Restaurant inspiration: Marché chain of restaurants and the Lake House Restaurant, Daylesford, Australia.
I realised that I miscounted the dates haha. There are 4 left, not 3. [ Edited Ch 33. Control ]
Sam.
"It's been too long, ladies!" Levy McGarden squealed. "Mira, it feels like forever since I last saw you!"
The pocket-sized girl leapt at Mirajane Strauss, flinging her arms around her friend's shoulders. Mirajane chuckled as she returned the embrace. "I've missed you too, Levy."
"What, I don't get a hug?" Lucy complained, reaching her arms out.
"You slept over at my house a week ago."
"I see you at school almost every day."
"Some friends you girls are…" the blonde snorted, turning away to signal for the waiter.
There was barely a seat yet to be occupied at the popular café, The Open Marché. Thankfully. Lucy had had the sense of mind to make an advance reservation. It was such a rare occasion that all their schedules lined up, and spending this hard-to-come-by opportunity waiting in line was not her definition of ideal. Sure, they could opt for another location but since the three had first crossed paths in university, TOM had always been their go-to haunt.
As with its name, the restaurant adopted an open-air dining style.
To order, one could go on a casual stroll around the labyrinth of makeshift stalls inside the main building and place orders on whatever they liked. TOM eschewed the traditional restaurant design by re-creating on its premises the liveliness and freeing aesthetics of a weekend farmers' market.
While there was plenty of seating inside, most diners preferred the al fresco tables, even when the seasons were chilly. The outdoor picnic tables sat in rows next to the restaurant's many fruit and vegetable gardens where the staff grew their own produce for in-house use or to be sent to other restaurants. Diners could enjoy their garlic bruschetta and freshly pickled heirloom tomatoes in the comfort of a large pavilion.
During the weekends, workshops were held. In groups of up to 10, excited visitors would be given an educational tour around the gardens, where they would learn about food sustainability, pick up gardening tips as well as be treated to sumptuous vegetarian tasting menus by the in-house chef. And as if the simple yet luxurious menus were not enough of a draw, a section of the restaurant was pet-friendly, so the place was especially favoured by park-goers.
That day, the trio had chosen an indoor seating area as the wind was blowing especially icy. Lucy had been stifling a few sneezes since that morning. Sitting exposed under the air-conditioning the previous night had not been good for her. Coupled with the bomb her less-than-pleasant ex had dropped on her, Lucy suspected that her body was going to kick up a small fuss over the next few days. At least she would have Sunday and Monday to recuperate properly.
As it always was, brunch was a delight. The friends would contemplate life and adventures over heaps of pancakes, eggs benedict, ice cream and teas. After the obligatory greetings, they delved right into the crux of the matter – the opportunity that had fallen into Lucy's lap.
"Take it!" was Levy's immediate answer. "And as soon as you meet Prof. Crosby, let her know just how much of a cheating scumbag that man is."
"That's actually not too bad of a plan," Mirajane echoed as she dipped a sausage slice in the tart cranberry sauce.
"It is, except that I have no proof. Have you two forgotten that I no longer have my original portfolio?"
The blunette huffed and smacked Lucy on the side of the head.
"Ow! Levy!"
Despite her pint-sized body, she could really pack some strength into that fist of hers when she wanted to. Levy's stare was withering.
"How could I have forgotten? I still cannot believe how utterly stupid you were, Lucy," she chided.
"Stu-"
"Am I wrong? He plagiarised your ideas then as soon as you confronted him, turned on the waterworks, and somehow managed to convince you to get rid of your own originals. Of all the ways you let that asshole take you for a ride, that was the worst of them all."
The blonde gave a disgruntled hmph, but there was nothing she could say in her defence. Even she knew how ridiculous it sounded. What kind of idiotic victim would actually help their robber throw away the gun?!
"Now, now…" Mira coaxed. "We both know Lucy has already beaten herself up over this enough. Levy, you two were dorm-mates. You should know more than I do how miserable she was after the break."
Levy stabbed a fluffy omelette chunk and stuffed it into her mouth angrily.
"Of course, I know! That's why I say she should take this chance. It may not give her back the dignity she lost, but beggars can't be choosers. If she can use the asshole as a stepping stone to her own success now, why wouldn't she?"
Levy whipped towards Lucy and narrowed her eyes at her. "What's holding you back? An opportunity given by the devil is still an opportunity."
Lifting her fork, she jabbed the air for emphasis. "Take. It."
Lucy sweat-dropped. "Going by that analogy, you are basically telling me to make a Faustian bargain. Since when has doing that ever paid off?"
"It's not a Faustian bargain, Lucy," Levy harrumphed. "It's a 'kick the devil in the nuts and take him for all he's got' bargain. The devil here being your abhorrent ex."
Lucy gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Again, lovely plan, Levy, but we are back to square one. I have no proof that he plagiarised my work."
The blunette would have launched into another sharp diatribe had it not been for the hand falling onto her shoulder. Levy pursed her lips and let their mutual friend take over.
"Lucy, are you okay if the truth never comes out then?" Mirajane began gently.
"What if you just accepted the opportunity? Work with him however you have to, but focus on the fact that you now have a direct connection with your professor. Darius would just be… an unpleasant factor in all of it. You know, like the Brussel sprouts on your steak. Just push them to the side."
