Tara glanced up at the water as the ferry drifted slowly along. The wind lightly ruffled her hair, as well as the papers in the folder on her lap. It was uncharacteristically cool, contrasting with the recent heat wave, and Tara was wearing a blue pantsuit that had attracted more than a few disapproving looks from some older women on the ferry, as well as some approving looks from some of the men. She closed the folder and slipped it into her bag as she stood and stretched, strolling over to the rail near the front of the boat. She watched the Southern Charm office come into view as the ferry slowly slid into a berth next to it. 

She was the first to disembark, making her way through the crowd as she headed for the Southern Charm office, where she gave her name to the receptionist and took a seat. She'd intended to meet with Madeline earlier at The Observatory in Philadelphia, but some renovations had forced a postponement. Instead, here she was in the Big Apple, potentially the site of her future business. She looked forward to discussing her ideas with her... what was Madeline, exactly? It was hard to call her a friend; they simply hadn't spent very much time together, compared to Madeline and Gavin. Business associate? Perhaps... but Tara had also met Madeline a long time ago, and respected her more than many other people she'd worked with.

Whatever else Madeline was or wasn't, she was a potential partner- and Tara was excited for the opportunity. 

Madeline had been spending more time home in New York in recent weeks. She’d traveled across the country, and now it was time to focus on Southern Charm. She had designed a new logo and arranged with Leo to sell merchandise at his store. She’d returned to the aquarium and managed to convince them to also stock some of her Southern Charm merchandise in their gift shop. They had opened a new club, Truth, over on the east side and she’d had an unexpected trip to Arizona.

When Sarah came to tell Madeline, that Tara was waiting for her, she smiled in thanks at the woman and told her to bring Tara back to the office. The glass wall behind her desk showed an impressive view of the docks and the River. Kamille wasn’t in the office today, so the second desk was empty, and Madeline had the room to herself. 

When Tara entered, she took and smiled warmly in greeting. "Tara, it's so good to see you. Please, come and sit. How are you?" Madeline was genuinely curious; she'd hoped to get to know Tara better the last time she was in Philly, but it wasn't destined to be. Madeline's aversion to growing close to people meant she didn't have very many friends and she had been working on that part of herself recently. "Ready to get that club off the ground finally?"

Tara returned Madelien's smile as she entered the other woman's office. Taking a moment to admire the view of the docks and river, Tara shifted her attention back to Madeline as she sat across from her.

"I'm... good, actually. Been trying to get out more, recently. And regarding the club... yes and no. First, I wanted to check on whether you had a location in mind. Second, I wanted some input from you on theme."

Madeline sat back in her seat after Tara got settled. She nodded slightly at the questions Tara asked.  "I do have a location in mind, although it's shifted slightly from when I saw you last. We had a club open up here in Manhattan, on the east side, so to lessen the competition I found a place in Brooklyn. It's right on the dock and has a gorgeous view of this side of the river."

Shifting slightly, she crossed her legs and smiled again. "Glad to hear you've been getting out more. What kind of themes did you have in mind?" 

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind a bit of competition, but you're probably right to space things out a bit. Can you tell me about this other club? Want to make sure I'm not being derivative. And as for my own theme?"

Tara sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. Here's where it gets tricky.

"I want something big an extravagant. Something that stands out from the other clubs. I was thinking a theme that connected with the ancient world somehow. Ancient Greece is probably my first choice. Have a bunch of good looking people in robes as employees, maybe some gods or demigods. I was also considering Rome or Egypt, but Greece seems to connect to wine, women, and song the best. Would love to hear your thoughts, though."

"The club is called Truth. It's in an old warehouse, owned by a crew from out in Chicago. It's more modern I would say, with pool tables and such. Huge selection of alcohol and such. I think your idea of a theme is a good one, truthfully. It will set the place apart, give it a unique selling point."

Madeline stood, moving to a cart along the side wall and pouring them both a glass of whiskey. She came back and handed one of the glasses to Tara.

"I can see how you might get stuck with those options - they're all similar cultures yet different enough that the choice becomes difficult. Rome makes me think too much about politics or baths, neither of which is fitting for a club. Egypt has some strong selling points; I can picture a giant sphinx right as you walk in and statues lining the walls. The building itself could even be a pyramid on the outside, although it would take some renovation."

