My Most Precious One(109)

“Yeah dad? I know what I want to do now.”

All I needed was a good location and for that I needed my cousin Maria.

“Bitch I need you to find me a dream place. Something in old Montréal.” I smiled as I watched her shake her head.

“You’re crazy you know that right? You’re giving me how many weeks to do this?” She asked.

“I’m giving you three, four tops because I love you. I need to do this now. I wasted too much time living in limbo to want to waste another day.” I winked.

“I’ll find a commercial space just for my little cousin that I love so much. But I want you to know you’re a fucken pain in my ass.” She huffed.

“Either way you will always love me bitch.” I laughed.

“I better get preferred treatment in you bar.” She pointed at me.

“Of course you will.” I lied.

“You’re lying I know you.” She accused.

“Then why ask?” I shrugged.

It had been a while since I had been this excited about something. It was exactly what I wanted now. I finally found a sense of happiness that I thought was lost to me. It’s not to say that the hole in my chest which was named Lukas was gone. The pain of losing him was far more intense than I ever thought. But I hadn’t seen nor spoken to him in over a month and it was now over four months that we had not been together. My life still needed to move forward and I couldn’t just leave the shambles of my world that used to include Lukas to waste away. I was stronger now, better, I had finally found my voice again and I wasn’t going to let a broken soul get in the way of me moving on.

“OH MY GOD! I CAN’T WAIT!” Roxi yelled at the top of her lungs every time I spoke to her.

“So have you seen the designers yet?” She asked with such enthusiasm that it excited me more about my project.

“Yeah I just finished with them.” I said looking over the plans to my new place.

The only help I allowed my dad was that he co-sign the lease and the loan at the bank. I had the money from all the years I worked and the money I made in New York. It was enough to get me half of the money I needed from the bank. I had really put myself out there. If this wasn’t a success I was going to lose everything I had ever made. So it’s sufficient to say I needed this to be a hit.

I was so busy with getting everything ready that I hadn’t notice the time going by. Kaci and I hardly spoke only because every time we did she would somehow mention that I really fucked it up with Lukas. It irritated me to no end. I knew she was right but she could have at least taken my side about it. Roxi unlike Kaci always took my side even if I was wrong.

The last time Kaci and I spoke she had told me off about how I had agreed to be a family with him and at the first sign of trouble I walked away. She kept saying that family sticks together and talks things through. I hung up on her telling her I didn’t have time for this anymore, which was true on my part. I was bogged down with various decisions I had to make for my new adventure. Especially when Maria found me the perfect place that was just outside my budget.

It was in old Montréal in an art deco building that was near the Centaur Theater. It had everything I wanted from stain glass windows to high arched ceilings to built-in shelving that was hand crafted in dark mahogany. The building was from the 1930’s and it was simply gorgeous. When she brought me there I knew instantly I wanted it. Thankfully Maria was a wiz at negotiating the price to something I could afford. It was still out of my price range but at least I got it. The designer lost his mind the moment he saw it saying that this space was just perfect. He went to work making sure to not compromise the place but to bring out the luster it once had.

A few hundred headaches later and with a couple of setbacks my wine bar was ready to open. I watched as the guys with my sign began to slowly install it. I smiled looking over all I had done and knew I finally found my pride. With the sign finally lit up in pure white script letters I read winecafé. I was ecstatic. Opening night was on October 31st, on all hallows eve. My favorite holiday.

“Ms. Lexi where do I place these glasses?” Audrey was a young funky tattooed clad girl who took pride in her image and in her tats. She interrupted me in my office as I placed the last few things I wanted on my desk.

“Put them on the top self near the end of the bar.” I said to her not bothering to look up.

“Ok.” She answered closing the door behind her.

I reached for the last little box and inside was a picture I had forgotten about. I was holding on to a framed picture of Lukas and me. I might have not brought everything with me from New York but in the boxes I had packed before I moved I placed this picture away. I remember taking it as I outstretched my arm above us and he sneaked in a kiss the moment I press the button. It came out so cute that I framed it. With a heavy heart I placed it on my desk and wondered if enough time had passed between us for me to contact him. It had been more than six months now. I swallowed the hard lump that always formed when I thought of him and sat down taking out one of the invitations to the bar’s opening. I turned it over and began writing.