Lucy let Mirajane's words roll around her mind. That was pretty much the same conclusion she had come to after her night of sleeping on the decision. Every cell in her body detested the man, but…
Whether it's a black cat or a white cat, if it can catch mice, it's a good cat.
This really was the best chance she had – Lucy would be utterly foolish if she let it slip through her fingers. And damn if she let herself lose a second coveted opportunity just because of him.
Sighing, Lucy rested her chin on the fist and glanced at the streets outside. Like always, her gaze was immediately drawn to a nondescript shopfront. The entry signage was a muted grey and the large glass window reflected the world passing on by.
The place, First Brush, was a small art gallery that displayed a few local artists' works on rotation. The curator there was a finicky man. She had already tried and failed, three times to get him to display her watercolouring paintings. However, Lucy persisted because even though the place was small, its location was premium and the owner had strong connections with other talents.
If she managed to get into Professor Nikayla Crosby's good graces, the owner was sure to not only lust after her work, but also display them right in the main window.
Lucy chewed down a crispy piece of bacon. She let the savoury flavours dance on her tongue for a few seconds before swallowing.
"Yeah… I can live with that. Even before Darius showed up, I had already come to terms with it. Besides, I have no idea how closely I'll have to work with him, or whether I even have to…"
Lucy paused to pick up her knife.
"…And if I have to, well, I pray that Mavis watches over him because I'm not going to make it easy on him."
She stabbed the blade into a large tomato. A satisfying 'squish' filled the air as the bulbous fruit began leaking red juice all over the plate.
"He can cry 'Lulu' as many times as he wants, but it's certainly not going to change a thing."
Mirajane and Levy exchanged hi-fives as they watched their friend retrieve her phone. Keying in his number on the keypad, Lucy drew in a deep breath and pressed 'Call'.
"Darius speaking. Who is this?"
"It's me."
"Lucy? That was quick. Have you made up your mind?"
"You know as well as me that I'd be a fool not to accept the offer, Fairheart. What do I have to do next?"
When Lucy hung up two minutes later, she looked up to see the pair staring at her, their eyes brimming with delight. The blonde gave a small, abashed smile and shrugged. "Well, step one's done. I need to prepare a portfolio of ten of my best work to present to Professor Crosby."
Panic flashed across Levy's face for a second. "Wait, will he be handling the submission? What if he-"
"Relax, Levy. He's not so stupid as to think I'd trust him with them," Lucy replied, chuckling. "Professor Crosby will be in town next Thursday and Friday to meet the Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art. That's where her next exhibition will be held. I will be able to meet her personally then."
"Lucy…"
"Yeah, Mir?"
Lucy was startled when the woman suddenly flung herself at her, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"That's awesome, sweetie," Mirajane exclaimed. "You're finally getting your chance to work with the woman, and to be exhibiting in the National Gallery of Modern Art…Isn't that one of the more prestigious galleries in town?"
"In all of Fiore," Lucy clarified. "But yeah, I am still trying to wrap my mind around it. I mean, I don't want to start counting my chickens yet, but if I really do get in… I can't…"
A tiny watery sniffle escaped her nose. "I still can't believe this chance is coming from him of all people … Ugh, I hate him… But I'm so happy I can't-"
Tears began leaking down the blonde's eyes and Levy began laughing.
"There, there…Crybaby Lucy. You're going to be flavouring the rest of your food with salt."
Lucy pouted as she inhaled deeply to stem the leaky flow that threatened to escape. "Just cheer me on, Levy?"
"Oh, believe me. I am," Levy chirped, giving her a tight sideways hug.
Without warning, Mirajane pushed her chair back and stood. With a wave of a slender arm, she had a waiter standing by their table.
"Everything here to go please."
"Of course, miss."
"Wait, what? Where are we going?" Lucy protested, clutching her vanilla milkshake possessively before the man could take it away. "I'm not done yet! Weren't you free all afternoon?"
"I am, but there's something more important to do now."
Mirajane turned towards Levy, a determined gleam in her eyes. "Why are you still seated? Get up! Lucy needs her battle outfit."
Realisation seemed to dawn on Levy's face, wiping it clear of her earlier puzzlement. Now it was Levy's turn to stand. "Of course! Should have realised…" She quickly grabbed Lucy by the elbows and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Lucy! Let's get you suited up!"
"S-suited? Wait, my milkshake!"
Ignoring her friend's insistent tugs, Lucy clamped her lips around the straw and gave a mighty suck. The cold, viscous liquid coated her tongue in a delicious sweetness but Lucy could not even slow down to savour the flavours.
"Almost… done…!"
A messy gurgling sound filled the air as she practically inhaled the last few drops. Thank Mavis it had been sitting there for a while – if she had done that on a fresh cup, brain freeze would have made her skull throb painfully.
"Done!" Lucy declared, then shot an irked look at her friends who were still beaming. At that moment, the waiter also returned with their takeout boxes.
"Thank you. Now, girls, we're going to my office right this second. The timing is perfect! We just received the latest shipment of our winter line. I'm sure we'll find something to glam you with for your important meeting."
There's nothing like having friends who are always there for you
Sam.