CHAPTER 1

Audrey, the car will be here any minute. You're going to missyour plane."

"Shh. I just need another minute."

She leaned down over her sketch pad, nibbling the cornerof her lip as she put the finishing touches on the train of anelaborate A-line wedding dress.

"Oh, Audrey! That's beautiful. Is it for Kim?"

She didn't reply for another moment or two; not until shefelt perfectly secure in the fact that she could lay down herpencil and be done with it.

"There are two others in the leather portfolio in my closet.The messenger will be here at three o'clock to pick them upand get them into Manhattan by four." She handed her assistantthe finished product, pausing for an instant to admire thedrawing. "Be very careful about it, but put this one with theothers, and be sure to zip it all the way around so they aren'twrinkled. Just give him the whole case, and call Kim once he'son his way to give her a heads-up that they'll be delivered tothe penthouse."

"Will do."

"My plane lands in Atlanta at five-something, and it willtake me an hour or so to get out to Roswell where this hotel islocated. You've shipped—"

"And confirmed. Carly's dress is safe and sound at TheTanglewood Inn, awaiting your arrival."

Audrey sighed as she cast a quick glance toward the doorwhere Kat had lined up her pink plaid luggage. One oversizedrectangular case and one large round one, both on wheels,both packed to full capacity.

Audrey applied a glaze of Cherry Bliss to her lips while Katadded the final sketch to the leather case. She paused with thewand in mid-air until she heard the vvhht of the zipper. As sheslipped the tube into its compartment inside her purse, thebuzzer sounded.

"That will be your car," Kat announced. "But before yougo ..."

Kat grabbed Audrey's hand and placed a compact little cellphone into it, closing her fingers around it. "Now this is thesimplest cellular phone available."

"Kat, I do not want one of these. I told you that."

"I know. But you have to."

Audrey stared at the strange thing on her palm. "What doI do?"

"If it jingles, you open it. Like this." Kat demonstrated. "Itwill either be a phone call—in which case you press the blinkinggreen button—or a text, which will come up automatically."

"Ah, maaan ..."

"I know. But it's the best way to keep in contact. You wantto keep in contact with me, don't you?"

Audrey groaned. "Yes."

"So put this in your purse."

Audrey reluctantly tossed the thing into her bag as Katpressed buttons on her own much more complicated-lookingcell phone. An instant later, Audrey's purse began to ... sing.

"It sounds like a harp."

"That's your cue to pull it out and open it." Kat stared ather for a moment before nodding at Audrey's purse. "Go on.Answer it."

"I already know who it is."

"Audrey."

Audrey groaned again as she produced the cell phone,unfolded it and stared at the thing.

"The green button," Kat prodded.

Audrey pressed the button and held the phone in the vicinityof her ear. "Audrey Regan isn't available right now, butplease feel free to take a flying leap at the tone." As Kat openedher mouth to reply, Audrey interrupted with a "Beeeeeep."

Kat shook her head as she pushed the button on the wallintercom and she told the driver, "Come on in. We have acouple of bags." Back to Audrey, she remarked, "Text me whenyou arrive. Do you want me to show you how?"

"I'll call. Let me know the minute you confirm the sketcheshave reached Kim."

"Will do."

"The very minute, Katarina. We need this."

"I know. She's going to love them."

"As long as she loves them more than Vera Wang and AustinScarlett."

Audrey paused in front of the full-length etched mirrorpropped against the wall. She smoothed the straight pencilskirt and adjusted the corset belt around her waist.

"Car for JFK," the driver announced, grabbing both of thebags.

"How much, by the way?" she asked as she followed himdown the stairs.

"Ninety-five," Kat called out from the doorway. "Alreadycharged to your card."

"Ninety-five dollars, from Soho to JFK?"

"You can grab a taxi for fifty bucks, Princess," the driversnapped, letting the street door flap shut in her face.

Audrey turned and looked back at Kat, standing in thedoorway at the top of the stairs. "Charming."

Kat chuckled. "Have a good flight."

"One can only hope."

As she climbed into the back seat of the dark blue sedan,Audrey appreciated the good sense she'd had to hire KatarinaIvanov. Staring blankly out the window, Audrey sighed as thedriver took a left on Kenmare.

She'd held interviews on a Tuesday afternoon in the cornerbooth at the Village Tart, and Kat had arrived fifteen minutesearly. She'd ordered a coffee at another table while Audrey finishedup with the design school student who looked like across between Buddy Holly and Kramer from Seinfeld. Whenthey were through, the young man stood over Audrey, tappinghis shiny patent leather shoe.

"So let's cut right to it, shall we?" he'd said, glaring at herover the bridge of thick black-rimmed glasses. "Do I have ashot at this or not? I'm only asking because I have two moreinterviews after yours, and I need to know whether I can blowthem off."

"I think I can answer that," Kat told him as she transferredher espresso to Audrey's table and sat down. "Go on the interviews.I think we've decided which candidate is the best choice.I'm so sorry, but good luck to you." Her smile emanated a rayof pure sunshine.

The boy grimaced at her before he looked back at Audrey.She only shrugged. Twenty seconds later, the front door of thecafé thudded shut behind him.

"Did I go too far?" Kat asked her as she crossed her legsand wrinkled up her nose, flipping short dark waves of hair. "Iknow. Sometimes I go too far. But he was wasting your time.You weren't going to hire him."

"I wasn't?"

"No," she said confidently, sliding her résumé across thetable, only a slight trace of amusement in her dark brown eyes."Even if you don't hire me, you certainly can't hire him. He'shigh maintenance; he's a drama a day, at least. And you don'tneed that."

"I don't."

"No. You need stability. Loyalty. You need a take-charge,organized fashionista who makes her workday all about you."

And Katarina Ivanov had been doing just that for morethan a year since. Two parts Mother Earth and one part All-Business.Audrey had no idea what she would ever have donewithout her.

"Where are you going?" she suddenly asked the driver. "Areyou taking the Van Wyck Expressway?"

"I got an idea," he tossed back at her over his shoulder. "Youworry about your hat and gloves, and I'll take care of gettingyou to JFK."

I'm not wearing a hat and gloves, you Neanderthal.

When he glanced into the rearview and noticed Audreyseething at him, he sighed. "Don't worry your pretty littlehead. I'll get you there, Princess. Deal? Okay. Deal."

Audrey dug her bright red fingernails into her palms.

I despise New York.

But she knew it wasn't the city so much as the energy of theplace. Ten million people crammed into jam-packed streets,everyone trying to get somewhere, all of them convinced thattheir particular mission trumped everyone else's. If her driverworked in another city, say St. Louis or Abilene, she felt certainhe'd be far less disagreeable....