The Quince Project

Chapter Twenty

Of course Po had to go to the bathroom the second we pulled into the school parking lot. “Paulina’s going to be here any second,” I said, slamming the car door shut. “We’ve got a day full of fittings and no extra time to spare.”

“Tell that to my bladder,” she said, running toward the gym. On her sprint through the double doors, she almost knocked over Gianna and Lee. Gianna did a double take at Po sailing past, then turned in my direction.

“Hey, Cas!” She beelined over. “Marcus didn’t mention you guys were practicing today. I would’ve worn something”—she frowned at her gray cropped sweatshirt—“befitting of a local celebrity.”

“I don’t think Paulina would care about your clothes.” Why would she if her eyes rarely left Po? “But don’t worry—you’ll probably miss her altogether,” I said. “We’re about to head out on more party-planning business and only meeting here for carpooling purposes.”

“Stylish and eco-friendly? Paulina’s the best.” Carpooling had been my idea, but whatever. “Also, ‘more party-planning business,’ eh?” Her eyebrows arched, inviting me to say more.

I looked over my shoulder. “It may or may not have to do with—” I ran my hands over my blouse and khaki shorts, extending them into the shape of a gown.

Gianna barely contained her squeal.

There. Just the right amount of insider scoop to satisfy her desire to sniff around. I brought a finger to my mouth, then gestured to the gym. Move it along.

“Thanks for that tidbit, but I’m so bummed you aren’t practicing today. If Paulina needed a break for a dance or two, I would’ve loved to sub in.” She crept closer. A dizzying mash of rotting flowers and baby powder clogged my nostrils. Whatever body spritz this was, it made Dad’s kombucha smell like freshly scrubbed puppies.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” She winked. “You and Prince Charming looked awfully cozy twirling all over the place the other day.”

I forced an awkward laugh. “Darth Vader’s theme song really lights a saber under your feet.”

“If you say so.” She blew a tuft of hair off her face. “How do you like working with Paulina, by the way? Is she different behind the scenes than on her videos?” She snagged her phone from a pocket on the side of her leggings. “Off the record, is she a secret diva?”

“What? No!” Sure Paulina had thrown some curveballs, but I wouldn’t consider her a diva. And hopefully never would.

“C’mon, spill,” Gianna continued. “Your secrets are safe with me.”

Gah, how many times had Po warned me? You give people an inch and they take a kilometer. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

At Po’s combat boots crunching against the gravel, I let out a sigh of relief. “Hey, Lady Hot Goss,” Po said. “Marcus said to get your butt back to practice.”

Gianna huffed, turning to the gym. “Chat later, Cas.”

Uh, we better not. “Marcus didn’t really want her back in practice, did he?”

Po shook her head. “It looked like you needed a lifeline.”

“Thank—”

No point in finishing. Not when her head was swinging toward Paulina’s approaching SUV. The second the driver-side door cracked open, Po sped forth.

Her pink duster billowed against the summer air, each flap fluttering in a way I thought only existed in rom-com running scenes.

Paulina and Po wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace. I coughed before their hugging and whispered chattering turned into something more than friendly.

Surprisingly, they broke apart.

“Now that we’re all here, I want to quickly go over the agenda.” I opened the planner. “Today we’re doing fittings.”

Po clapped and Paulina nodded.

“We have three places to visit for your dress, starting at the Nordy in South Coast, then Neiman Marcus at Fashion Island—”

“I loved the ones you set aside there.” Today, Paulina made no attempts to put on her serious mask. I looked over at Po. Their Cheshire Cat grins matched perfectly. “But I absolutely adored the boutique you DMed last night.”

My chest lifted, filling with pride. “Great. There’s an up-and-coming designer there who’s branching out from her bathing suit line, Beaches Love Me, into evening dresses. You’ve worn some of the one-pieces as bodysuits in some of your vlogs so I figured you’d like her gowns.”

Paulina draped an arm around me, pulling me in for a quick squeeze. We’d graduated from smiles to hugs now? “Picking up on details like that is why you’re the best planner a girl could have,” she said. “Isn’t she the best, Po?”

Po shot me a smirk. “She has her moments.”

I rolled my eyes in faux annoyance. “After your fittings, we’ll meet Javi later in the afternoon for his tux fitting. Any questions?”

