Before she could finish, the giant sliding wooden doors to the dining room—which had been closed at some point Regan hadn’t noticed—slid open with a rumble that she could feel in her feet. May and Charlie were both on the other side.
“Your sixth is here, Ms. Bennett-Schmidt,” May said and stood back to let the last attendee enter the room.
Whatever Regan had been saying flew out of her head at the sight of the tall brunette standing in the doorway.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, somewhat breathless, her cheeks flushed pink. “I missed my train because my boss had me working today, and I had to catch the next one, but it had some mechanical difficulties and…” The woman let her voice trail off, maybe realizing that her excuse meant very little. She glanced down at her feet as her cheeks flushed. “I’m very sorry.”
Liza waited a beat, and Regan wondered if that was intentionalto make her stew, and holy crap, how uncomfortable. A heartbeat later, she blinked and stood. “No worries at all. You can’t control the trains, right?” She waved at the empty chair across the table from Regan. “Please. Sit. You must be famished.” The woman murmured a thank-you and came into the room where the waiter pulled the chair out for her.
“Ladies,” Liza said, “our last attendee. Ava Prescott.”
Ava smiled uncertainly, clearly embarrassed. She got herself situated at her seat and looked up and around the table, giving a slight nod to each woman. When her eyes stopped on Regan, they went sightly wide in what looked like shocked surprise.
Regan looked back at her but didn’t smile. She had no smiles for this woman. None. Three words kept playing themselves in a loop through her brain.
Ava Fucking Prescott.
* * *
Excited.
Frustrated.
Furious.
Proud.
Embarrassed beyond belief.
Flabbergasted.
Ava had been feeling all of those emotions on a running loop for the whole of that day. She couldn’t seem to make her brain understand how what should have been the most amazing day of her adult life could also be one of the absolute worst. How was that even possible?
Luckily, she’d only missed the salad portion of dinner. She wasn’t happy that she hadn’t had a chance to freshen up first. She was pretty sure she had hat hair left over from what was supposed to be her half day at work—Goldie had asked her to come in and work a day shift in place of the evening shift she was going to miss—that had turned into closer to a full day. Thank fucking God she’d had the smarts to bring her bags to work, just in case Goldie did exactly what she’d done. If nothing else, Ava knew her boss well.
She’d gotten through dinner with a minimum of additional embarrassment, and she’d even managed not to dwell too much on thefact that Regan Callahan was seated directly across from her. It had been years, but she’d never forget those blue eyes…or the way they could throw daggers. Very sharp, very slicey daggers.
Dinner finished, Liza suggested they all head up for an early night, being they’d all traveled and the retreat would begin in the morning.
“I trust you all will sleep well. Also, there are gifts in your rooms. Bring your recipes with you. Also, I have a full fitness room off the kitchen. Feel free to use it at any time. If there’s something you’re missing, don’t hesitate to ask May.” Liza gestured to the woman standing in the corner dressed in black and white. Ava hadn’t even realized she was there. With that, Liza stood and exited the room through the door behind her seat where the waitstaff had come through.
May moved toward the table. “Breakfast will be right here at seven sharp. Sleep well.”
Clearly dismissed, they all pushed their chairs back and stood, voices low. They filed out of the dining room and up the grand staircase that Ava had only had time to glance at when she’d arrived. Her bags were gone, Charlie having told her he’d take them to her room, but she had no idea where that was. At the top of the stairs, she watched as the girl with pink hair and the Black woman headed into the same room. Then the super-cheerful one and the tiny one headed into another. That only left Regan.
A sigh. “Yeah, you’re in here with me, I guess.” Regan didn’t wait for a response, just opened the door to her room.
Ava stood in the doorway. Her bags were there next to the bed up against the right-hand wall. She stifled her own sigh.
Well, hell.
White chef’s coats hung at each of their dressers, their names embroidered in red on the left pocket area. Ava crossed to hers and ran a hand over it, feeling a surge of pride well up in her. When she glanced over at Regan, she looked the same way—soft smile on her pretty face, puffed-up chest.
She stood there for a moment until Regan turned and collapsed onto the bed on the left, then reached for her phone.
Releasing a quiet breath, Ava shut the door behind her. They were in here together for the night, whether they liked it or not.
Regan continued to scroll on her phone, not looking up, so Ava took the opportunity to glance around. It was a sizable room—it hadto be to fit two queen beds, two dressers, two nightstands, and two desks. She crossed the room to peer into the bathroom. Expensive and gorgeous, and Ava figured she could fit four, maybe five, of her own bathrooms inside this one. She looked longingly at the enormous soaking tub but reminded herself she was there to bake, and there likely wouldn’t be any time to soak. But who knew? Maybe there would.
