Slices of melon and a small helping of scrambled eggs sat untouched on her plate as Cora stared across the breakfast table at her husband. As usual he had his nose buried in a newspaper while he ate bites of his food and drank sips of coffee without a care in the world.

Shaking her head in annoyance she called his attention, "Henry."

"Hm?" he answered, not looking up from his paper. Her eyes narrowed.

"Henry!" she repeated more firmly.

That did get his attention. Turning to look at her, he asked, "Yes, my dear?"

She had to hold down an eyeroll at the endearment, and the innocent expression on his face.

"Don't give me that look," she said to him, "You know what I want to talk to you about!"

He let out a tired breath, setting down his newspaper, "Cora, we've already discussed this. Regina told me she wants to come to the foundation full time. You said you talked to her about it. Has she changed her mind?"

She frowned irritably, "No, but you haven't exactly done much to discourage her!"

"Why should I discourage her?" Henry asked, "Regina does good work at the foundation and if she wants to focus just on that, we're lucky to have her."

"Yes, you are!" Cora shot back.

He sighed, "Cora…"

"Regina has real political talent!" she continued, "She could apply it to so much more. She's 27 now...the Presidential election is in a two years. It'd give her valuable experience, and then, by the time she's 35, she'd be ready for a run of her own for Congress or governor! Maybe sooner even!"

"Cora, Regina has told us she has no interest in running for office," Henry reminded her.

She scoffed, "She only says that to spite me."

"She does no such thing!" her husband insisted, "Our daughter loves you, Cora. She isn't trying to hurt you. I wish you would listen to her a little more."

Whipping her head around to him, she argued, "Well do you know what I wish? I wish you wouldn't be so selfish! You could hire anyone to do what Regina does at the foundation! Her talents are wasted there!"

"Perhaps someone else could do Regina's job," Henry said slowly, pointedly ignoring the jab about the foundation, "But, as long as she wants to be at the foundation, she'll be welcome."

Cora turned away in disgust, "You coddle her."

"I want her to be happy, Cora," Henry answered, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"And I want her to be successful!" his wife snapped.

"I want that too," he answered, "However, as you said, she's 27 now. We have to let her define what that means to her."

With a huff, Cora turned her attention back to her breakfast. She had no appetite for it, though, so she pushed the plate away, "You do what you like, Henry, but I'm not going to give up on our daughter!"

Without answering, Henry turned his attention back to his newspaper.

* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *

Upstairs in her room, Regina tossed a pile of hangers onto the floor in exasperation. She had about 20 different outfits laid on her bed and couldn't decide on any of them.

Lifting up a black blouse, she tucked it inside the blazer of her white suit. Officially, this event was the foundation's quarterly luncheon. They'd be reviewing progress on various projects and announcing new directions, including her coming on board full time. The suit was the sort of outfit she'd normally wear to such an event, but, the problem was it was being held at the country club, so it gave her the opportunity to visit the very person she'd been thinking about for weeks…

She glanced at the other end of bed where her red dress was laid out. It was her favorite. Very flattering, comfortable, and she always felt sexy in it.

Maybe it a bit too bold, though.

Groaning, she turned away from the bed. Good Gods, she felt ridiculous. She was acting like a lovestruck teenager!

Wasn't that was she was, though?

She may not be a teenager anymore, but the moment she'd seen the photo in the newsletter she'd felt like one again. Felt alive and excited in way she hadn't in she couldn't remember how long.

It had been years, but he was the only person she'd ever loved, and if he still made her feel this way, didn't that have to mean something?

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her bed and settled on a compromise.

* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *

Half an hour later, she stepped out onto the front steps, letting the heavy door swing closed behind her.

The day was already lovely and sunny. Even in short-sleeves she didn't feel like she needed a jacket.

A thump sounded from behind her as the front door opened, followed by her mother's voice calling to her, "Regina!"

She tensed, but tried not to let it show as she turned to face her, "Good morning, Mother."

"I didn't see you at breakfast," Cora commented.

"I wasn't very hungry," Regina answered.

"Hm," Cora hummed.

Taking a breath, she asked, "Are you upset with me, Mother?"

