A Thief and a Queen

Muse

For OQ Prompt Party #44. Regina picks up the newest book by her favorite writer. Another best seller that she can't get enough of. What she doesn't realize is that the heroine from those books is inspired by her and the books were written by her sweet, handsome but oh so shy (at least in RL) neighbor Robin.

"I'm going to get the mail. You go inside and put your things in your room. And if I see a shoe on the stairs..." Regina Mills let the threat dangling the air as she stared at her preteen son.

Henry rolled his eyes as he shouldered his backpack. "Okay, Mom. I promise to not leave my shoes on the stairs."

She nodded, watching as he bounded up the walk. He paused, waving to their next-door neighbor. "Hi, Mr. Locksley!" he called out.

"Hello, Henry," Robin Lockley's familiar British accent floated across her lawn. She glanced over to find her quiet neighbor waving back at her son. He wore an oversized green sweater over what appeared to be a white button-down shirt and paired with khakis. A blue scarf was wrapped around his neck. Regina didn't know what he did exactly--he tended to keep to himself and their few conversations usually went two ways: general pleasantries or him asking her random legal questions--but she believed whatever it was allowed him to work from home.

Robin lugged his garbage pail behind him, reminding her she would need to put hers out later, as he asked Henry a few questions about his day. Henry answered enthusiastically and Regina smiled as she pulled the mail out of her mailbox.

"Keep working at it," she heard Robin tell Henry. "You'll get it and who knows? You might end up being a math whiz."

"I doubt it," Henry said with a scowl. Regina bit back her laugh, knowing how much he detested math.

Robin then glanced over, spotting her. He grew more sheepish and she noticed his eyes didn't quite meet hers. "Good evening, Regina."

"Good evening, Robin," she said softly. The poor man always seemed like a horse that was easily spooked and she wished she knew why. "How are you?"

He nodded. "I'm good. I see you got a package."

She glanced down and her heart sped up as she spied the familiar brown back with the black and blue Amazon tape around it. Regina knew it could only be one thing--the book she had preordered the moment she could.

"Yes, I did," she said, wanting to end the conversation so she could open it. Regina began to push Henry toward the house. "Excuse us, we need to eat dinner. Good night, Robin."

"Night, Regina, Henry," Robin called to her retreating form.

Once inside, she sent Henry to his room while she headed straight to the kitchen. Regina pulled a pair of scissors from the drawer and got into her package. She opened the lid and marveled at the book inside, the latest from best-seller Rob Hood's red-hot series: Drowned.

The cover showed the lead character, Roni, dressed in a bathing suit and in the ocean, reaching her hand up as if trying to get away from drowning herself. Intrigued by it, Regina opened the cover to read the summary printed on the inside flap:

Roni Morales is looking forward to a quiet and relaxing vacation with her rapidly growing son, Jack. She wants to spend as much time with him before he hits the dreaded teen years and considers himself too cool to hang out with his mother. Two weeks spent at the beach seem perfect of them and for the first week, it is.