Sweetheart Lost and Found. Shirley Jump

bluffs. “And I’d never tell you if I did. How about you, Callie? You planning on trying out for the Texas Hold ’Em competitions?”

      “You all know how bad I am at bluffing.” Callie took a sip of her frosty margarita, the cold drink a perfect accompaniment to the chips and dip Audra had set out for an appetizer. “Plus, I usually attract low cards like dogs attract fleas.”

      Regina laughed. “Maybe that’s what we all need. A Labrador. All you have to do is feed him and he’s not only loyal for life, he never asks for the remote.”

      “Seriously, I don’t think you should give up on love or men,” Audra added. “I mean, we all need to have hope, don’t you agree? I don’t care what the statistics say, I believe in happy endings. It’s just not logical to assume Mr. Right doesn’t exist. Especially when we watch all these clients walk down the aisle and know we helped create that perfect moment. Mr. Right is out there, I’m sure of it, especially since I’m planning my own wedding to him right now.” Audra took a sip from her drink. “Besides, we’ve all met more than our share of Mr. Wrongs—”

      “Absolutely. Look at me. I’ve got a Mr. Pretty-Sure-He’s-Right,” Serena James piped in. The bubbly blond dress designer was currently in a long-term relationship, and a huge champion for the opinion that there was a Mr. Right out there for everyone.

      “I used to think that, too,” Callie said. “But then I met Tony.”

      “One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole harvest,” Serena said. “What was wrong with the man you met last night?”

      “Nothing.” Callie sighed. “Everything. He used to be Tony’s best friend.”

      “Oh,” Regina said, then realization dawned further. “Oh.”

      “It means there’s history between us,” Callie said, plucking a chip from the bowl.

      “No, it means you’re not starting from scratch,” Serena said.

      “I’m not starting anything,” Callie insisted. Though a part of her wondered where things might have gone if Jared had kissed her. Would they have started something—

      Something they had begun, but left undone all those years ago?

      “Would finding true love be so bad?” Audra asked.

      “No, not at all,” Callie replied. “I just think it’s not realistic to think all of us end up happy.”

      “Why not?” Serena asked. “Look at the odds. I have a great guy. Audra’s engaged. Regina’s married.”

      “And don’t forget Julie,” Regina said. “She’s found a great guy in Matt.”

      Serena sighed. “They are so cute together. I think it’s kinda sad, though, that they’re just planning to go down to city hall. Julie’s been working for us since day one. She deserves the kind of weddings she plans.”

      “I agree,” Callie said, glad for the change of subject away from her own life, and for the focus on someone who truly needed a happy ending.

      Julie, the Belles assistant, had been hit financially from left and right, both from her own personal life and from her fiancé Matt’s business struggles. After Matt’s custom plane building business lost a huge account, Julie and Matt had decided to pour their entire wedding savings into the company, in order to save everyone’s jobs. Things were still rocky at his business, but they were on the upswing.

      Julie and Matt were good people, who’d simply hit a financial road bump.

      Callie might not believe in true love for herself, but she was happy to see Julie had found a wonderful man. If anyone deserved a happy ending, Julie did.

      “Those hospital bills from her mom and that flood in her house last spring…” Callie’s voice trailed off in sympathy. Hard times had slammed her before, too, and she’d been battered by the twin winds of financial and personal pressures. She’d gone through both during her marriage to Tony, who hadn’t been much for holding down a job—or remembering a word of what he’d promised during the wedding ceremony. “Julie said it was too much and she and Matt need to save every penny they have, until his business is finally on its feet.”

      “And then, they can have kids,” Serena said with a dreamy sigh. Serena, always the one who had dreams for the future, the one with the vision. “Julie’s been eager to start a family and would make such a great mom.”

      “She definitely would.” Regina beamed, the photographer’s generous smile taking over her face.

      Callie and Tony had never had children. A blessing, her mother had said, when the judge finalized the divorce decree. But to Callie, it had been the final ironic twist in her life story. The woman who had never put down roots, who’d married a man who couldn’t sit still, had been left with nothing more to show for all those years than a piece of paper and a few sticks of furniture. Not exactly a monument to achievement.

      “Every woman deserves a wonderful wedding,” Serena said, glancing down at her hand, then her pile of coins, clearly agonizing over whether to bet on the cards she’d been dealt. “I wish we could do something for Julie to help her out.”

      “Of course there is something.” Audra brightened and laid her cards facedown on the table. “We’re the Wedding Belles. Why don’t we throw Julie and Matt a wedding? I’m sure Belle would be all over it. She’s such a romantic. Natalie would make a killer cake. If all of us worked on it and contributed our amazing skills—” she grinned at her friends “—we’d be able to pull this off.”

      “That’s a great idea,” Callie said, warmth spreading through her heart for these women, her friends, who had been with her through the trauma of her divorce. Always ready with a hug, a sympathetic ear, or a simple chocolate bar left on her worktable. What would she have done without them?

      They were the best friends Callie could have imagined. Better that than some fairy tale concocted by a couple of brothers. What kind of happy endings could two guys with a last name of Grimm create anyway?

      Serena put her cards down, her eyes bright with excitement, the wheels of dress designs clearly turning in her head. “I can already imagine the dress I’d like to create for Julie. She’ll look like an angel.”

      “And I’ll take black and white photos of the wedding,” Regina added, the sense of energy soaring through the group. Callie felt it, as surely as a breeze. This was the energy that comprised the Belles, that gave every one of their weddings its unique flavor. “Julie saw some in my portfolio and loved them.”

      “I can just see it,” Audra said. “What about you, Callie?”

      Callie nodded, already picturing the kind of bouquets and arrangements she’d design. “I can imagine it, too. If there’s one thing I can always see, it’s someone else’s wedding.” She smiled. “Julie loves gardenias. I’ll make sure she has flowers that would make the Dutch drool.”

      “Good. It’s settled. We’ll give Julie and Matt a wedding they won’t forget. And we’ll make it a huge surprise.” Audra smiled, then picked up her cards again. “She’s going to be so thrilled.”

      “She already is. Matt’s a dream. I think Julie got the last Mr. Right on earth,” Callie said, truly happy for her friend. She didn’t envy Julie’s happiness a bit. But there were days, especially after she’d watched one more couple ride off into a sunset full of happiness and promises, when she wondered if maybe there would ever be a little of that for her, too.

      Callie shook her head, dismissing the blue funk. Dwelling on the disaster that had been her marriage did nothing but stir a pot best left alone.

      She picked up her new cards and slipped them into her hand. A jack and an ace. Full house. Maybe her luck was looking up—at least pokerwise. She tossed two dimes into the center pile.

      “Ooh, Callie’s betting high,” Regina said, matching the bet. “Must