No Love Lost (Rumbelle AU)

Chapter 6

Robert was sitting in his office completing paperwork when he heard the bell, signaling that another customer has come into his shop. He quickly got out of his seat and entered the front. Standing at the counter was none other than mayor Regina Mills. She gave him one of her polite, pretty smiles.

"Good afternoon Mr. Gold," she chirped.

"Well good afternoon to you too Ms. Mills. You look fantastic as always. What can I do for you? I've recently got hold of some beautiful jewelry that just might suit your taste. Mind you, they are silver..."

"Oh, no," she chuckled. "I'm not here to buy anything right now, thank you. I'm here to offer you something."

Robert raised his brows. "Really? And what would that be?"

"The chance to sit in at one of my town meetings."

"Well, I would be delighted," Robert said.

"Excellent! I knew you would."

"May I ask why? I'm not really a part of the council..."

"That's true and I would offer you a position but sadly...all the seats are filled," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "But in case something opens up, I would be honored to give you the spot."

"Wow, I'm flattered Ms. Mills. Thank you."

"Please call me Regina," she said. "And no need for thanks. I find you to be a very reasonable, intelligent, humble man. Why wouldn't I want someone like you on my side?"

Robert smiled. "You're too much. Here, why don't you have--"

"Oh, no Mr. Gold! There is absolutely NO need," Regina interrupted when Robert reached down to get the jewelry case.

"I'll let you have one for free," he offered with a grin.

Regina laughed. "As beautiful as they are, I didn't come for that. I'm not doing this to get something in return. I just want you to be there."

"Again...Regina, thank you."

Regina smiled and took his hand. "No, Mr. Gold. Thank you. Oh, and why don't you bring Belle along with you? I'm sure she'd love to sit in."

"I'd be glad to ask her. I'm sure she'll be on board."

"Fantastic! The meeting is next Thursday, 7 pm at the Hall. See you soon Mr. Gold."

And with that, she stepped out of the shop just as two customers walked in, leaving a gratified Robert behind the counter.

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Belle made her way down the street and into the grocery store. Grabbing a cart, she went straight to the fresh fruits and vegetables. She pushed her little cart slowly past the rows of greens, cauliflowers, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers. On her side were the stands of ripe bananas, large juicy red apples, violet grapes, and various other delectable fruits. Belle felt her stomach growl, despite her having had a snack not too long ago.

Ripping off some plastic bags, she grabbed baby spinach, a pack of cherry tomatoes, onions, red apples, strawberries, and small oranges. She made a mental note to pick up some yogurt on her way to the dairy aisle after stopping by the boxed and canned foods. After placing the filled plastic bags into the cart, she turned around to make the shortcut from the vegetable aisle to the box foods.

"Boo!"

Belle jumped, startled. "Killian!"

Killian laughed, just as he had that night at the library. Belle slowly took a step back with discomfort.