Rayna Miller stepped into her heels and then gave herself one last look in her vanity mirror. Makeup carefully applied, chin-length near-black hair neatly coifed, power suit both professional and distinctly feminine. Rayna nodded at her reflection, pleased with the effect. She looked every inch the confident and capable business woman.
Good thing, too. This morning she had, quite possibly, the most important business meeting of her life. Not that she'd had all that many business meetings in her life. The daughter of an extremely successful real estate mogul, Rayna had never needed to work a day in her life.
But Rayna wanted to work; wanted to support herself; wanted to make a name for herself. She didn't just want to be known as the daughter of the late Henry Miller. She wanted to be known for her own accomplishments.
From a young age, Rayna had loved baking, loved the way various and sundry raw ingredients could be brought together to form something new, something delectable. Desserts involving apples were her particular favorite. She made an apple turnover that was without parallel.
In fact it was that very apple turnover that had started Rayna on her current career path. She'd made the sweet, flaky dessert for one of her father's business associates when he'd dined with the Millers, and the man had raved over it.
"Young lady," he'd said, "you could create your own catering business with dishes such as this!"
And so she had.
Not long after Henry Miller passed of a sudden heart attack, Regina had used a portion of her inheritance money to open "Apple of My Eye Catering Service." She could make a mean lasagna when the situation required it, but she far preferred the jobs that required her to simply provide dessert for her customers.
Which was why this business meeting was so very, very important.
One evening, after a full day spent in the kitchen, she'd collapsed onto the sofa and sighed deeply. "I am so sick of having to make full meals for everyone," she'd groused. "I got into this business to make dessert."
Her brother James looked up from the book he'd been perusing in his arm chair in the corner and shrugged. "So make dessert."
Rayna rolled her eyes. "Make dessert? Like it's just that easy? Yes, I'm sure my clients would be thrilled if I simply refused to make them entrees for their catered special occasions."
James sighed, that familiar tragic look coming into his blue eyes once again. "Rayna," he'd said, "life is far too short to waste on a job you genuinely don't enjoy. If it's baking that fulfills you, find a business venture that allows you to focus on that."
James had been right. Oh, the two of them tended to roll their eyes and snark at each other more than anything else, but Rayna knew her brother cared about her. His suggestion that she find a job that allowed her to focus on her passion simply would not leave her.
And so, when Grandma's Kitchen had opened not more than three blocks from her spacious home, the solution had come to Rayna with startling clarity. If she could talk "Grandma"—Rayna still didn't know the woman's first name—into partnering with her, she could sell her own brand of apple-based desserts at the restaurant. It really would be a win-win for both women. Rayna could focus on the delicacies she preferred and Grandma would have a premiere line of desserts that could make a name for her café. Grandma had been skeptical when Rayna first proposed the idea, concerned a wealthy heiress couldn't be counted on, but Rayna had finally worn her down.
This morning at 9:00 sharp, she was to meet Grandma to make her pitch. It was quite possibly the most important meeting of her life. It felt as though her entire future rode on this meeting.
Satisfied that her appearance exuded precisely the mix of confidence and down-to-earth-ness that Rayna was looking for, she stepped from her bedroom and into her spacious kitchen. The large basket full of crisp Granny Smiths on the counter beckoned to her, and Rayna pulled on an apron and set to work to begin peeling. She had a rehearsal dinner to cater this evening, and she needed to spend every free moment she had making the necessary preparations if she was to be ready in time.
She'd just started in on the second apple when the doorbell rang.
Strange. She wasn't expecting company. Who could be bothering her at this time of the morning?
Rayna shrugged, rinsed off her sticky hands, pulled her apron over her head, and made her way to the entrance foyer. Opening the door, she found herself face to face with a man dressed simply in jeans, a tee shirt and sturdy work boots.
"Regina?"
For a moment, Rayna simply stared, her heart racing for a reason she couldn't understand. There was something so very, very familiar about this man. With his warm blue eyes, his sandy-colored hair, touched with gray at the temples, his scruff, there was just something about him…
"Regina?" the man said again taking a step forward. "Is something the matter?"
Rayna shook her head and put her hand out, stopping the man in his tracks. "There is no one by that name at this residence. You must have the wrong address."
She saw a brief flash of confusion and intense pain pass over the man's handsome face before he took a deferential step backwards. "Apologies, my lady," he said. "I…I…it's just that you remind me of someone I once knew quite well."
