“Oh, that is serendipitous.”
Quinn smiled at the thought. Her best friend casually running into the exact right person for the task at hand. She couldn’t keep a smile from spreading across her face. Quinn was feeling better and better about this Autumn person.
“What’s she like?” Quinn asked.
“I’ve only met her the once. She seems nice though.”
As if on cue the doors to the bar opened and an elegant blonde woman stepped through the doors. Time stopped as Quinn took the woman in. She was classy from her perfectly styled blonde hair all the way down to her perfect blush pink heels. Autumn had worn dusty pink pants that fit her perfectly along with a white blouse. Quinn glanced down at her own t-shirt and athletic pants. She fought the urge to sigh. So much for good first impressions.
Autumn paused just inside the door looking down at the bar. The sun illuminating every detail of the place from the worn-down bar to the old tables. In the bright sun she felt a little silly about trying to liven the place up with balloons of all things. Though the idea had certainly seemed sound at the time. To her credit, Autumn didn’t balk at the scene in front of her.
Autumn smiled at Madison and then glanced towards Quinn. Madison glanced between them and smiled.
“Hi, Autumn. This is my friend, Quinn. She’s the one opening this bar.”
Autumn stretched out her hand to shake Quinn’s hand. Quinn wrapped her hand around Autumn’s. Her skin was unbelievably soft. Quinn lifted her eyes to meet Autumn’s and was stunned once again. Autumn had the softest yet brightest blue eyes that Quinn had ever seen. A cloudy blue that looked like mist over the ocean.
“Hi, I’m Autumn.”
“Quinn. My name is Quinn. Welcome to my place. I’m excited to have you here.”
The words came out in a stammering mess. Quinn tried to avoid her feelings of embarrassment. There was no time for that. Quinn stepped further inside the bar, motioning Autumn forward.
“Do you mind if I take some measurements and walk around to get a feel for the space?” Autumn asked.
“Of course. Feel free to make yourself at home.”
They watched as Autumn walked casually around the bar. The woman had a neutral expression on her face, Quinn wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Quinn had always been good at reading people. It was a skill she’d honed during her time in Vegas. It hadn’t helped when her girlfriend was sleeping with someone else. Then again, everyone lost sometimes.
Autumn carried a red notebook around with her. Occasionally, she’d pull out a pen and write down some notes.After about ten minutes of note-taking Autumn glanced up from her notebook and smiled.
“Do you have a favorite table to sit at?” Autumn asked.
Quinn’s mouth quirked upwards as she considered Autumn’s question.
“How about this table right here?” Quinn pulled out a few chairs for them to sit on at a nearby table. Autumn gave her smirk but sat down in one of the chairs. Quinn was pretty sure she’d seen the woman blush at her. Quinn purposefully didn’t pay the moment much mind. She wasn’t here to fall in love. All she needed was a new interior designer.
“I actually love your space,” Autumn announced.
“I was wondering if you have any kind of loose idea for what you wanted to do with this place. You have a vibe or a theme in mind?”
Quinn leaned back in her chair considering the question for a moment. She had lots of ideas. She just wasn’t sure if any of them were good ideas.
“I see that you have a look of contemplation. Anything you want to share?” Autumn asked the question not unkindly.
“I have lots of ideas. I’m just not sure which ones work together,” Quinn answered honestly.
“That’s totally understandable. Tell me some of what you have on your mind.”
“I’d like for it to be loungy but boho. Classy but in a Miami kind of way.”
Autumn nodded her head, seemingly impressed.
“I think I can make that work. We could keep some of the wood finishes that are already here. Add some new seating and lighting. It could really change a lot about the place.”
Quinn had to hand it to Autumn, when she said it, the idea sounded amazing. When she said it, Quinn couldn’t picture it in her mind.
“Let me do some mockups. Then we can get together in a couple of days. Would that work for you?” Autumn flipped her perfectly fixed blonde hair over her shoulder. It was a move straight from a 90’s teen movie.