I’d posed the question partially out of courtesy—but mostly, rhetorically. Because I really wanted to mentally shout, See, Gianna? No teen prima donnas here.

But then, Paulina spoke. “No questions, only a few requests.”

My throat constricted. Before I could ask what she had in mind, a familiar motor roared into the parking lot.

A screech of wheels. Javi’s scooter pulled up a few parking spots away. He slipped off his helmet and threw his head back. Rays of sun sparkled across each swish of dark tresses, across the Mickey appliqué on his sling bag.

When he glanced over, his eyes found mine. I couldn’t look away.

“Po and I will take my car, and you and Baymoon take his scooter,” Paulina said.

Now this was a change I could get behind.

“Also I’d like to do decor hunting today, preferably before my fittings,” Paulina continued. “Can you get them moved to later in the day?”

I turned to her and blurted, “What?” Reschedule the fittings that were about to start?

“Um,” I tugged my phone from my back pocket. Searched for available time slots on the stores’ styling portals. “Neiman Marcus’s and Nordstrom’s gown salon appointments are already booked today.” My shoulders tensed. “In fact, they don’t have anything open for two weeks. So to have your party at the end of the month like planned”—and for me to apply to the Mandy internship before the application window closed—“we have to keep this fitting.”

“You’d think stores would part the seas for a Mandy Whitmore client.” Paulina narrowed red-glitter-rimmed eyes. Even Javi tilted his chin.

My mouth opened in an awkward smile. “Mandy can set plexiglass over pools so her clients can dance on water, but parting the Pacific during wedding season?” I chuckled, trying hard not to choke on it.

“Huh, I didn’t think of that.” Paulina nodded. Javi lowered his guard. Po let out a slow exhale. “Fine. I’ll keep the dress fittings as is, but I need you to squeeze the decorations in today, too.”

“But I… um—” I slipped the phone back into my pocket, opened the planner back to the Paulina tab. “I have us scheduled for decor rentals…” I turned the page over. “Next weekend.”

She stared at me unblinking. Had she drawn her glitter eyeliner’s wings extra sharp this morning? Because today they were edged extra scythe-like, capable of cutting through whatever stood in her way. I swallowed. “What I meant was, what time is best for you?”

A smile bloomed at the corners of her mouth. “You know what they say, ‘there’s no time like the present.’” Probably because of the confusion painting across my face, she said, “Po and I will tackle dresses. You and Baymoon can gather decor. Afterward, we meet up at the tux studio.”

“Great idea,” Po said.

Javi turned to face me. “Pau’s plan makes sense,” he said, a bloom of pink creeping up his neck.

“Next weekend I’ll be MIA filming the new food items dropping at Disneyland,” Paulina said. “Like you said yourself, it’s wedding season, so it’s probably smart to lock down decorations early anyway.”

Between Paulina’s newest change-ups and Javi’s glances, my concentration fizzled. I plucked the pencil from the back of my ear. Drummed its eraser end against the planner to refocus. “What about filming? Aren’t you uploading this to your channel?”

She waved off my concerns. “A director doesn’t really film, Cas. I mean, they can if they want, but mostly, they bring the vision. You’re already familiar with the vibes I want. Baymoon’s been my second unit director since day one.” She shrugged. “Think of this as a team project. Get some footage. Remember my skills in postproduction? None of my viewers will know I wasn’t there.”

Javi scoffed but let that single dimple loose. “You’re really shooing us off like your B unit?” he asked.

“Uh-huh,” Paulina said, crossing her arms. “Do you have a problem with it?”

Javi shook his head. “I don’t have a problem. Do you, Castle Towers?” he asked, edging closer.

Extra time with him? Yes, please. I hugged the planner to my chest. Was that pounding the sound of my pulse? Or today’s schedule knocking against the cover, reminding me that swapping out fittings for camerawork wasn’t part of the plan. “Are you sure you don’t need me at the fittings?”

Paulina’s eyes locked on me. Po’s too, that turncoat. Together, they scanned me from the top of my air-dried-and-only-mildly-frizzy hair to my button-down pink blouse and khaki shorts before landing on my loafers. That kicked off a string of low whispers. I caught smatterings of “law intern slash golfer” and “OC real estate agent” but couldn’t tell who said what.

