Hadley sat down next to her with a bag of potato chips and a Coke. “We’re gonna kick ass tomorrow.”
“Wow,” said Paige’s assistant.Violet!Regan thought. That was her name. “Pretty sure of yourself.”
Hadley looked to Regan, then back. “Yup.” She sipped from her Coke, watching Violet the entire time.Okay, so a bit of competition between the assistants, I see.
Maia and her assistant, who Regan did remember was named Rose—she took a second to be amused that two of the assistants had flower names—came in from the living room just as the front door opened and Ava and Becca entered.
“Looks like we all needed about the same amount of time,” Madison said in her usually cheerful tone. “How are we feeling about our projects?”
Responses were varied, from grumbles to nods to excitement.
Ava met Regan’s gaze and smiled gently, then nearly knocked over her water onto her laptop, catching it at the very last minute. “Okay, I’m gonna take this up before I destroy it by accident.”
Becca smiled at her. “I’ll do it.”
“You sure?” Ava asked. Becca had been doing small favors and things for her since the retreat had begun, and Ava had mentioned to Regan that she didn’t want to take advantage, especially when they weren’t in the kitchen.
“Absolutely. You chill. Be right back.” And with that, Becca grabbed the laptop and headed for the stairs.
Vienna and Bethany came in just then, Vienna jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “That girl almost took me out on the stairs.” But she shook her head and laughed softly, which made Regan happy. Vienna had seemed a bit…on edge for the past week or so, and seeing her smile was a nice change.
Vienna grabbed herself an apple and sat down next to Ava, then bumped her with a shoulder. Ava grinned at her, and it was clear to Regan that a friendship had deepened with their dinner the night before.
“What time did Liza say the fireworks were?” Madison asked.
“Not until after dark,” said Paige, who checked her watch. Then she sighed and looked around the table. “I was gonna ask if anybody wanted to go out to happy hour, but I’m freaking exhausted.” She laughed gently.
“Me too,” Madison added. “I say we stay put. We can make our own happy hour.” She met the faces of the assistants. “You guys are staying for the fireworks, right?” When they nodded, she continued. “Yeah, so let’s do our own happy hour and have dinner and just chill. It’s our day off and we have to work tomorrow, so let’s relax. Yeah?”
The room agreed and Regan had to force herself to be outwardly cheerful. Not that she didn’t want to hang out more with her fellow pastry chefs. She did. But she knew what she really wanted was more alone time with Ava, and she also knew she had to calm the hell down and also participate in the retreat. It was why she was there in the first place.
Take a breath, Callahan. She’ll still be in the same bed with you tonight.
Smiling and shaking her head at her own self-deprecation, she looked up and met Ava’s eyes across the table. Her expression was knowing, and it occurred to Regan that Ava might actually be feeling the same way. It was something she hadn’t really thought about, and it made her warm from the inside.
Becca arrived and sat back in her chair.
“You get lost up there?” Ava teased.
Becca blushed slightly. “I used your bathroom. Hope you don’t mind.”
Ava shrugged and then May came into the room and got theirattention. She filled them in on dinner, the schedule for the night and the next day, and then exited just as silently as she’d arrived.
“I swear to God, I’ve seen her in a horror movie,” Maia whispered, eyes wide as the others laughed.
Vienna had a bottle of wine in one hand, corkscrew in the other. “Who’s in?” she asked.
And the night off began.
* * *
It was clear that nobody really ended up cutting loose that night. There was plenty to drink. Lots of wine, loads of beer, even a small bar set up on the patio with a small assortment of liquors. But Regan noticed the retreat attendees seemed to be a bit more serious about tomorrow’s bake. Was it because there were less than two weeks left in the retreat itself and they wanted to make the best final impressions they could? Or was it because in less than two weeks, one of them was going to be a hundred grand richer, and they wanted to have a clear head for the work ahead?
No idea. All she knew, as she nursed her second glass of wine, was that she’d mellowed nicely, her body feeling warm and relaxed. She’d noticed, though, that Ava seemed the tiniest bit…she wasn’t sure of the right word. Worried? Concerned? Stressed? Some variation of one of those things? She poured another glass of wine and carried it over to her.
“You okay?” she asked quietly, handing her the glass.
Ava grimaced as she took it, and somewhere in Regan’s mind came the comment that even when she was unhappy—frowning or grimacing—Ava was still fucking stunning. A shake of Ava’s head had her looking more worried. “I’m not thrilled with the idea Becca and I came up with for tomorrow.”
