“My friend Jason is the head chef, so I try to come once in a while. And I always recommend it if somebody asks.”
“Well, it smells great.”
They pretended to lose themselves in the menu. At least Regan did. She needed a minute to gather herself—she hadn’t expected seeing Ava in this setting to fluster her as much as it felt like it was. She cleared her throat and glanced over the top of her menu. “Wine?”
“God, yes” was Ava’s instantaneous response.
They grinned knowingly at each other.
The waitress arrived and they ordered a bottle of a buttery Chardonnay, laughing about how the wine got such a bad rap but they both loved it.
Ava put her forearms on the table and leaned forward a bit until Regan met her gaze. “Okay. It’s clear that we’re both nervous.”
Regan nodded her agreement.
“Which is silly, really.” Ava punctuated that with a shrug.
“Considering everything we’ve…done with each other, I agree with the silliness.” She tipped her head and watched in delight as Ava’s cheeks turned pink.
“So, how about we just…talk?”
“I like that idea.”
“Great.”
And then they sat in silence for a good thirty seconds before they burst into more laughter.
The wine came. Regan tasted and approved it, and the waitresspoured, took their meal orders, and left. Ava held up her glass and Regan touched hers to it, both of them saying “Cheers.”
They sipped, and then Regan set her glass down, and it was her turn to lean forward. “Okay. I’m diving in.”
“Thank God,” Ava said, but she grinned, and it took any bite away.
“I miss you.” It was a simple sentence for a simple truth. She let it sit for a moment and waited for Ava’s expression to soften, which it did, before pushing forward. “And I fucked up. I know I did. I have apologized for that, and I’m not sure it’s enough. But I don’t know what more I can do other than continue to apologize until you believe me.” She saw Ava’s face change and knew her choice of words had hit home. “And I know I didn’t believe you, so it seems fitting that the tables have turned.”
Ava sipped her wine and seemed to be taking in Regan’s words.
“If there’s something I can do to help you feel better about it, about me, please tell me. But what I want you to know is that I’m sorry, I miss you, and I’d like to see you again. We were too good together not to even try.” She cleared her throat and forced herself to take a breath, to slow down, to steady herself. She wasn’t going to beg. She drew the line at begging. Her glass felt heavy in her hand as she took a sip and waited. The hardest ten seconds of her life.
When Ava finally spoke, her voice was soft. “I want to be angry about you not believing me. I mean, Iamangry about it, but you had a good reason for feeling the way you did, so I’m trying to remember that. Your feelings didn’t materialize in a vacuum. I was partly responsible for them. I know that.” Another sip of wine. Then she inhaled a big breath and let it out very, very slowly. “I miss you, too.” She let those words hang in the air for a few seconds before she continued, and God, she was so fucking beautiful right then, Regan couldn’t help but stare. Her dark eyes seemed huge, her hair as black as night, her lips glossy with wine. “Before the stolen project fiasco, I had never in my life felt the way I felt when I was with you. When it was just you and me, alone in that room and away from the world. And I realize those were extenuating—and unrealistic—circumstances, but…” She let the sentence dangle until Regan jumped in to finish it.
“But you want it back.” At Ava’s nod, Regan reached across the table and grasped her hand. “So do I. So let’s give it a shot. Yeah? What do we have to lose?”
“Our hearts?” Ava’s eyes were wet now, and Regan held her hand tighter.
“I think you’re worth that risk.” At Ava’s audible swallow, she asked, “Do you think that I am? That we are?”
Ava’s nod was immediate, and the relief that surged through Regan’s body was so palpable, it made her gasp.
“I promise you,” she said, still holding Ava’s hand, “that I will do my best to never, ever hurt you again. You—” A lump developed in her throat, and her vision blurred from unshed tears. “You’re the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. And I will spend the rest of my life doing my best to make sure that you’re the happiest woman on earth.”
The waitress arrived with their entrees just then and stood awkwardly while the two of them wiped their faces and chuckled through their tears.
Regan picked up her fork and said, “You know, I knew it the second time.”
Ava’s brow furrowed. “The second time what?” She lowered her voice and whispered, “We had sex?”
Regan grinned. “Yes. I knew then.”
