Jason took control of Regina’s kitchen, and she realized there was nothing to be nervous about because all her anxiety had been in her head. She’d never felt comfortable in the kitchen, but with Jason showing her the ropes, she felt more at ease. It made her think that having a boyfriend who can cook would be a plus in a relationship. Jason taught her chopping skills while they waited for the pasta to dry. They diced onions, minced garlic, and chopped basil for the sauce. Regina had never worked so hard for a meal in her life, but she felt satisfied that they were eating something she helped make. Regina thought following recipes was manageable, as long as it stated how much she needed of each ingredient. Grilling, baking, or sauteing meat was easy enough for her to handle, but she was not too confident with sauces. She felt they were always much more complex, and tasting the food constantly made her lose her appetite. After dinner, the couple sat on the couch close together, drink
That night, Regina dreamt a romantic dream about a stranger with deep ocean-blue eyes. He caressed her face and told her to wait for him, but by the time she woke up, the dream had been forgotten., and all that was left was a feeling of longing. The next evening, Regina wanted to make up for the disastrous night they had, so after work, she invited Jason out for a late dinner and drinks if he was not too tired. Jason was gone all day because his best friend demanded they get started on their restaurant plans. The trip would bring them out of town near the border of Spain and France. He was pissed that Jason kept squandering his time by being with Regina and the nursing home. It would be their first date, and she expected nothing to happen that evening, but since the tension had been building up when they got interrupted making out the previous night, Regina had an inclination that things might progress faster than she wanted, and they would have sex that night. Regina was so nervou
“I’ll make some tea,” she replied and got her top from the floor. “I think the caretaker hates me or something.” He whispered as he grabbed her waist from behind and kissed her neck. “Don’t be absurd. He’s a very nice guy. Caelan makes me feel like I have a burly uncle watching out for me.” “This is the second time he’s interrupted us.” Regina smiled. “You can stay over after he leaves.” She turns her head toward him and angles her head. “I have your package, Ms. Albright.” Caelan interrupted, before Jason could kiss Regina again. “Wow, that is a big box.” Her eyes grew wide at the box that was almost as tall as she was. “Thanks for bringing it up. Would you like to have some tea?” She offered for his efforts. “No, thank you,” Caelan glared at Jason when he heard him release a sigh of relief. “Check your messages. I think the sender said something about a phone call.” And just when the door closed, her phone rang. “Mrs. Bennet, it’s nice hearing from you. Yes, I got your packa
Regina meets Jason for dinner and instead of heading to her place for a nightcap, they walk the other way and head towards his place. She decided it was okay to continue having a relationship with Jason while she was in search of the man in her dreams, because he might not even be real. He was probably someone she saw in a movie or a series she was watching back home. “I love your apartment. It’s cozy. There are two bedrooms. Do you have a roommate?” “Yeah, it’s my schoolmate, Antonio. I came back home after high school and went to the University in Italy. That’s where we met.” “I didn’t know you were Italian. You don’t have the accent.” “Yeah, I grew up in the States for a long time. My father was assigned head of operations for an Italian wine they introduced abroad and he brought our whole family with him.” “Wow, no wonder you are such an excellent cook and baker. You have it in your blood.” “My grandfather was a baker, and my sister took over the family business while I sear
“Raffy! Maggie! And oh my gosh, my little man, Marcus! Look how you’ve grown. I missed you so much. Thank you for all the letters you sent me.”Regina hugged each family member tightly and invited them to her apartment, as she still had packing to do.Over the last few months, she had accumulated more clothes and accessories, as she loved buying trinkets and sale-priced items at the street markets. So it was hard for her to decide what to wear.“Aunt Reggie, I like your other place better because you have a pool.”“I know, babe. I miss having a pool, too. Don’t worry, we’ll learn how to swim again.” Regina shook her head. She knew Marcus was afraid of the water, but didn’t remember teaching him how to swim, so she was confused by her statement.“Your apartment looks better than when we got it,” Maggie commented as she turned on the TV for Marcus.Regina beamed. “Yeah, I decorated a little. Do you like it?”“I do. Maybe you should decorate the condo the same way. Are you bringing home
Regina talked to Maggie and Raffy well into the night, and she mentioned she would be up early the next day since she already volunteered her time to go to the market with the ladies from the nursing home. Raffy and Maggie were still jet lagged and promised to meet her for lunch since it would be too early for them to wake up at the regular time. Regina was busily chatting away while picking her veggies, not realizing Martha had moved on to another vendor with the fruit cart. So when she turned around, Regina bumped into someone, spilling all her groceries on the floor. “Oh no. I’m such a klutz. I’m so sorry.” She got down on her knees and began picking the onions and potatoes from the floor. “Excusez-moi je n’étais pas…prêter attention—” “No. Don’t apologize. It was my fault because I was looking at my phone.” “Oh, you’re American. I suck at speaking the language. I know I’m in France, and I should learn, but my brain acts separately from my tongue.” She laughed, but her breath
“Regina, this is Mr. Bennet, I forgot to tell you he’s having dinner with us, too.” Regina’s heart skipped a beat. Being close to him reminded her of the same blue eyes she dreamed about when she was kissing Jason.“Hi!” was all she could muster.“I’m sorry I did not mean to intrude on your family time.” Owen said.“Oh, it’s no bother. Our fanily is huge, so we are used to entertaining guests.” She looked around awkwardly, unable to look at his piercing blue eyes. Owen was staring at her and she wondered if he was the man she bumped into at the market earlier.“You work for his mom, remember.” Raffy said to jog her memory.“Oh yeah. How is Mrs. Bennet? Did she tell you that she sent me the most beautiful bouquet of red roses and my house smells heavenly.”“ You can call me Owen.” Regina frowned, it was the name that she mentioned while making out with Jason, and it made her curious why she would utter his name while being affectionate with another man ”My mother is fine, and always as
After dinner, Jason invited Regina to join him for a walk, promising to bring her back before midnight, just like Cinderella. Owen clenched his fist when Raffy agreed, but since Regina had no recollection that they were in a relationship, he had to let them go. Regina took Jason’s arm, dreading the talk she knew they were about to have. “I’m sorry about my family arriving unannounced,” Regina said when they were out of earshot. “It’s okay, Raffy is concerned about you, and I am okay with that.” “Yeah, I guess. I’ve failed to call my family, so they sent him to check up on me.” “Regina, how do you know Owen?” “Well, I work for his mom, and that’s all I know.” “You don’t remember any interactions with him?” She briefly closed her eyes. When she sighed, an image of her and Owen appeared in her memories. They were locked in an embrace as they kissed each other under the Eiffel Tower. “No,” she said, with a squeak in her voice. “No?” He asked with disbelief. If Regina recalled t