Getting an invite to a client's engagement party was not that unusual, especially when<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F564x%2Ff0%2Fac%2Fee%2Ff0acee69223b3a325b0e1ec61d0046b8.jpg&amp;hash=810a6afb0dc118a630d877a0bff2cdc6" href="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f0/ac/ee/f0acee69223b3a325b0e1ec61d0046b8.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Maddie Hatts</a>gave a special discount rate to all the residents of Yonders who used her as their accountant. So she wasn't too surprised to be invited to Nick Porter and Kim Valencia's party. It was a shame really. Two of her most profitable clients getting married to each other would probably mean she would only be able to charge them a single fee. Unless Kim took her advice and kept her finances separate from her husband's.<br/><br/>Still, not her place to say.<br/><br/>She'd bought herself a nifty black dress, not quite a classic LBD, but not far off, and was pretty sure she wasn't going to be the belle of the ball. It wouldn't do to upstage the bride-to-be, after all. The taxi pulled up outside the house and she slid easily from the car after paying the driver and walked slowly up the path, nodding to anyone who greeted her. First things first, get some alcohol in her. That was the main reason she caught a cab - It was too far to walk in heels, and she definitely wanted to be over the legal limit as quickly as possible - that was probably the only way she was going to be able to stand being here.<br/><br/>Getting home was something she would worry about when she needed to get home. She was handed a glass of something fizzy. She sniffed and took a sip. Well it wasn't a Bollinger Grand Année 2016 but it would do until she could find something a little stronger. At least it was French, and not any of that domestic stuff that the Californians tried pretend was Champagne.<br/><br/>Maddie drained the glass quickly, after all it wasn't as if the liquid in it was something she had to savour. The empty glass went onto a passing waiter's tray and she liberated a full one in it's place.<br/><br/>Staying to the edge of the crowd was the best way of avoiding getting bumped into, she decided, after watching people behaving as if they were on the dodgems, bumping left, right and centre.<br/><br/>She eased her way carefully to where the caterers were still setting up the food. It seemed there were nibbles though and she grabbed a handful of cocktail sticks with a variety of food stuff pierced onto them.<br/><br/>"Well well well. A lot of people here whom I know, but absolutely no-one I'm friends with!" She muttered to herself, then popped a cocktail sausage into her mouth.