She peered at him for a moment, the feeling of déjà vu coming over her stronger than ever. "No harm done," she said beginning to close the door. "I hope you find this woman you're looking for."
The man stepped a foot into the door way, effectively blocking her attempt to shut him out. "Pardon," he said, "but I've made quite a mess of this. Allow me to begin again. I'm Robin Locksley of Sherwood Forestry."
He looked at her intently, as though hoping his name and title might mean something to her. "Nice to meet you," she said crisply. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you still on my doorstep Robin Locksley of Sherwood Forestry?"
The man furrowed his brow. "Did you not order an apple tree from my nursery?"
Rayna's eyes narrowed. "Yes. I ordered an apple tree," she said in her most regal and imperial tone, "but it was not to arrive until tomorrow."
"I assure you," Robin said, "your order was to be delivered this morning. My secretary is quite diligent in her job. Now, if you would kindly show me where your tree is to be planted?"
"I'll be happy to," Rayna said, eyes narrowing, "Tomorrow morning at 8:00 am sharp, just as I ordered."
"I'm afraid that's quite impossible, Miss…" he looked down at his work order, "Miller. The tree has been uprooted and must be planted today lest the roots dry out."
This couldn't be happening! Not today, not on the day of her meeting with Grandma! Not when her entire future hung on this meeting!
"You don't understand!" she said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "I cannot deal with this today. If I miss my meeting….This is my one opportunity…She already believes I'm just a useless heiress. If I cancel…Please. I can't fail! Not again."
Robin's eyes softened and his hand came up to cup her cheek. To Rayna's intense confusion, she found the gesture comforting, familiar. "No one believes you will fail," he said, a gravelly note in his warm voice. "You can do anything you put your mind to, and I will do anything in my power to assist you."
Rayna's eyes widened at the tender, supportive words. She was quite sure she'd never met this man in her life, but something about him pulled at her, made her heart race, stilled her self-doubts.
"Do we…" she said breathlessly, "do we know each other?"
Robin glanced aside for a moment and then looked back at her with a sad smile. "I assure you. There's no way I'd forget knowing you Reg…er…Rayna Miller."
Something crackled between them, something deep and true and lasting. Something that spoke of forever. Rayna held his gaze for a moment before she blinked and took a step away. She couldn't deal with this…weird connection with the literal stranger on her doorstep.
Instead, she focused on the problem at hand, desperate to make something make sense again. "Look, I don't know where, but somehow along the way there was a miscommunication. I have a vitally important business meeting in half an hour, and if I cancel, if I'm late, the perfect career opportunity will slip through my fingers. I simply cannot have my tree delivered this morning. I can't be here with you."
"It's no problem really," Robin said. "Simply show me where the tree is to be planted. I've no need for your presence."
"I will be gone most of the morning," Rayna said. "I will not be here to pay you when the job is done."
Robin shrugged. "All the better. It'll give me an excuse to call on you again. Perhaps we might discuss the matter of payment tomorrow at the time you believed the delivery was to take place? Perhaps we might even have cause to celebrate the successful completion of your business meeting today."
Rayna eyed the man skeptically for another moment. Something inside told her she could trust this Robin Locksley, could trust him with her life, let alone the planting of her apple tree. "Very well," she said. "Return tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp, and I'll have a check ready for you. Maybe…maybe if you're not too busy, you could stay for a fresh apple turnover and we can get to the bottom of this mix up."
Robin bowed slightly, tender smile on his face. "I shall look forward to it."
Notes:
-So, I've decided to set an update schedule for myself. This story will be somewhere around 8-10 chapters long, and I'll update every Tuesday. I seem to work best under a deadline, so this ought to motivate me to keep this story going.
-Back to the story! Clearly something odd is going on here! Regina not only doesn't remember Robin, she doesn't even remember her own identity. Just what's happened over the last decade and a half, and why it is that Regina believes she's Rayna Miller, the caterer, rather than Regina Mills, the mayor, will be revealed in due course.
-In fact, we'll start to get those answers in next week's update! We'll not only follow Robin to his breakfast meeting with "Rayna" the next day, but Robin will also meet his rather reclusive neighbor, someone who can be very, very useful in helping Robin "wake up" his soul mate.
-Also…curious about Rayna's brother, James? Don't worry; we'll learn more about him as well!