Yes, Madeline could see such a place being a draw not only for visiting tourists and locals alike. She took a sip from her glass before continuing. 

"Greece is doable as well. Grecian columns, golden leaves, togas. I feel like ancient Greece was more known for its opulence so if that's the feel you're looking for, it's a good choice."

She realized she might not have helped solve Tara's dilemma, but hopefully, she had given her enough to help her come to a decision on her own. 

Tara accepted the glass of whisky with a smile.

"Opulence was sort of my thought process, yes. I also know much, much more about Ancient Greece's mythology and culture than Ancient Egypt's. Egypt would be more exotic, perhaps... but is it wrong that I care about having at least a little authenticity? I don't know... Greece just seems to fit better with sex and wine."

She shrugged.

"You don't think it'd be silly, right? A club with a theme that extreme? I'd like to entice people, give them something out of the ordinary... but I don't want to be too weird, you know?"

Madeline thought for a few moments, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "First, if you're more comfortable with a Greece theme, then do a Greece theme. Always go with your gut, that's what I've learned. Once you pick the theme the rest will flow." 

"It's possible that people might find it odd, that's true. It's all about how we sell it. If we focus on the ideas of sex and opulence, if we focus on making it an experience for people, I can see them coming. This is New York City Tara, the city that never sleeps. There are clubs on every corner. Being unique is how you stand out here."

Placing her glass on the table, Madeline stood once more. "Come, let me show you the location. Maybe that will help you to visualize it better." 

Madeline escorted Tara back down to the dock where she spoke to one of the captains. Within a few minutes, they were boarding one of the Southern Charm Tour boats, just the two of them.

"This is a much faster way to get over to Brooklyn then going by car. And much nicer, in my opinion." She grinned at Tara as the boat took off from the dock, traveling across the water. For a girl who grew up in Texas, surrounded by land, she truly loved being on the water. 

Tara took another sip of her whiskey, pondering.

"You know... I think you're right about this being a better fit for New York than Philadelphia, even without factoring in other concerns. Something like this might just stand out a little too much back home. Whereas New York... well, you know."

She grinned. 

"I'd love to see the location."

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Tara followed Madeline onto one of the boats.

"You better watch out... you get too used to these, you'll turn into a pirate, huh?"

She laughed, as the taste of whiskey left on her tongue mingled with the smell of the water.

"... maybe I should have a pirate club instead. Treasure. Adventure. Wooden legs. Parrots."

She sighed, sinking her head down to her forearms, which were on the rail.

"See, this is why I've been in Philadelphia for a decade and still don't have a place of my own..."

Madeline looked at Tara and raised an eyebrow slightly. The woman was horribly indecisive; it was almost amusing, but Madeline felt for her. "No pirates, unless you want beer and fights and, well, mess." Madeline frowned at the thought. "You're far too classy for that."

Walking to the railing, Madeline looked over the water with a smile. She wasn't exactly someone to start handing out advice, but at that moment she felt like Tara needed a little bit of guidance. "I know I don't know you very well Tara, and maybe I'm crossing a line by saying that, but you're a smart woman who needs to find the confidence to start making decisions. Not everything has to be perfectly planned out to a tee. Go with your gut sometimes. If you fail, you fail, but I promise you that you will have learned something along the way."

Madeline had learned that lesson a lot recently. There were many things she regretted doing, but if she hadn't done them, she wouldn't be where she was today. "Go back to Philly and buy a place. Don't like? Sell it and buy another one. Come here and open the Greece themed extravagant club that you have in mind. It's my job to make sure that it doesn't fail but if it does, then we go from there. There are no guarantees in life, and not everything is going to work as you expected. But if you waver on every decision, you'll end up getting nowhere. And if I do know anything about it's that you deserve to go big places in life."

She hoped she hadn't overstepped but something told her Tara would appreciate her words. She hoped so at least. 

Tara sighed.

"No, you're right. That's much more-"

She caught herself, then grimaced. There was no use ducking it. And Madeline would probably be more bothered by being babied.

"- Gavin's sort of thing. I'll stick with Ancient Greece."

Tara looked out at the water.

"For someone who doesn't know me well, you're pretty spot on with your analysis. Although I would point out that my indecision tends to only be in certain areas. Especially when it comes to a business."

She grinned over at Madeline.