The older woman turn to her and answered, "No, not all. I'm glad you're taking care of yourself. As I've said before, appearances matter whether we like it or not."

Frowning, she suddenly felt very self-conscious in her tight, form-fitting dress. Sometimes her mother mentioned that she was concerned about her gaining weight. Was she referring to that?

Crossing one arm over her stomach, she cleared her throat and looked for a change of subject, "Did Daddy already leave for the club?"

"Yes, I think he probably wanted to get in short golf-game before having to focus on business," her mother said, rolling her eyes.

"Well the luncheon doesn't start until 12:30," she defended weakly.

"So you're really going through with this then?" Cora asked. Regina's eyes widened, head whipping around.

"What?!" she squeaked, wondering how her mother had figured it out.

"You realize there's still time to change your mind about going to the foundation full time?"

She let out a sigh, half of relief, and half of annoyance at having been so distracted she left an opening to have this conversation again.

"Mother…" she warned.

"If this is because I chose Blake to run the political office, I have to say I'm disappointed," Cora went on, "You should realize these decisions aren't personal-"

"I know that, Mother!" Regina cut her off, "And I'm not upset about Blake taking over the political office. I think it was a good choice."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"I like the foundation," she sighed, "I like what I'm doing there."

"It's not all you're capable of, Regina."

"Mother, please, we've discussed this!"

"Yes, and I don't understand why you refuse to listen! I only want what's best for you!" Cora argued.

Before Regina could lose control of her temper, she was saved by the sight of her silver mini driving around to the front steps, "I have to go, Mother. I'll see you later."

With that she dashed down the steps to meet the car, ignoring the sour look her mother's face.

* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *

"Alright," her father said after nearly three hours of munching on crab cakes, salads, and mimosas while going over the minutia of each of the foundation's ongoing projects, "I think that about covers everything on our agenda for today. We've made excellent progress this quarter, and I want everyone to know that I appreciate all of your hard work and your dedication to the continued success of the Mills Foundation."

At that the room erupted into applause, employees standing to thank Henry with hugs and handshakes.

Regina smiled from her seat next to him as they did so. She knew that most people who worked for the foundation loved her father, and she was glad for it. She was also happy to just fade into the background of it all because, with the meeting coming to an end, she was starting to remember the other reason she'd come here today and it made her stomach flutter.

As the gathered crowd started to either filter out or head back for another trip to the buffet, Henry appeared by her side.

Looking at him, she plastered a smile on her face. He returned it, sliding into the chair next to her, "I think that went quite well."

"Yes," she agreed, "It was a good meeting."

"Congratulations, again, on coming on board," he said.

She nodded, smiling again.

"Regina?" he called her attention, "Are you alright?"

"What?" she asked, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Henry stared at his younger daughter, noting the distant look on her face. She didn't seem as enthusiastic today as she had been when she first brought up the idea of moving to the foundation full-time. Could his wife have been right? Had she only brought up the idea because she felt insecure about not being chosen to run the political office?

Leaning over he placed his hand over hers, "Sweetheart, if you're having second thoughts, you can tell me."

Finally turning her full attention to him, Regina met his eyes, "Daddy, why would I be having second thoughts?"

He shrugged, "You just seem distracted is all."

She seemed to flush a little at the observation, glancing down she answered, "Well maybe I am...distracted that is! I'm not having second thoughts, no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very!" Regina said firmly, "If I'm honest, I'm relieved. I...I never really enjoyed being involved with the political office."

That was what Henry had suspected all along, but he wanted to be sure.

"Alright," he nodded, "If you're really certain."

"I am," she said, "I'm sorry, Daddy, I'm just not paying attention. Not good way to start my first day as a full employee, I know…"

"Well," he shrugged, "I trust you heard the important things we discussed today."

She laughed.

"So, how about a mimosa to celebrate?" Henry offered.

Regina hesitated, "I don't know…"

"Oh, come on," he urged, "The professional part of today is done. Time we had a little fun!"

With that he signaled to a waiter and asked for two mimosas.

When the drinks were brought, he clinked their glasses together and took a sip.

