Point Me to Tomorrow by Veronica Chambers Page B

excited.”
    â€œWell, okay,” Alicia said.
    A few minutes after Carmen left, Alicia heard the doorbell ring. She assumed that Carmen had forgotten something—a scarf or some other accessory she’d made that Alicia would have been perfectly happy to keep. She was surprised to see Gaz at the front door.
    He kissed her deeply. “ Hola , stranger.”
    She smiled, feeling thankful that she’d brushed her teeth right after breakfast!
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” she asked.
    He grinned. “I was sort of, kind of, not anywhere near here. But I missed you, and I don’t have to be at work until four. So I thought I’d drop by.”
    Alicia pouted. “You don’t have to be at work until later, but I’ve really got to work now. I’ve got to focus on this proposal for Carmela Ortega’s quince . Do you have any interest in helping me?” she asked, hopefully.
    â€œThat depends,” Gaz said flirtatiously. “Do you have any interest in feeding me? Because I will work for food.”
    Three hours, six everything waffles, two Gorgonzola-stuffed burgers, four cans of Coca-Cola, and half a cheesecake later, this was what Alicia e-mailed her mystery client:
Dear Ms. Centavo,
    It is with great pleasure that we offer the following proposal for your client’s fifteenth-birthday celebration. As soon as you let us know your preferences, we will begin to finalize the details.
    Location:
    Chez Gusteau
    This traditional French restaurant offers stunning views of planes landing and arriving at Miami International Airport. Double-paned windows ensure that noise is not an issue.
    Theme:
    Paris Nights, Miami Mornings
    Our basic concept is that your client, whoever she is, is a girl of the world. With the Miami airport as our backdrop and the French restaurant as the venue, we think that this theme will give us a lot of room to be creative and will be singularly evocative for both the girl of honor and her guests.
    Color scheme:
    We envision this as a clean, ultrasophisticated event. We would suggest a sharp black-and-white color scheme, with hot pink as the accent color.
    Menu:
    The space would be divided into two rooms. The formal dining room, with the theme “Paris Nights,” would offer a French-inspired sit-down meal. We are including several menus, including a contemporary French Polynesian fusion menu and a classic Parisian brasserie menu.
    The second room would serve as the reception area and then later as the dance space, where, designwise, we would focus on “Miami Mornings.” We would also offer a selection of nonalcoholic cocktails, aka “mocktails,” with illustrations that would be slightly more sophisticated than what you see here.
    Flowers:
    Please see the attached JPEGs for samples of bouquets from a new florist we are considering, Garden and Bloom.
    Activities and favors:
    In the courtyard of the restaurant, in between the reception and the sit-down meal areas, we would like to suggest constructing a backdrop where guests can have their pictures taken. Some thoughts for the backdrop would be a Parisian street scene, a luxury jet, and an image of Miami Beach. Your quince and her friends are people who are going places, and they would enjoy posing for these photos, as well as taking small framed photos home as keepsakes at the end of the evening.
    After dinner, while a band plays indoors, we would cover the photo backdrop with a white sheet and project a movie in the breezeway of the restaurant. Guests could choose between dancing indoors and gathering on couches to watch a classic Hollywood film. The film would, of course, be of your client’s choosing.
    Immediate pending items:
Dress designs. Will your client be needing a dress? Or will she be bringing one? We have an excellent designer/seamstress on our team.
Father-daughter vals . How might we help your client with the choreography of this very important element, considering that