AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Your go-to choice?”
“Sometimes, but not lately. I’m having the New York Striploin.”
Perusing the menu, I found it. One rule I learned was to never order a restaurant item that cost more than the person who invited you, so I needed to keep things under that price. However, it seemed that his selection was one of the most expensive entrees, so my options were plentiful.
“Tough choice?” He playfully cocked an eyebrow and twisted in his seat.
“Very much.”
Our server, who introduced himself as Tim, set down my beer. “Are you ready to order? Or shall we start with an appetizer?”
Before I had a chance to speak, David spoke. “How about the Neptune Mushrooms and the Scallops & Bacon?”
I scoured the menu quickly and tried to keep my thoughts in line. Holy shit they were pricey appetizers, and combined with the drinks… Yikes. It was going to be a super pricy night out, even just covering my half of the bill.
“Excellent choice, sir.” He turned to me. “Are you ready to order?”
“Too many decisions.” And mental math was starting to wear me down.
“If you aren’t a steak and seafood person, the blackened chicken is good, right Tim?”
He nodded. “The best.”
“I don’t eat chicken.” It was so easy to let it spill out, I forgot for a moment who I was dining with. Seeing the questioning expression tugging on his eyes, I closed the menu. “You know what, the Teriyaki Sirloin will be perfect, thank you.”
It was also the cheapest thing on the menu, so I could cover my portion of the bill. But damn, it was going to be tight. May need to push back a few upcoming purchases until they became a definite need.
Tim took David’s order and walked back into the dining room.
Soft orchestra music played overhead, fitting with the general ambience of the place.
“You said you’d been sketching out some ideas, may I see them?”
“Oh, of course.” I pulled out my portfolio and set it over my placemat. I withdrew the first one and handed it over. “It’s not perfect but should give you a rough idea of what I’m going to build.” It was a combination of designs, and it didn’t float my boat so to speak, but it had potential.
David barely gave it a passing glance.
“Then I thought of this. It’s a little smaller, but more focalized on a landscape.” I tapped a different part of the picture as I explained what would be carved out, making use of the negative space and what would be added to give it depth.
“It’s good. I like this one more than the first.”
I swallowed, worried about the next drawing. “And then I was inspired to create this. And it’s much easier to do because it takes the elements of the table pieces, with all their layerings, and scales it up.” I set the rough sketch in front of him, watching as he inhaled sharply and studied it.
“May I?” He touched the paper.
“Of course.”
Lifting it up, he stretched out his arm and stared, tilting the sketch. “I like this one.”
Once he set it back down, I explained how I’d construct it, and how it would need to be assembled. I was practically tripping over my words. The grand idea was so similar in concept to the table pieces that the mural really helped bridge the connection.
With a faint smile, he agreed it was perfect. “I like your enthusiasm since I know that with it, you’ll be quite involved in the concept, all the way through to the finished project.”
“Yes. Once the idea hit me, I couldn’t stop. It was easy in my mind to see how it would all come together.”
“And project timing? When could this be completed?”
I squared my shoulders. I’d be able to budget my time well, and still create new pieces for the farmer’s market, but it would occupy a fair chunk of time. “My goal is mid-October, seven weeks from now, and I’d install it as well.”