Regina followed suit, giving up on arguing, and deciding that a little bit of liquid courage might actually make the rest of the day easier if she went through with what she was planning to…

As they drank the last few sips of their drinks, Henry turned to her, "Well, it's getting rather late. I suppose I should be start heading back home. Are you coming as well?"

Regina stood with him as he rose from his chair, "Ah, I think I might stick around a little while longer."

As her father looked at her questioningly, she explained, "It's been awhile since I've seen Rocinante, so I thought I might go down to the stables and check in on him."

"Ah," He nodded understandingly, smiling as, for a moment, she seemed just like she did as a little girl. Excited to spend time with her horse, "Alright, I'll see you at home later then."

Regina smiled as she accepted a kiss on the cheek from her father before saying goodbye to him.

Some of the employees who were still around stopped him on his way out of the dining room to speak to him about something, but she couldn't be bothered to find out what. Her mind was already in other places. Specifically, down the hill at the stables…

* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *

The day had grown even warmer than it had been that morning, giving way to an unseasonably sweltering evening for early May.

It made her regret having that mimosa since champagne always made her feel hot, and she was actually starting to sweat by the time she made the trek down to the stables.

Stepping through the main entrance, she saw the stable manager. At catching sight of her his eyes lit up and he greeted her warmly, "Ms. Mills! How lovely to see you."

She returned the greeting, "Hello, Sancho. How are you?"

"Oh, very well, very well," he nodded, "You're here to see Rocinante?"

Smiling again she simply asked, "How is he?"

"He's doing well. We exercise him regularly. He may be getting older but there's still quite a lot of energy in him!" he joked, "You should come by more often! I'm sure he'd enjoy seeing you."

"Oh, I would, Sancho, but you know...work," she excused.

"Bah," he brushed her off, "You young people work too much! You need to make time to enjoy life!"

She simply laughed along, humoring the man.

"Well, Rocinante's inside. In his usual berth," the manager informed her.

Thanking him, Regina made her way into the stables, mindful of her steps in her stiletto pumps.

When she arrived at his stall, her horse tossed his head excitedly at the sight of her.

As soft smile crossed her lips as she cooed gently at him, stroking his face affectionately.

Rocinante nudged her stomach with his nose, searching her dress for pockets that might contain a treat for him.

"Sorry, boy, I don't have anything with me today," she said apologetically, and, giving his nose one last stroke she whispered to him, "Wish me luck, okay?"

Regina's hands shook as she stepped away from Roicinante's stall and smoothed down imaginary wrinkles in her dress.

She held her head high and continued into the stables until reaching the last stall where...there he was.

It almost felt surreal. After all this time, standing just feet from him as he examined the fetlock of the palomino in the stall.

A soft smile crossed her lips as his name fell from them, "Daniel."

Raising his head, his eyes widened at the sight of her and he smiled back, "Regina?"

Feeling excitement rise in her, she stepped into the stall, "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Daniel answered sincerely, "How have you been?"

"I've been well," she answered, "How about you?"

"Good," he nodded, an uncomfortable silence filling the air momentarily.

"I heard you took job here at the stables," Regina said, shifting on her feet, "Staff veterinarian."

"Yes, indeed," he answered.

"Congratulations," she went on, "On finishing school. I know this is what you always wanted."

"Thank you, Regina," Daniel answered, "That means a lot to me, really."

She smiled at him.

"So how about you?" he asked, stepping around the palomino to stand closer to her, "What have you been up to?"

She cleared her throat and answered, "Oh you know, working for my parents. Just today, in fact, I transferred to the foundation full-time."

The smile he gave her was a cautious one, but he answered anyway, "That's great, Regina. You're happy there?"

"I am," she nodded affirmatively, "The foundation...they do a lot of good things."

"Well, I'm glad then" Daniel said, "So long as you're happy, I'm happy for you."

That was her opening. She knew it was the perfect opportunity, but her mouth went dry with nervousness at the thought of actually taking it. She knew she had to, though. It was now or never.

"I'm...alright," she answered, "when it comes to work, but...I've missed you."

His mouth dropped open slightly at the admission.

"Have you missed me?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course I have," he answered.

Her heart leapt, and she stepped forward closer to him, "Really?"

