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CHAPTER ONE

THE Wedding Belles’ three-story townhouse in the heart of Boston was always a flurry of activity, but that Friday, the number of people and the noise level they created had hit new heights Brides—acco mothers—filled the offices and spilled into the hallways The scent of chocolate cake wafted through the air A rainbow of color flowed froements and favors for the reception dinner tables Sequins on white bride dresses and veils caught the h the s and sent flashes of light through the foyer, into the corridors, up the stairs

Audra Greene, accountant for Wedding Belles, worked her way through a gaggle of giggling bridesed around the wedding party considering various shades of blue and the party trying on dresses in pinks and lavenders, s, “Hello,” and “Excuse me,” on her way to her third-floor office

Finally there, she closed the thick wooden door and leaned against it with a sigh

The Belles’ copper-haired, pixie-featured general assistant, Julie Montgole out there”

Re her navy blue coat, Audra strode to her antique desk “Howon?”

“Let’s see The weddings for June of next year are in the initial planning stages Septe details”

“And April brides are panicking?” Audra hung her coat in the closet before she slid onto her tall-backed brown suede chair in front of the billowing yellow silk drapes that gave the rooant feel that she loved

Julie tilted her head, considering that “The Belles like to think of it aslast-minute opportunities” With a chuckle, she went back to inputting invoices into the computer to pay that month’s bills

Audra’s chest tightened as she watched Julie The assistant—and the Belles for that matter—had no reason to check into the most recent deposit in the business account and discover it was actually every cent of Audra’s savings Or that the estimated income taxes they’d sent in wouldn’t cover this year’s bill Paying the difference would drain the Wedding Belles’ coffers and they wouldn’t have enoughthey’d promised to Julie But Audra knew

Still, she didn’t i the e-mail to the other Belles about their dire financial straits She needed to tell the plans went any further But she couldn’t do it in front of Julie