handkerchief. “Danged things fog up when I get out of the truck in the heat. Boy, Wanda was on a rampage, wasn’t she? I thought I might have to step between her and Fanny Lou.”
“One more hateful word out of her mouth and they’d have had to bring out the mop and cleaners, because I was ready to knock the shit out of her,” Fanny Lou said as she got out of the van.
Mitzi slid out of the driver’s seat and looped her arm in her father’s. “I never thought I’d be taller than you. When I was a little girl, you were ten feet tall.”
“You can thank me for that.” Fanny Lou wore a bright-red pantsuit that morning and her white cowboy boots with gold tips on the toes. Her red hair was twisted up and held with a big clip that sported stones of every color.
Mitzi pulled her grandmother close with her other arm, and the three of them walked down the wide sidewalk together. “We match today, Granny.”
“If I’d gotten the memo, I would have worn a red tie instead of this bolo,” Harry chuckled.
“We’ll have to remember to keep you in the loop,” Fanny Lou teased.
Harry’s face went from happy to serious in the blink of an eye. “I was sorry to hear about Jody and Lyle, but I might’ve helped Fanny Lou if she’d tied into that woman. I might not agree with Lyle and Jody’s lifestyle, but they seemed happy. I’m right glad she’s stayin’ with you and Paula, though. That’ll be good for her.”
They entered the café together, and Harry raised his voice above the noise of a full house to tell the waitress they needed a table for five.
“Be at least half an hour,” she said.
“Mitzi!” someone yelled from the middle of the room.
When she located the voice, Mitzi saw Dixie waving in their direction. Mitzi waved back, but Dixie motioned to empty chairs at their table. In a few long strides, Tabby had crossed the floor and said, “Y’all come join us. We’ve got a real big table and we haven’t even ordered yet.”
“This is my dad, Harry Taylor, and my grandmother, Fanny Lou Labelle. This is Tabby Harrison. She and her sister are helping me out at the store. Oh, and here’s Paula and Jody.” Mitzi waved. “These folks want us to join them for dinner.”
“Sure.” Harry nodded. “I bought your mama’s last Cadillac from Graham, so it’s not like we’re sitting with strangers.”
“I wouldn’t care if we were,” Fanny Lou declared. “I’m hungry.”
“Great!” Tabby said. “Follow me. I’ll get all y’all through the maze.”
Graham was on his feet when they got to the table. He pulled out Mitzi’s chair before he shook hands with Harry. “Y’all have met my sister, Alice. She teaches school here in Celeste. Alice, this is Mitzi Taylor and her father, Harry.”
“And you know me from church, Alice,” Fanny Lou said. “Thank y’all for inviting us to sit with you.”
Even seated, there was no doubt that Alice was a tall woman. Dark hair framed a round face, and her eyes matched Graham’s shade of mossy green. “It’s great to see all y’all again.”
Mitzi was seated between her father and Graham, with everyone else circling the table. Sitting that close to Graham caused that old crush to rise up and flush her face with heat. She should say something, but her tongue was tied—unusual for her. Everyone had a menu, so she picked hers up and hid behind it.
“Dixie and Tabby said they had a great time at the store, and that you’ve designed a dress for them to wear to their mama’s friend’s wedding,” Alice said.
“I think we’ve settled on a style that they can use more than one time,” Mitzi answered. “And they’re really good with bouquets. We might be able to hire them for a few hours every week once the news gets out that we can offer flowers as well as dresses.”
“Daddy said that we can work, but we talked about it and we decided we don’t want money for our jobs. We want you to teach us to make our own clothes. Daddy says he’ll buy us a sewing machine if y’all don’t have an extra one for us to use,” Dixie said all in a rush. She sucked in more air. “I’ve already been designing some shirts I want to make.”
“They’re real simple for our first-time project,” Tabby added.
“That sounds like a great idea to me,” Harry said. “That’s like