She needed sometime off.

The thought flashed through Regina Mill's mind as she turned the corner to pack infront of her office building. Years of running her family business and putting up with her teenage son's indifference in the recent weeks, she concluded, had to be the reason she'd been in such a bad mood lately. It had nothing to do with her mother's constant nagging about her sex life. All of her friends had gotten married. Even her older sister Zelena, contrary to what they had all expected, had gotten married and settled down a few months prior. Regina was sick and tired of varied family members looking at her with a knowing smile on their lips. If they were waiting for her to be next, then they had a long wait ahead of them. The ache in her heart was still very fresh despite the many years that had gone by.

"What the hell!" She brought her car to a sudden stop in the middle of the parking space outside her office, which was buzzing with activity. She had forgotten that someone had purchased the building a few doors from 'Mills and Associates'. From the way things looked, they were moving in.

She had received a notice a few weeks ago that she would have a new neighbour.

Moving trucks were everywhere and taking up parking spaces their clients would need. It was barely six in the morning and she had lots of paper work to deal with. The last thing she needed was someone messing with the availability of parking. It was a good thing she had a reserved spot in front of the firm, or there wouldn't be any space left even for her.

She sat in her car, forcing herself to breathe calmly as a truck blocked her in. This was Monday, not a good day for her patience to be tested. She was just about to hit her horn when a woman walking out of the building caught her attention. For a moment she forgot her anger. Hell, she even forgot to breathe.

As she talked to the driver of the truck blocking her path, Regina looked her up and down. She was a stunningly attractive specimen of the human female. She was dressed in a white tank top, and a pair of blue denim cut-offs. Regina unconsciously bit her lower lip as she briefly pictured what was underneath them. A smile drifted over her lips. She could already tell she had one hell of a figure. And when her gaze reached the woman's face...

Her skin suddenly felt overheated as she looked into a slightly pale face but too beautiful for words. She had a pair of beautiful green eyes and full, moist lips. She wanted to get out of her car, walk over to her and kiss the shine right off her lips. Then there was her hair, a mass of blonde curls that tumbled over her shoulders. For the first time in quite a while Regina found herself physically affected by anyone. That thought made her take a deep breath and she forced herself to pull back. She was a thirty two year old hot-blooded female and there was nothing wrong with responding to visual stimuli. But she couldn't let a great pair of legs and a gorgeous face scatter her wits. All she had to do was remember her last year at Yale University and Daniel Monroe. Thinking of Daniel made warning bells go off...the sound of reason.

Sighing deeply, she let her gaze drift over her once more before backing up her car and moving around the truck. She sighed, glad she was breathing again. As soon as she got inside her office she would have a glass (or two) of her strongest apple cider.

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Emma Swan smiled as she looked around her shop. After moving in she was already set for the shop's grand opening tomorrow morning. She had spent the day doing last-minute checks on inventory and confirming arrangement for deliveries. She had hired two high-school students to pass out flyers about the shop around the community. Since she intended for all of her products to be baked fresh daily, she had made a call to the children's hospital and offered to donate any treats she didn't sell tomorrow.

She glanced out the window. It was a beautiful day in early October. The movers had gotten everything set up on Monday and the artist she'd hired had come that morning to paint her shop's name on the display window. 'Swan's Sweet Cravings' was the name she had decided on, and she would be forever thankful to her brother, August for making her dream come true.

Sadness settled in Emma's heart whenever she thought about the brother she had simply adored and the inheritance he'd left her when He'd died seven years back. On Emma's twenty first birthday. The money had made it possible to walk away from her stressful job as a PA to some New York senator and pursue her dream of owning and operating her own confectionery in this small town in Maine. She had done her research and she'd decided she could use the peace and serenity a place like this town in the middle of nowhere could offer.

She sniffed the air, enjoying the smell of chocolate cooking. Already today she had made a batch of assorted pastries including éclairs and tarts. But what she had enjoyed more than anything was whipping up chocolate nut clusters and an assortment of cookies for her neighbours as an apology for inconveniencing them during her move.

Eugenia Lucas better known as 'Granny' who owned the diner next door had accepted her apology but declined her treats since she was allergic to chocolate but had said she would love to try out her shortcake. Mr. and Mrs. Gold, who owned the pawn shop had accepted her gift and accepted her apology graciously. They had welcomed her and said they looked forward to patronizing her shop. The only person left was the boss and owner of Mills' & Associates Law Firm. Emma hoped the lawyer was just as understanding as Granny and The Golds had been and that she had a sweet tooth.

Grabbing the box she had filled with sweet treats, she walked out the door and locked it behind her. She had hired a part-time helper, a young blonde woman named Ashley who would come in during the busy lunchtime hours.

It was early afternoon but she hoped the firm's boss who she'd learnt was a woman named Regina Mills, wouldn't mind sparing a few minutes of her time if she wasn't too busy. Passing by Granny's she could smell the mouth-watering food and realized she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She'd make a stop there once she was done with the lawyer, she thought.