“I’m positive,” Paulina said sweetly. “It’s settled. You and Baymoon take decoration duty. Text me pics and videos. I get final approval of flowers and rentals. By the time we pick a dress, it’ll be time for Javi’s tux fitting anyway. We good?” Her tone indicated the conversation was over.

Javi motioned to his scooter. The sunlight caught on the ends of his hair. Like a moth drawn to a photo-booth bulb, I hurried over.

Po swept to Paulina’s SUV, shouting, “Get in, loser; we’re going shopping.”

Paulina responded with an equally loud “Woo-hoo!”

When I hopped on the back of the scooter and wrapped my arms around Javi’s waist, nothing boomed louder than my heartbeat. I brought my chin to his broad shoulder, inhaling oceans and lavender fields. Yup, nothing.

Javi did a double take at the etchings on the glass doors. “You’re taking me into PP Celebrations? What type of party are you throwing for Paulina again?”

“It’s short for Pelican Point Celebrations.” I trembled with laughter, shaking my phone’s camera all over the place. “It’s one of OC’s premier banquet halls, boasting both indoor and outdoor ballrooms. Last year, we had prom in the lake garden. I came up with the idea to put color-changing tea lights inside the lake.”

“You have a track record for combining unusual items and school events so I gotta ask: Was this lake filled with freshwater or PP?”

“You’re making me ruin the video for Paulina,” I said, laughing.

Javi sucked in his round cheeks, making duck lips. His gaze went through the lens—through me. “Make sure you get my Blue Steel pose.”

That pulled cackles from both of us. I hit the record button, stopping this video to start a new, nonchaotic one.

Something about the thumbnail made me not delete it. The light glinting off the Mickey appliqué resembling a shooting star, maybe? Or how the sun-lightened ends of Javi’s tresses cast a golden halo?

This moment could be great to sketch. Or watercolor.

I shook my head. I was supposed to be focused on Paulina’s quince, not my once-upon-a-time hobby.

“As I was saying, PP Celeb—” I couldn’t help but crack up again. As much as I wanted to keep dissolving into fits like this, decorations needed to be locked down. “Pelican Point Celebrations also has an entire section of their building dedicated to rentals. That way, you can rent some of the decor, even if you decide to have the party somewhere else.”

So many of OC’s—even LA’s and San Diego’s—party planners came here to scope out the goods. Whenever I came for SBA duties, I’d always kept an eye out for the fairest godmother of them all. Sadly, I’d never spotted her. Her apprentices probably did the legwork for her. Sigh.

Javi pushed a few locks of hair out of his face, eyes fixing on me. His gaze was warmer than the summer air. Heat poured over me. Pooled into the void inside my chest. I stored it the way a wishing well collected secret desires.

“C’mon,” I said. “Follow me.”

We walked under the rose archway leading into the florist room. A mosaic of fresh and dried flowers dangled from the ceiling like chandeliers. Javi’s nostrils flared. “It smells so good.”

“It does.” I wanted to keep inhaling lavender fields, but it’d be smarter to get the scoop on the roses instead. “Hey, can you text some of those flower arrangements to Paulina while I chat with the head florist?”

“On it.” He moved to the tables stacked with fragrant centerpieces fit for luxury hotel lobbies, weddings, and everything in between.

I headed in the opposite direction, toward Himari, PP Celebration’s botanical genius.

“Hey, Cas,” they said, adjusting the straps of their orange overalls. “Isn’t it a little too early to order centerpieces for homecoming?”

“The audacity,” I said, grabbing my chest. “It’s never too early to start planning. But no, I’m actually prepping another quincea?era.”

“Look at you go, rock star.” Himari high-fived me. The slap sent a thrill up my arm. “I just stocked the foliage wall in the back with seasonal flowers; go check it out.”

I inhaled. Sure enough, fresh eucalyptus and lemon leaf perfumed the air. “Will do.”

I half turned on my loafers, only to be grabbed by my elbow. “Not before you tell me—who’s the cutie?” they whispered.

“Trust me—the less you know, the better.”

“Oh, to be young,” they grinned. Their smile slid off their face when a reedy woman stepped through the archway.

She wore her hair in a perfectly sheared bob. The auburn hue pulled at images of fire. More the wildfires that decimated mountains than cozy flames inside a fireplace.

Himari pushed a clipboard into my hands. “Gotta go see what she needs before I get fired.” They plastered a smile on their face and rushed toward Blunt Bob. “Soraya, what a pleasure it is to see you again.”

