Page 25 of Last First Date

"It is very cool," she said. "And we could do it within budget."

The second idea was an “Alice in Wonderland” meets “Valentine's Day” concept, with heart-shaped red roses and playing cards as centerpieces, illuminated with soft fairy lights to create a charmingly whimsical atmosphere.

"You know, I think this would be a lot easier if we had some direction." I sighed.

"I think it's awesome that our first solo, well, joint solo project is such a challenge." She smiled. "I like it the hard way."

The last one was a “Classic Hollywood Romance” theme, where the venue would be draped in rich velvets and twinkling lights, mimicking a vintage cinema atmosphere, complete with red carpet and marquee lights.

I had a feeling that was the one our client would go for. It was a little cliche and had been done a thousand times, but we could put a unique spin on it.

"Maybe we could have posters of outdoorsy movies," I mused aloud.

She nodded excitedly, her eyes sparkling with ideas. "We could have a faux movie premiere section where guests could pose like Hollywood stars on a red carpet."

I tapped my pencil on my notepad. "You know, I think we should come up with an outdoor theme just in case."

"Does black tie and outdoors really go together?" she asked.

I sighed. "No, but we can think of a way to blend the two, can't we?"

"Of course." She grinned, rubbing her hands together. "Challenge accepted! Black tie... outdoors... How about a 'Starry Night Gala?’ Where the grandeur of the indoors meets the charm of the open skies."

My eyes lit up as I saw the potential in this idea. "Yes! We could have a canopy of glistening fairy lights overhead, giving the illusion of a star-studded sky. The tables could be draped in midnight-blue cloth, adorned with delicate crystal centerpieces for a dash of elegance."

"And we could add a touch of nature," Marcy chimed in. "Think tall glass vases with branches sprayed white and decked with twinkling lights so it seems they are reaching for those artificial stars. Plus, the guests could enjoy an open-air dance floor, a testament to the magic of dancing under the stars."

"Excellent!" I exclaimed, making quick sketches on my notepad. "We can use soft white drapes to define the dance area and hanging lanterns for soft, romantic lighting."

"And maybe we could incorporate some elements of the forest too," she suggested. "Like wooden accents in the decor and natural centerpieces made up of foliage and flowers. It would create a great contrast with the formal black-tie attire."

I nodded as I furiously took notes. "And we'll ask the client for some of their camping gear to set up a little campsite."

She jumped out of her chair and clapped her hands. "That's it. That's the one. I don't even want to present the others."

I thought about it. "You're right. I agree. I say we run with this one. We'll have the others in our back pocket as a backup, but I don't think we're going to need it."

We were going to nail it. Knox thought he was going to make me fail. He was dead wrong, and I couldn't wait to see his face when we got glowing reviews.

12

KNOX

Ipopped my head out of my office only to find my assistant was MIA once again. I shook my head with frustration. When Benjamin called my cell to speak with me, I ignored it.

I didn't like Benjamin. He was a dick. He was the proverbial jock that loved to pick on everyone. He got a kick out of talking shit about me and my looks. It should have been satisfying that I made it big in the modeling world. In one way, it did. But I really hoped he would have moved out of town before I came back.

Unfortunately, he made his fortune opening outdoor equipment stores. And he was back.

"Yay fucking me," I muttered.

Benjamin thought he had the right to call me direct and ask me to do him a solid. As if we were ever friends. But that didn't stop him. He needed me to plan his grand opening. I was happy to push the job off on Waverly. I knew she didn't have any experience and that was exactly what I was counting on. I hoped she failed miserably. Not that I wanted her to fail, but I wanted him to fail and assigning the newbie to handle his event was one way to make it happen.

"Waverly!" I hollered with frustration.

Everyone in the office turned to look at me. I glared back at them. I should have considered what it would mean to have my assistant working on an event.

I went back into my office and sank into my chair. A familiar pitter-patter of footsteps echoed from the hallway, followed by a flustered Waverly appearing at the entrance of my office.