"You're right, though. Let's just make this Greece club happen. I've been thinking about it for years. Time to finally pull the trigger, right?"

Tara stood up straight and shot Madeline a wink.

"Okay. Pep talk received. Let's go check this location out and kick some ass, huh?"

Madeline noticed that Tara hesitated before saying Gavin’s name. She wasn’t wrong – Madeline had been thinking along the same lines, she just hadn’t mentioned it. She hesitated herself, a part of her wanting to ask Tara how her brother was doing and the other part of her not sure she wanted to know. She wasn’t ready to hear about Gavin being happy and healthy and whole with this other woman. Despite that fact that it was precisely what she wanted for the man. Despite the fact that she’d moved on herself, far quicker than she’d ever expected. Life could be so confusing sometimes.

Luckily, Tara moved right along, keeping the conversation going and making it easy to bypass he mention of her brother. “Years? You’ve been thinking about this for years, and you still haven’t done it?” Madeline found it quite shocking; she typically acted within hours of having a thought; if she could wait days to think it over, she was usually satisfied. But YEARS?!

The boat ride was quick, given that they weren’t taking the actual tour. Once the ramp was lowered on the Brooklyn pier, Madeline led Tara towards some buildings that were already under renovation. There were a few stores already open which would help give Tara the sense of a budding business area.

“Ok, I know it doesn’t look like much yet. But you have to envision the space; I can’t do much until we have a basic layout decided.” She walked to a two-story building that was once a factory but had been abandoned when the company went under. Pushing open the front door, Madeline switched on the lights to show Tara the large empty room.

“There’s a separate space in the back that has deep freezers; you could easily turn it into a kitchen if you were hoping to have food available. There’s space upstairs for offices or even private gambling rooms – whatever you could imagine. But the best of the entire place, honestly, is the view.” Madeline walked towards the side wall, grinning as she showed Tara the view from one of the windows. From their location, they had a clear, unobstructed view of downtown Manhattan."Imagine it at night, the lights shining across the water. We could enlarge the windows or even do a whole glass wall. Since the building is right on the edge, you'll never have to worry about your view being blocked."

Tara smiled bashfully.

"I mean, not like years nonstop. When I first showed up in Philly a decade ago, I wanted to open up my own place. But then Jack got authed, and I started running The Pier... and there's so many businesses there, I just always sort of delayed opening my own. Until now, I suppose."

Tara slowly trailed behind Madeline, looking around with keen, calculating eyes as she tried to imagine the future. It became easier when she stopped next to Madeline near the window. Her mind was whirring at a thousand miles an hour, already planning. When she spoke, it was almost as an afterthought.

"Definitely... glass wall. Mmmm."

Madeline watched as Tara explored the place; she could see the woman's eye darting around, envisioning her future business here in this spot. "Glass wall it is then. And whatever else you want. I can get my men to work right away; you do need to decide what kind of layout you want. And pick out the furniture, the decorations, the fixtures; you know, all the jazz." Ok so, there was quite a bit of work that needed to go into opening the place, but between the two of them, Madeline was sure they could knock it out quickly.

"Take some time, do this for yourself, Tara. Not just because it's your own business, but because it's the fulfillment of a long time desire. Let your imagination go wild; if you can envision it, I can try to put it into place. You deserve it." 

Tara's mind was already running wild, but she blinked and forced herself back to the moment as she walked over to Madeline and grinned.

"Thank you, Madeline. This is... perfect. Is there anything I can do for you in return? Anything you need?"

"Your support in New York and Philly is all the thanks I need Tara." Madeline flashed a genuine smile at the other woman. "Let's focus on what I can do for you this time around; getting this business off the ground. How about we head back to my office and discuss details over a bottle of wine? I can order from that Italian restaurant too. If we can get a rough idea of what you're envisioning down on paper, I will have people in here tomorrow getting started on it." 

Tara and Madeline would head back to the Southern Charm office where the rest of the afternoon was spent sketching rough outlines of the floorplan to the Greecian club that Tara dreamed of opening. Madeline was determined to help Tara make firm decisions throughout the afternoon, and although they became increasingly intoxicated as they worked, they managed to end the afternoon with a reasonably good layout for the building. The next day, as promised, the renovations would begin. Madeline was sure that Tara's dream would become a reality in no time.