Riiight. Drawing the pencil from the back of my ear, I wrote Matteo Beach High SBA on top of the order form strapped to the clipboard. Jotted potential flowers for Paulina’s party underneath.

Gold cymbidium orchids? Their long stems stretched the length of a lightsaber. Their gold petals also glowed like the light beaming from one.

The last thing I wanted to do was text Dad, but fairy godmother duty called. I pushed down my irritation and pulled out my phone. Do yellow sabers exist?

The phone vibrated.

Yes, but if this is about the Sith Lord party, your friend would prefer red sabers instead.

Huh. Paulina was going to use a red lightsaber for the paso doble, so… Which red flowers evoked Sith saber vibes? The cardinal flowers covered with spiky red blooms Javi was holding? I tucked the clipboard under my arm and hit Record, capturing him strolling to the vases filled with lilac roses. The thin cotton of his white shirt clung to the muscles in his back. The dark shorts clung just as snuggly to his—

Javi must’ve felt my stare—er, phone lens—because he turned around. “My eyes are up here, Castle Towers.”

My stomach lurched with embarrassment. Another wave of humiliation crashed over me when Blunt Bob chuckled from an aisle over. “What? No. I wasn’t checking you out. Just your outfit.”

Sadly, he wasn’t buying my excuse. Face on fire, I turned away from him. Wedged myself between two huge vases of roses. Added two new tasks to today’s agenda.

No more checking out Javi for the rest of the day. Focus on procuring the perfect decorations.

“Find anything Paulina would like?” I asked.

“What about this? It’s very quincea?era-y.” He picked up a polyantha rose. Small blossoms. Fluffy petals colored a pink so pale some shimmered white.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “Perfect for lots of birthday girls, but…” Sidestepping the vases, I plucked the stem from his hand. “Too cloud-looking. And Paulina’s no cloud. She’s a star.” I put the rose back into the vase. “One in a galaxy far, far away.”

A rustling behind us. Soraya’s steely eyes flicked down to her clipboard, gold pen scribbling across the page. When she looked up again, her mouth puckered. Sheesh. Judgmental and nosey?

I shuffled past her and a pink peony wall to a vase containing super-dark roses.

“Black Baccaras,” I said, lifting one. “See these edges?” I skimmed the top with a finger.

Javi nodded at the almost-black petals.

“This is the darkest rose. As the blossom unfurls, though…” So what if I sounded like Isabela Madrigal right now? If Mandy was going to hire me as a fairy godmother’s apprentice, best to practice flower talk whenever the opportunity presented itself. “The interior petals open to a velvety, burgundy red.”

“So gnarly,” Javi said, inching in. “In a good way.”

“Exactly why…” I patted the rosebud against my chin. Before I spiraled into calculating how many layers of watercolor paints it would take to get this effect, I wrote Black Baccara bouquets on the order form. “They’re perfect for Paulina. Sending her pics for approval right now.”

Moments later, the phone buzzed. Paulina’s string of heart-eye emojis, along with the Ratatouille chef’s kiss GIF, boosted my confidence. I pointed the screen at Javi, sharing the good news.

“Excellent. But, wait—” He tapped the top of the order form, pointing to Matteo Beach High SBA. “Instead of your school’s student body association, shouldn’t it say the fancy event firm you work for? Don’t want to have the order go to the wrong place because of a mistake, ya know?”

My knuckles twinged against the pencil. “Muscle memory, I guess. Thanks for looking out.” His helpful nature tugged at my inner Jiminy Cricket. I toed the floor with my loafer as if squashing the sanctimonious bug. The only voice worth listening to was Mandy’s.

Happily ever afters are our business.

“Crossing out Matteo Beach High SBA”—I drew a line through it. “And putting the correct firm, Mandy Whitmore.” I scribbled her name. “There. All fixed.”

High heels clicked to a halt behind us. Some crunching noises joined the party. Sure, Soraya appeared to be sifting through decorative stones with her hands, but her attention fell on us—er, me.

Or rather the rose in my hand. Hmm. Was she also throwing a party for a Sith Lord? Did she want to copy and paste my ideas to her client’s aesthetic board?

Before the intensity of Soraya’s stare—and the guilt of lying to Javi—burned me to a crisp, I said, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Thankfully, I knew the perfect spot to cool down.