Chapter 4: Dinner Date
Regina sat next to Robin at Bella Notte, sipping her wine as the waiter took their orders. Leopold had called her that afternoon to invite them to dinner with the Belfreys and she had scrambled to pull it off, including getting her parents to watch Roland for Robin. He had dropped his son off at her house and had let both her and Cora look over his appearance. Neither had any complaints—he had donned a navy suit with a matching tie paired with a white button-down shirt. Thin and faint blue stripes ran down the shirt, which went well with the rest of the suit. His shoes were polished to a shine and he looked more than presentable. For a moment, she wished they were actually going out on a date than putting a performance for Leopold Blanchard.
The waiter walked away and Leopold smiled at them. "Thank you all for coming out. I realized that the lighting ceremony was too crowded and loud for us to get to know each other. This is seemed to be better."
"Agreed," Victoria said, giving him her biggest and fakest smile. She focused her eyes on Regina and Robin. "So, how did you two meet?"
"Mutual friends," Robin replied, taking Regina's hand. They had decided it was the safest and easiest story to tell as it was, technically, the truth.
Regina nodded. "Our old CFO and my mentor, Edgar Gold, is married to Belle, who was Robin's late wife's best friend. They introduced us at a party about a year ago and we hit it off right away."
"That sounds sweet. I know everyone seems to be meeting online but call me old-fashioned. Getting introduced by friends sounds a lot better." Leopold smiled, pleased with their story. He then turned to Victoria and Marcus. "What about you two?"
"Well, if you want old-fashioned," she said, sounding as if she was about to come up with an Academy Award winning plot as she took her husband's hand. "We're actually high school sweethearts."
Marcus nodded. "We got engaged after college and decided to wait until we got our careers off the ground."
"However, I got an offer I couldn't refuse in Seattle while Marcus got a great job the next town over from here," Victoria continued. "We talked it over and decided I should take the job with the hopes that he could move out there in a year or two."
"The distance was hard on us though. And while she was gone, I got closer to a woman at work named Cecilia. We became good friends and then I realized my feelings for her were growing deeper," he said as Victoria took a giant gulp of his wine.
Marcus paused before continuing: "When I realized what was happening, Victoria and I had a long talk. We agreed the distance was too much and broke up."
Judging by the dark look in Victoria's eyes and the fact she was still taking large sips of her wine, Regina wondered if the breakup had really been as mutual as Marcus was making it out to be. Victoria scowled as he talked about marrying Cecilia and becoming the stepfather to her young daughter, Ella.
"Out in Seattle, I gained a lot of experience and many contacts. After a few years, I decided I was ready to open my own business. I decided to return to Storybrooke and started to build what would become Belfrey Enterprises," she said.
Marcus nodded. "We reconnected at that time and I must admit that while I loved Cecilia, I did still feel that connection with Victoria. But I made a commitment to Cecilia and Ella, one I was not going to go back on."
"I understand your first wife died unexpectedly," Leopold said. Regina watched Victoria carefully, noticing her mood improved at the mention of her rival's demise. It seemed a bit suspicious.
"She did," Marcus confirmed. "I got a call from the hospital, saying she had collapsed on the street and brought it by strangers. An autopsy revealed her heart just…stopped. The doctors figured there must've been a problem that had gone undetected since she was otherwise young and healthy."
"It was a tragedy," Victoria said, trying to sound as sad as possible but failing. Regina wondered if maybe there was nothing wrong with Cecilia's heart and if Victoria had done something to get her out of the way. She then brushed that thought aside—the woman may have been ruthless but Regina didn't think she would commit murder.
Marcus took Victoria's hand. "Victoria was a lifesaver during that period, helping me through the grief and taking care of Ella. We fell back in love and got married, taking Ella with us as Cecilia had named me her guardian."
Victoria smiled, a genuine one. No matter what else Regina thought about her, it was clear she loved her husband. "We then had our own two girls, completing our little family."
"What an amazing story!" Leopold exclaimed. He shook his head before focusing on Regina. "What about Henry's father, Regina?"
