After a few weeks of getting her first big assignment working with Daniel Quinn, Eve has been feverishly working to get some fabulous ideas for the space that the wine shop is going to be. It hasn’t been easy. She is sitting in her office and has been on the phone with the interior designer for what seems like the millionth time. They always seem to be running into some kind of trouble or change. It’s so hard to keep up with.
A sigh escapes her lips as she presses a hand through her thick brown hair. The interior designer just told her that they are changing the shape of the door gate from tall grass to grapes and is causing her to have a real headache. Now she has to think of something else for the walls and the Knick knacks that she has already set up. She spins around her in chair and looks out the window.
She has been in her office and on the computer for a week. Maybe it is about time that she went outside and look for décor ideas the old-fashioned way; by searching around in various stores. She could use the fresh air.
Eve takes her blazer from the back of her chair, stands up, and grabs her keys. It’s time to go for a traditional treasure hunt. A smile crosses her face as she remembers that this is the fun part of her job. It’s not easy but when she is on a search, sometimes she gets lucky and inspired by what she finds.
*****
After spending all day, searching store after store, Eve is exhausted. She can’t seem to find anything that she is looking for or even to inspire something new. She found nothing but that didn’t matter. It is highly unlikely that she would find anything in one day anyway. Eve walks into her apartment, puts her purse on the entry table, and takes off her high-heeled pumps. She saunters to her couch and flops down on it feeling herself slowly relaxing after being on her feet all day.
Eve quickly closes her eyes and drifts off slowly to sleep. She wakes up and finds herself in her apartment but the problem is, it looks like something out of a dark horror movie. The normally white walls are a now blood red and everything has become so dark. Her art pieces and trinkets that are always colorful look murky and depressing. Her own fireplace that she always found comfort in, now looks gloomy.
Eve sits up and feels afraid. It’s like this place isn’t her home anymore but some kind of nightmarish replica. Suddenly, she hears loud, slow, ominous footsteps come from her bedroom towards the living room. In the doorway, walks a tall dark figure that is completely silent. Eve finds herself frozen in fear. The tall intruder turns on the lights beside her to reveal himself as her mysterious, eccentric employer, Daniel Quinn.
“Daniel?” Eve looks at him both fearfully and suspiciously. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Italy. Why are you in my apartment?”
“I sense you are having difficulties. How can I help?” He asks kindly to her as he gracefully strides to her chair and sits down beside her.
Eve no longer questions his presence. She is so tired and so stressed that she confesses. “The interior designers keep questioning me and making so many changes that I am having the hardest time keeping up with them. Every time, I get the greatest idea or focus for your new wine store, they completely change the layout, the placement of the shelves, what materials they are going to use.” As Daniel is still patiently listening, Eve pauses to turn and look at him. “I feel completely lost.”
“I couldn’t help but notice that you wandered everywhere in Calgary but one place.” He speaks pointing his right index finger up to the sky. “Downtown. Why don’t you wander there? The ideas you are looking for are around there. I’m sure of it.”
Not feeling so nervous anymore, Eve thinks about Daniel’s advice and he might have the right idea. Suddenly, she gasps and finds herself lying on her couch again. Although it is completely dark, Eve notices that her walls are their normal white, the furniture muted, and the unique but carefully chosen art pieces as they always are. She sits up and looks around. It was clearly all a dream but this dream might have given her the help that she needed.
*****
The next day, Eve with a cup of coffee in her hand and wanders around downtown. She doesn’t have a destination in mind, just goes where the preverbal winds take her. They take her to fifth avenue and second street southwest. There she finds a giant bucking bull statue that is labeled “Outlaw.”
Eve stands there studying the statue. It looks like something so thrilling and yet so angry. It’s something that would make your blood boil and desire take over. Pure adrenaline would rush through your whole body. That is when the idea pops her head. She knows exactly what to do with all the recent changes now. Swiftly, Eve calls an uber and waits patiently for the few minutes that seem like hours. She has to get to her office, ASAP.
*****
A couple of days pass and Eve is sitting at her desk across from Daniel Quinn. He is still such a calming force just sitting coolly in the chair across from her. Now she is ready to tell him everything she has planned.
“Okay, so far Daniel, this is what I came up with.” She begins and turns her computer screen towards him. What he sees brings a smile to his face. “What we have here is this red wall paper that screams not only mystery but enticement. What most people would find in your bottles of wine. Bring out that emotion of want, desire, etcetera.”
“I like it.” He says plainly as he looks at the zoomed picture of wall paper in the top right-hand corner. “It reminds me of wine when it swirls in a glass or blood swimming in a person’s veins.”
“Exactly but that’s not all!” Eve explains, not at all phased by his odd comments. In fact, she is getting used to them. “The interior designer told me they are using this near black wood, so we can use this to make this Victorian bar for wine tastings with modern wine glasses. Also, I have this idea for using this beautiful font. You see all these curves of the letters. It’s so wild and romantic. And one more thing. I was thinking that I could put this ceramic bull just in the top left-hand corner.” As she points at it, Daniel admires the plain white China bull that she’s suggesting. It is such a contrast and yet it is perfect for the store. “As this is Calgary, we love being called Cowtown and because of that we can have a little fun and show how you embrace our culture here.”
“Smashing!” Daniel says as he stands up, smiles, and kisses Eve’s hand. “I knew I hired the right woman for the job. You get it done and I promise big things for you.”
“Excellent.” Excited, Eve stands up from her desk and smiles at Daniel. She still doesn’t realize that she is still holding this hand. “I promise you that your store here is going to be beautiful!”
“Indeed.” He says and drops her hand. “I’ll be in touch and I can let myself out. Thank you, Eve.”
As Daniel walks out of the door, he finds himself content with the series of events. Luckily, the nocturnal visit he gave her didn’t traumatize her but he had to give her a boost.After all, in his business, you got to keep the ball rolling especially when human desire is involved.He can
certainly sense that with her pulse skipping the way it does when she presents her ideas.All he has to do is direct it in a good course and now, she needs to focus on her work just as he does.Pulling up the sleeves of his blazer over his dress shirt, he walks to his Porsche and gets in to drive away.
Special Thanks to:
Vine Arts Wine and Spirits: For beautiful wine, creativity, and store -932 17 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T2T 0A2 https://www.vinearts.ca/
J Webb Wine Merchant : For good wine, convience and their knowledge - 2507 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 1S9 - https://www.jwebb.net/
Outlaw - An amazing statue to behold. 5 Ave SW & 2 St SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0L1