A Formal Affair (15 page)
Jamie stood between Alicia and Carmen, desperately trying to catch one of her shoes as they sailed over her head. “You do know that you're playing hot potato with a very exquisite pair of heels, don't you?” she asked.
“And to think,” Alicia said innocently, “back in the eighth grade, we played hot potato with real potatoes. What a bore!” Then she dissolved in giggles, relieved that, although as seniors in high school they were too old for many things, sleepovers weren't among them.
THE NEXT MORNING
, Alicia and her friends gathered at the snack bar of the quad outside their school, Coral Gables High. C. G. High was located in one of Miami's most luxurious residential neighborhoods. Even though September in Miami was plenty warm, the girls had shifted from their summer uniforms of strapless dresses, flip-flops, and sandals into the long cardigans, leggings, and knee-high boots that signaled the onset of fall and the beginning of the school year.
As they sipped various drinks, they were greeted by students they barely knew. They smiled and waved hello, feeling sometimes a little like reality TV stars. Like it or not, if you build a business throwing the hottest
quinceañeras
in town, you're more than just popular, you're kinda famous.
Rafael, a cute and incredibly built guy who was captain of the swimming team, called out to them, “Hey,
chicas
, when's the next bangin' birthday party?”
Jamie smiled sweetly and said, “Wow, I wish I could tell you, but that's not how this works. You actually have to be invited by the birthday girl to the party.”
Rafael grinned. “See, that's why y'all need to open up a club or something.”
Jamie laughed, “A club? Um, we're just trying to get into college.”
“I hear that,” Rafael agreed, holding up his hand for a high five. Jamie gave him some dap, and before he walked away, he said, “Have a nice day, ladies. Try to slip me an invite for your next shindig.”
As they watched him leave, Carmen said, “Remember when we were freshmen? We would have just
melted
if a guy like Rafael ever talked to us.”
Jamie agreed. “Now we've all got boyfriends.”
Carmen nodded. “Really awesome boyfriends.”
“And we've got our own business,” Alicia added proudly.
“It's incredible.” Carmen looked a little dumbfounded. “I feel so lucky.”
Jamie disagreed. “Not me,” she told her friends. “Luck had nothing to do with it. We've worked really hard to be this successful.”
Alicia looked at her friend admiringly. As confident as she felt herself to be, Jamie was even more so. Part of the fun of being Jamie's friend was trying to channel some of her bravado.
“Speaking of successful, I received a very interesting e-mail yesterday.” Alicia pointed to her iPad.
“Let me guess,” Jamie said. “Someone wants us to plan their
quince
.”
Alicia took a seat at the high-topped table and fanned her drink to cool it off. She took a packet of sugar out of her army-navy-style hobo purse.
Carmen laughed. “You know who else keeps sugar in her purse? My seventy-year-old grandmother from Argentina.”
Alicia smiled and said, “That's because your
abuela
is very, very wise. Don't hate, appreciate.”
Jamie pointed to the iPad and said, “So, the next clientâwho is it?”
They had planned
quinces
for girls from every imaginable backgroundâfrom
Boricuas
to
Baranquilleras
. They had planned a space-themed
quince
, a
quince
on a yacht, and even a goth Latina
quince
on a cattle ranch in Texas. And they did their best to throw unforgettable partiesâregardless of the client's budget. Big paychecks were nice, but they all agreed that their “under a thousand”
quinces
were some of the best parties they'd ever thrown.
“It's quite mysterious, actually,” Alicia said. “Check this out.” And she showed them the e-mail.
Dear Amigas Inc.,
It is with great delight that I write you on behalf of my client, a young woman of some renownâwho, along with her parents, would like to enlist your services to plan what we hope will be a simply extraordinary
quince
.
The date we have in mind is Saturday, December 15. It is necessary to maintain a mystery about
this event, at my client's request.
If you are available to take on this assignment, then all details will be managed via e-mail by me, the client's personal secretary.
Cordialmente
,
Julia Centavo
Jamie looked at the dozens of students making their way across the campus. “Clearly, this is a joke,” she remarked. “Someone is just having a laugh.”
Alicia shook her head. “That was my first thought, too. Which is why I wrote back right away.”
She read them her reply.
Dear Miss Centavo,
We appreciate your interest. But we are busy students and entrepreneurs. We simply don't have the time to pursue a “mystery
quince
.”
Sinceramente
,
Alicia Cruz
“Okay, so the prank is dealt with. Conversation over, right?” said Carmen.
Alicia shook her head, tapped her iPad, and pulled up another e-mail.
Dear Ms. Cruz,
Of course, your time is valuable. And as such, and in consideration of the logistical complications of keeping this client's identity a secret, we'd like to offer you a two hundred dollar signing bonus, which we have taken the liberty of wiring to your account.
Hasta pronto
,
Julia Centavo
“This is starting to freak me out a little bit,” Carmen said. “Doesn't it all seem a little Da Vinci Code to you?”
“Forget about conspiracy fiction,” Jamie jumped in, cutting to the chase. “First, check our account to see if the money is there.”
Alicia pulled up their bank's home page and tapped in the user name and password. She took a deep breath, then turned the screen so her friends could see.
“Two hundred dollars. Deposited at nine this morning,” Alicia noted.
“Who's the deposit from?” Carmen asked.
Alicia pulled up the details of the deposit and read:
“SAP LLC.”
“What's that?” Carmen wondered out loud.
“Who cares?” Jamie said. “Their money is good, I'm in.”
“I don't know,” Carmen countered. “I like to know who I'm working for. It could be someone shady.”
Alicia nodded. “I agree; let's do some investigating. I'm going to try to find out who Julia Centavo is. Carmen, why don't you look into this SAP LLC? Jamie, can you do some online research on all the celebrities who might be celebrating
quinces
in Miami over the next six to eight months?”
To be continuedâ¦