She forced a smile to her face as her stomach clenched. Under the table, Robin took her hand and squeezed it as she replied: "Henry's adopted. I wanted to share my life with someone in the way only a parent and a child can. I had so much love as well as a more than comfortable lifestyle to offer a child who wouldn't have had that otherwise. The day the social worker put Henry in my arms was the best day of my life."
The restaurant melted away and she was back in that small office, rocking her beautiful baby boy. He had been so small and reliant on her for everything. Regina had promised him then to make sure he never went without and to love him with every fiber of her being. She hoped she had done that every day since.
"I think that's very admirable," Robin said, drawing her attention back to Bella Notte. He smiled at her as he lifted their clasped hands onto the table, fiddling with her engagement ring. "It's one of the many reasons why I love her—she is a great mother."
She blushed, her stomach doing flips at his words. It was part of their act and she knew he didn't really love her, but it was nice to pretend for just a little bit that everything he said was true. "I love how great a father you are," she told him. "Roland is really lucky."
"Children are our greatest blessings," Victoria added, no doubt chafing when the focus wasn't on her.
Marcus raised a glass. "A toast to all our children and their happiness."
"I can certainly drink to that," Leopold said, picking up his glass. Regina did the same and they all clinked their glasses before drinking to their children as the waiter returned with their meals.
Leopold set his glass down as he turned his attention to Robin. "So, where in England are you from?"
"Essex," Robin replied, "though I've honestly lived in the States since I was about Henry's age. My father got transferred to his company's American division and so Mum and I followed him to Boston."
"And you never lost your accent?" Victoria asked.
He shook his head. "A bit ingrained in me by the time we got here. And I found that the girls love it."
Robin winked at Regina and she blushed as she took another sip of her wine. He continued: "By the time I was an adult, my parents decided to go back to England but I felt America was more my home. I stayed here."
"Do you visit home often?" Marcus asked. "Or rather, England?"
He shook his head. "My parents and I…we had a falling out when I decided to stay. And we're still estranged. Or at least, my father and I are. My mother passed a few years back, around the same time I lost my wife."
"My condolences," Leopold said, though Regina doubted he meant it. She gave Robin's hand a comforting squeeze, which he returned—it couldn't have been easy to lose his wife, especially when Roland was so young.
Though there was still a haunted look in his eyes, Robin's tone brightened. "My home is here in Storybrooke and I have built my own family. Roland, Belle, Gideon, Regina, Henry, her family and all my friends. I have a great life and am very happy here. So is Roland and that's all I want for him."
"Why don't we move on?" Regina suggested, knowing that Robin didn't want the focus anymore. "What are everyone's plans for Christmas?"
Their conversations stayed on lighter topics as they finished their meals. She and Robin talked about having Christmas at her house with the rest of her family and a few of his friends. "The more the merrier," she said.
"Indeed," Leopold replied, tossing down his napkin. He leaned back, checking his watch. "Well, this has been a lovely dinner but I'm afraid I have to go. You four stay and enjoy. I will take care of everything."
He bid them a goodnight before leaving. An awkward silence descended on the table until Victoria stood, giving Robin and Regina fake smile. "We need to go home to relieve the babysitter. Come along, Marcus."
"It was nice seeing you two again," Marcus said, hurrying after his wife.
The waiter returned, looking around the empty table with some confusion. "Do you want dessert or…?"
Robin looked over at Regina with a look that clearly asked Why not? "What do you say?"
"That apple pie did look tempting," she said, her mouth watering at the thought of the dessert.
"It is one of our best options, especially a la mode," the waiter said, leaning on Leopold's abandoned seat.
Robin took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'll share it with you."
"Okay," she said, caving as she told herself it was okay to indulge at the holidays. "That sounds great."
He grinned before turning to the waiter. "Can I also get a whiskey on the rocks, please?"
"Can you make that two?" Regina asked, feeling a bit bold herself. The waiter nodded and walked off.
She then squeezed Robin's hand. "You didn't have tell them the truth about your family. You could've said anything."
His smile fell away and he leaned closer. "Just because this engagement is fake doesn't mean everything else has to be as well. I don't have a relationship with my father and I'm not going to pretend otherwise."
