going to love it. The bouquet in the mannequin’s hand matches the sofas, and we did a pretty floral arrangement in shades of pink for the coffee table, and we had so much fun.” Dixie finally stopped for a breath.
Mitzi pushed the material back and stood to her feet. “Okay, ladies, it’s quittin’ time. Let’s go see what these interior decorators have done.”
Dixie and Tabby went ahead of them and stood on the bottom step of the staircase as they filed into the foyer. Mitzi almost didn’t even want to look out of fear that she wouldn’t like it, and it would break her heart to tell them to put it back the way it was. She inhaled deeply and kept her eyes on the floor until she could see the mannequin in her peripheral vision.
“It’s beautiful,” Jody said.
Mitzi could hardly believe the sight. If she’d hired a professional decorator, it couldn’t have looked a bit better. “It looks like it came right out of a bridal magazine,” she whispered.
Tabby clapped her hands. Dixie pumped her arm. “Yes!”
Graham poked his head in the door. “I got off a few minutes early with a used pickup from the lot. I understand there’s some moving to go on around here?”
Tabby made a motion with her hand. “Daddy, look at what we just did. We rearranged the foyer and brought the bride down from the stairs.”
“And we made the bouquet in her hands and the arrangement on the table,” Dixie said.
“Very nice, girls.” Graham beamed with pride.
Every time Mitzi had seen Graham lately, he’d been dressed in slacks, loafers, a white shirt, and a tie. She’d thought he’d been downright sexy then, but now he was even more so in denim shorts, a knit shirt, and sneakers.
“You’re staring,” Jody whispered.
“They did this all on their own,” Mitzi said. “And thank you for offering to help us out. Jody has a truck, too, and my dad and Granny are bringing theirs. With all that, it shouldn’t take long.”
His eyes locked with hers and held for a moment before Dixie grabbed his hand. “Okay, Daddy, me and Tabby will ride with you. Mitzi, you can lead the way since we don’t know how to get to your place. Do we have boxes?”
“I’ll stop by the grocery store and pick up whatever I can get,” Jody said. “Y’all must’ve been really organized when you moved.”
“Oh, yeah, they were,” Graham chuckled. “We had lists and more lists.”
Mitzi remembered then that their house was a mess. Jody’s things were still sitting in plastic bags in the living room. Dirty coffee cups filled the sink, and the laundry bin in her bathroom overflowed.
Why are you worried? Her mother’s voice popped into her head. He’s not your boyfriend. He’s only a neighbor who’s offering to help you move.
Mitzi took a step forward. “We’re glad for the help, and we might wish we’d made lists before we get done. We only decided to do this last night on the spur of the moment when we realized we need more space. We haven’t gotten a thing packed or done.”
“I hear there’s some moving goin’ on around here,” Alice said as she pushed the front door open. “What a lovely little area.”
“Thank you.” Dixie curtsied. “Tabby and I did it this afternoon.”
“We had to get the bride off the staircase,” Tabby explained.
“Thank you for offering to help,” Mitzi said.
“I understand y’all’ve only been in the house a few months. Graham and the girls had been in their place since they were born. Makes a big difference. I brought Daddy’s old truck. Where do we start?” Alice asked.
“Fantastic!” Paula said. “If we can get the big furniture out tonight, we can go finish up the small stuff in Mitzi’s van tomorrow. And I’ll add my thanks to Mitzi’s.”
“Me, too,” Jody chimed in.
“That’s what neighbors are for. Now if you ladies will lead the way, we’ll get this job done before dark.” Graham started for the door.
“We’re all parked out back. The house is located just east of town.” Mitzi wished he’d at least have said friends instead of neighbors.
“Out in the old Flynn place, right?” Alice asked.
“That’s right,” Paula answered.
“Then we’ll meet you out there. Opal Flynn was a good friend of my mama’s. We used to go out there on Sunday afternoons when Graham and I were kids.” Alice followed her brother and the girls out the front door.