"Yes," Daniel answered, "We knew each other since we were kids, of course I missed you when I went away to vet school."

"Daniel," she sighed, reaching for him. Before her hands came in contact with him, though he caught them in his own and held them safely between their bodies.

"But, Regina," he went on, "It's been a long time."

Her brow wrinkled in confusion, "Yes but what does it matter? It's been a long time, but you're back now. For good! We could give it another try. We can be together."

"Regina..." he trailed off hesitantly.

Dropping his hands, she stepped back, "You don't want that?"

He opened his mouth helplessly.

"Why?" she asked, "Daniel, I love you, and you told me you loved me!"

"That was five years ago. We were 22 years old. Just finished college. We'd barely even been out of this city!"

"So you're saying you didn't mean it?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I did love you. I always will in a way but...we were so young! I've changed since then," he answered. Taking a deep breath, Regina looked away, so he gently tapped her arm to get her attention, "And I'm sure you have too-"

"Is there someone else?" she breathed, "Is that why you don't want to try again with us? Did you meet someone else?"

He swallowed sadly, "I met a few someone elses."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she stepped backward out of the stall.

"But, at the moment, no. There isn't anyone in particular," he assured her, "That's not the issue."

"You just don't want me anymore," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Regina-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head, "No, I hear you. I understand perfectly."

"Regina, please don't be like that," Daniel pleaded, following her out of the stall.

"Like what?!" she asked harshly, whirling around to face him, "You made your feelings clear, so I don't think there's anything more to say!"

With that she stormed away.

As she stepped out of the stables into the sun, she swallowed against the painful lump in her throat, trying to ignore the sick feeling churning her stomach. Just as tears started to prickle her eyes, she sensed the presence of someone nearby. Turning, she saw Locksley standing against the stable wall next to the doorway. She hadn't even noticed as she walked past him.

Of course, he'd followed her down to the stables. She'd known that he would. It was his job. However...she guessed that, with her mind so sharply focused on what she was going to say when she saw Daniel again, she really had forgotten his presence.

He stared at her with practiced indifference, but his eyes were so clear and expressive that, in spite of his stoic efforts, she could see the intentional gentleness in them. It brought the alarming thought her mind that he likely heard everything that had just gone on inside.

Heart pounding against her chest, she met his stare with a hardened one of her own and demanded, "Something you need, Locksley?"

"No," he answered simply, "But we should be leaving soon. We're expected back at the estate by 5 o'clock"

Narrowing her eyes angrily, she declared "We'll go when I'm ready to go!"

Noticeably holding back a sigh, he nodded, "If you say so-"

"I do!" she snapped, "Now, I'm going back up to the club house. My family has a drawing room reserved there, so you can wait for me in the main lobby!"

With that she brushed past him and began making her way up the hill back toward the club's main building.

* 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 *

It was nearly two hours later when Regina sniffed into a tissue one last time before reaching into her handbag for a compact mirror to check her appearance. Her eyes were bloodshot and cheeks flushed.

Staring miserably at her reflection, she reflected on what a disaster this day had been.

She managed to make it to the drawing room and lock the door behind her before breaking down, but ending up sobbing on the couch at the country club after professing her love to her ex-boyfriend and being rejected was so humiliating!

Even worse, she'd had to use one of the musty, cigar-smoke scented pillows to muffle the noise because Locksley had refused to wait in the lobby, so he was right outside the door. Not to mention anyone passing by could have also heard.

Quickly, she reapplied foundation below her eyes to disguise the puffiness, and added some more mascara, until she managed to achieve a basic semblance of presentability.

Her eyes were still slightly red, but there wasn't much to be done for that.

Taking a few calming breaths, she stood from the couch to face the inevitable. She would have to go home soon, there was no getting around it.

Walking over to the door, she threw it open. Locksley, who had been standing in front of it, turned to face her.

"Alright," she began, alarmed to find that her voice sounded rough. Clearing her throat, she continued, "I'm ready to go now."

With that she stared the bodyguard down, daring him to make a comment about her voice breaking or anything else that had gone on that afternoon.

Motioning for her to go ahead of him, he held her gaze and responded, "The car's waiting for us outside."