"I'm sorry," she said, feeling guilty. "I dragged you into this…"
"I agreed to it," he reminded her. "And I figured they were going to ask me personal questions. It's fine, Regina."
She sighed, shaking her head. "It's not. And it's all because of my big mouth."
He frowned and shifted in his seat. "I actually suspect it's because Leopold tends to look at you like he wants to tear your clothes off and you wanted to put him off."
"You do?" She felt her eyebrows go up as she didn't suspect anyone else noticed Leopold' lecherous looks. Even though Zelena said she did, Regina always felt as if her sister was just humoring her.
"He's kinda obvious about it," Robin replied as the waiter returned with their drinks. He assured them that their dessert would be out shortly before walking away.
Robin raised his glass. "How about we put aside all talk about Leopold and just enjoy the rest of the evening together?"
"I can agree to that," she said, tapping her glass against his. She sipped the whiskey, letting the amber liquid slide down her throat as it warmed her.
"So, tell me," he started, setting his glass down after he took his own sip. "What does Regina Mills do when she's not working?"
She shrugged, toying with her glass. "Honestly, I spend it with Henry. He's growing up so fast and I promised myself when he was younger not to miss anything. Even if it's just eating dinner with him or helping him with his homework, I try to be there for him. I also like to plan things for us to do together. We've created a lot of memories."
"I try to spend as much time with Roland as possible too," Robin replied, smiling at her. "Especially as it's just the two of us."
Regina nodded. "If you're ever looking for ideas about what to do with him, I'm more than happy to share with you some things Henry and I have done."
"I appreciate it, thank you," he said as the waiter returned with their dessert. He handed them two spoons and told them to enjoy it.
She dug into the apple pie, getting a good amount of ice cream, and placed it into her mouth. The sweetness of the vanilla mixed with the spice of cinnamon and tartness of the apple to create a pleasurable taste experience. Regina let out a little moan as she went in for another spoonful.
"He wasn't kidding," Robin said, also moaning a little. "This is absolutely delicious."
"I know. It puts my apple pie to shame," she said, licking the spoon.
He paused, his eyes focused on her lips and the spoon. She wondered if naughty thoughts were going through his mind and it gave her a little thrill. Regina decided to give the spoon another lick and almost smiled in triumph when she saw his eyes widen a bit as he shifted in his seat.
Robin's voice came out a bit strangled as he asked: "You bake?"
"I do," she said, taking another spoonful. "I guess it's another thing I do outside of work."
He nodded, impressed. "I hope I get to taste something you made soon."
She grinned at him. "I think that can be arranged."
"Good," he replied, taking another spoonful for himself.
Regina set down her spoon and moved a bit closer to him. "So what do you do in your spare time besides hang out with your son? And occasionally play poker with your guy friends?"
He chuckled. "Mostly that. I do like to spend time outside though. Camping, hiking, archery, just being outside…"
"And here I thought that smell of forest was just your aftershave," she teased him.
"I'd say it's half and half," he replied, teasing her right back. "You know, I like to roll in the leaves for a bit and then slap some on to really enhance the smell."
She rolled her eyes before giving him a shove. They finished their whiskey as musicians began to play, a space cleared away to serve as a dancefloor for the patrons still in the restaurant. Robin stood, holding out his hand. "Care to dance?"
"I guess one or two won't hurt," she said, taking his hand. He helped her up and led her to the dancefloor to join the other couples.
Robin held onto her hand as he placed his other one on her waist. She rested her free hand on his shoulder and they swayed in time to the Christmas music the band played. He smiled at her. "You know, I'm kinda enjoying this," he said.
"Pretending to be my fiancé?" she asked.
He nodded. "It's been nice getting to know you."
"It's been nice getting to know you and Roland too," she said, smiling as she thought of his adorable son.
They continued to dance and she closed her eyes, letting her forehead rest against his cheek. It was a bit more intimate than their relationship called for but neither moved. With her eyes closed, she could pretend that this wasn't pretend. That she was on a date with Robin, a man she found attractive and whose company she enjoyed, like any normal couple. Maybe they would try it after all was said and done, maybe they would give a real relationship a chance.
And maybe pigs would fly.
Still, it was nice to dream.