Henry, which she's bummed about, but she does have a plan to get the ball rolling with him. As for Regina, they are closer than ever as friends, but there's still that sexual tension lingering around them that she knows they both feel.

"So has Lucy talked to you about my story?" Henry quizzes his birth mother as his lips wrap around his straw to sip his rum and Coke.

Henry is resting against the wooden bar and from how long his butt has been rooted to that seat, Emma assumes Jacinda will not be meeting him this evening. Emma's violently shaking up a martini, smirking cheerfully in her son's direction, loving this small interaction. She'll take what she can get at this point.

"Yeah, she has," she shouts over the crowd that is just roaring with laughter tonight.

Everyone seems to be in especially high spirits and really enjoying themselves tonight and the buzz flowing through the room is just too contagious to ignore.

"Like what? You can't just leave me hanging here," Henry complains, leaning forward on his forearms across the bar, flashing his most adoring puppy dog eyes.

Emma pours out the martini, places two green olives on a stick and drops it inside. "She believes I'm the Emma from your book," she casually smiles and places all her prepared drinks on a tray.

A younger server comes by and scoops up the tray with an award winning smile that has all the customers swooning over her bleached blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Thanks, Em!" She yells over the noise as Emma flashes her a wide grin in return.

"Oh come on Emma, I've known that since the day we met you," Henry shouts, pulling Emma's attention back to her son.

The blonde bartender leans over the counter so she doesn't have to shout over the rowdy patrons and thumping eighties rock.

"Well, if she thinks I'm that Emma and you're that Henry, then that makes you my son," she offers a silly lopsided grin as her eyebrows scale higher up her forehead.

"You're practically my age. What, were you five when you had me?" A deep chuckle erupts from his chest, producing a frown on his mother's lips.

My son is a man now.

"Don't forget I have magic...I make myself young everyday," she insinuates, placing her hand on his forearm for comfort and gently squeezes before she leaves him alone with his thoughts.

She knows her son and she guarantees those gears are spinning faster than a hamster on his wheel, in his head right now.

"Blondie, you have an admirer," Roni announces in a seductive tone.

Emma rolls her eyes as she strolls over to where Roni is leaning casually against the bar. The owner nods her head in the direction of Emma's husband's other half.

"That simple white tank really works for you," Rogers shouts through the crowd.

Green eyes roll dramatically once more, but this time it's from pure annoyance. She can't stand his little comments and how hard he tries to sweep her off her feet. Emma enjoys receiving some attention every once in awhile as much as the next person, but not every two seconds with cheesy pick up lines.