business plan.
SadieâPresident, ViâSecretary/Treasurer, BeccaâBooking/Advertising
âHow about âQueen of Booking and Advertisingâ?â Becca smooths her straight red hair like sheâs ready for us to pop a tiara on it.
âThis is a democracy,â Sadie says. âNo queens allowed.â
I set the notebook next to the flashlight basket, and we all lean in to admire it.
âWe need a name,â Becca says. âParties 4 U?â
âPlethora of Parties?â I suggest. Then I clamp my mouth shut. This isnât my business.
âWhat does âplethoraâ mean?â Vi asks. âHow about BVS Parties, or SBV Parties? You know, our initials?â
Becca giggles. âThose sound like diseases. We should do something less obvious.â
âWait.â I run Viâs disease names though my head again. Thereâs something there if I use Rebecca instead of Becca. âRSVP!â
âRSâwhat?â Vi blinks at me.
âRSVP. Répondez sâil vous plaît. Please respond,â I translate. âThe fancy-schmancy French way of saying âHey, can you make it or not?âââ
âItâs on the bottom of every invitation. RSVP.â Sadie says the word like sheâs testing it out. âItâs kind of . . . perfect.â
âAnd get this: R for Rebecca, S for Sadie, V for Vi, and P for . . . whatever,â I add.
âWe should change it to RSVL. Then youâd have to join because your name is in there.â Becca gives me this sneaky smile.
âYeah, no.â Itâs not as if I can change the French language. Also, itâs like a sign. My name doesnât fit when everyone elseâs does, so obviously itâs the universe telling me that I need to concentrate on everything else I already have lined up this summer. Not that signs are really a thing. But if I did believe in them, this would definitely be one, and who am I to argue with the universe?
I hold the pen over the notebook. âSo, RSVP?â
âThatâs perfect.â Vi unfolds her long legs and leans forward in a stretch.
âVery classy,â Becca adds.
Sadie brushes her bangs out of her eyes and smiles. âRSVP it is.â
I add the name to the top of our business plan. I mean, their business plan.
Beccaâs phone buzzes and she groans. âItâs Dad,â she says. âMy presence is required at the Visitorâs Center tomorrow. Iâm supposed to fill in as the guide for the walking tours.â
âWhat happened to Pete?â I ask.
âSaid he needed to clear out of town before the Fourth of July crowds descend on us.â She stands up and brushes imaginary flecks of dirt from her dress. âBetter enjoy my freedom today, then.â
âWait, yâall should figure out whoâs doing what first.â I write down all of their names under the words Action Plan .
âIâll make some flyers and ask Mom how to order business cards. And we can pass out the flyers at the Fourth of July parade and cookout next weekend,â Becca says as she hands me my backpack.
âIâll . . . um . . . well, thereâs nomoney yet, and everything we talked about is in that business plan,â Vi says. âWait, I know! Iâll make a spreadsheet so we can track all the money we earn.â
A spreadsheet. I could whip that up in two minutes flat. Two minutes that would be better spent memorizing another vocab word definition, I have to remind myself. I tear the business plan from my notebook and pass it to Sadie.
Sadie carefully folds the pages and stows them in her purse. âIâll put together some planning worksheets so that theyâre ready to go once we book a party.â
I cap my pen and load everything back into my backpack. Then we climb the steps, and I lock up the Purple People Eater .
âTo RSVP!â Becca