Chapter 11

Thursday couldn't arrive quick enough for Emma but the day seemed to drag out.

But thankfully six o'clock arrived and Emma pulled up in car park behind Tink's, but this time Regina was waiting for her outside.

"Hi" Emma smiled as she approached

"Hello"

"Shall we?" Emma pushed the door open and allowed Regina to walk in ahead of her. Emma was definitely feeling less nervous than last week. Emma ordered her usual Hot coco and cinnamon whilst Regina ordered her Skinny Chai Latte again. The pair sat in the same seat as last week and smiled warmly at each other.

"How was your week?" Regina asked casually

"Yeah it was good, mainly been looking for some form of a job"

"And how is that going?"

"Ok I guess, I live in a small town, so jobs are pretty hard to come by"

"I'm sure something will come up." Regina took a sip off her drink "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you after last week"

"Oh it's alright, don't worry about it" curiosity took over Emma and she felt her insecurities bubble "was there any particular reason for it or..?"

"No, not really, I was just pretty busy and I didn't want to contact you at an inconvenient time"

"Oh, don't worry about that, it's fine" the two women looked at each other smiling shyly.

They both chatted casually about their week and various things that had happened, Regina told Emma that she had booked a mini bus to take them to Portland for the ball. Emma watched as Regina talked excitedly about the plans she had heard were set for the ball. Then Regina asked Emma about her upbringing, Emma felt herself tense.

"I, well I grew up in foster care"

"Oh" Regina blushed "sorry I, shouldn't have asked"

"No, it's fine don't worry about it. It's not a secret, I was in there from a baby, bounced around a few homes till I left the system around 16"

"What did you do then?"

"I slept rough a lot, stayed in a few hostels, honestly, I mainly got by through stealing. I'm not proud of it, but it was all I could do to survive"

"I understand"

"Eventually I became a bail bonds person in Boston, then I moved up here I'd say I didn't turn out too bad but" Emma shrugged laughing

"You turned out just fine Emma" Regina reached across the table and placed a reassuring hand on Emma's, Emma's heart fluttered slightly at the simplest of touches

"What about you?"

"I wouldn't say I had a rough upbringing, just a strict one. My mother was very strict, she had firm ideals on what she wanted for my sister and I. And she wasn't shy to tell us when we weren't living up to her expectations"

"Are you and your sister close?"

"Hardly, her father left our mother not long after she found out she was pregnant, so I think a part of her has always resented me for my father being in my life and hers not"

"Well that's not your fault"

"No it's not, I don't think it helps that I am a bit of a Daddy's girl"

Emma smirked "now why doesn't that surprise me?" Regina jokingly rolled her eyes.

"My mother is always more strict on me than her, I suppose it's to make up for her father not being around"

"So does your sister work for your parents law firm too?"

"Oh no. My sister doesn't do a lot for a job, occasionally she will go to the hotel and act like the manager and order people around, but she doesn't help much, the staff just do as she says whilst she's there and then revert back when she's gone. If anything she makes it worse"

"Wait, wait, wait. Your parents own a law firm and a hotel?"

Regina nodded

"Tell me it is just a hotel not a chain of hotels?"

"Yes dear, it is just a hotel. The law firm was always my fathers, it was built up by his father and uncle, so my father took over it once they retired. After my mother and father married she wanted something that she could say was all hers, so he bought her a hotel, I think it was mainly to keep her out of his hair, she would concentrate mainly on the hotel whilst he could concentrate on the law firm."

"When you say was your fathers?"

Regina smiled sadly looking down "he died a few years ago"

"Oh, Regina I'm sorry" this time it was Emma's turn to place a reassuring hand on Regina's

"It's alright, but after he died my mother decided that she should take over the firm, so instead she made my sister Zelena the main owner of the hotel, she had a lot of good staff already built up so she knew that she'd only need to look over it every now and again and it would run itself."

"But why didn't you take over the firm?"

"My mother would never have allowed that, but that is fine by me, I'm quite happy with mother running it and just doing what I have always done"

Emma looked questiongly at Regina

"As I'm told" Regina smiled at Emma whose hand was still gently placed on top of Regina's, "We're running late"

Emma looked up at the clock to see it was already 7 o'clock.

"Same time next week?" Emma asked holding the door open for Regina again

"I'll be there"

"Then maybe I'll take you somewhere nicer, but only if you're good company next week" Emma grinned at Regina who just smirked in response as the two walked the short distance towards the group.