found out about the baby after we’d been broken up for a while and he’s no longer in the picture.”
“Good Lord!” Fanny Lou scolded. “If you were the first woman who got pregnant and didn’t marry the father of the baby, we could drown you in the river. But you’re not the first and you damn sure won’t be the last. We haven’t had a baby in the family since Mitzi was born. This is a blessing, and I, for one, am calling dibs on rocking her to sleep the first time you need a few minutes.”
Harry raised a hand. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Everyone got a piece of cake and went to sit around the table, leaving Mitzi and Graham by themselves.
A dark shadow passed over Graham’s face, prompting Mitzi to ask, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but . . .” He paused. “I don’t want to be a naysayer, but it’s a tough row, raising a child on your own. It’s even harder when they get old enough to realize that they only have one parent and think it’s their fault that the other one isn’t there. Paula’s going to need lots of support.”
“Did you have support?” she asked.
“Yes, I did. Alice was and is amazing. My folks were wonderful, always ready to help out with whatever we needed. Dad adored the girls and they did him, but no matter how much I reassure them, they have the feeling that Rita left because they were big girls. They think she was ashamed of them,” he said. “I don’t know what to do. Got any ideas?”
“Can I think about it until Sunday?” she asked.
“Of course.” He crossed the room to sit with his girls.
She watched him out of the corner of her eye, and went to sit down at the other end of the table.
Jody nudged her with an elbow. “So what were y’all talkin’ about over there? It looked pretty serious.”
“He’s going to help me build an archway for the bridal fair on Sunday,” Mitzi answered.
“That doesn’t sound much like flirting,” Jody said as she headed over to the table for a second piece of cake.
Depends, Mitzi thought. I felt more talking about hammers and nails with him than I have in the past when guys tried to sweet-talk me into bed with them.
Chapter Thirteen
Saturday morning was for catching up on paperwork, but Graham couldn’t keep his mind on work. He finally leaned back in his chair, propped his feet on his desk, and laced his hands behind his head. Closing his eyes, he watched everything that had happened the night before play through his head like a movie, repeating the scenes involving Mitzi. He was already looking forward to the next day, when they could have more time together—when no one would drag one or both of them off.
He picked up his phone and sent a text to Mitzi saying that he was looking forward to the next day and got one back saying that she was, too, and then his cell phone rang. Hoping that it was her, he answered it on the first ring.
“Daddy, guess what.” Dixie’s voice always shot up a few notches when she was excited. “Mitzi and Paula and Jody are coming down to Greenville to buy stuff for the bridal fair next week. Mitzi asked if we wanted to go with them. Is that okay? We really, really want to go. We’re going to have lunch with them, too. Please say yes. And some of the stuff might be heavy, so could you meet us somewhere and help? And could you bring a truck in case it all won’t fit in the van?”
“Just text me where you are about”—he checked his schedule—“one o’clock. And it looks like I can take off the rest of the afternoon, so I’ll be glad to also help you unload at the shop when you’re done.”
“Yay! This is going to be a great day,” Dixie said.
He laid the phone on his desk and pumped his fist in the air. Things were looking up if he got to see Mitzi three days in a row.
“Good mornin’.” Vivien’s voice crackled through the intercom in his office. “Your ex-wife is here. Shall I send her in?”
Talk about bursting a bubble. He backed up and sat down in his chair, not knowing what to say. “That’s not funny, Vivien.”
“Funny or not, I’m here.” Rita’s voice, gravelly from years of smoking, came through the machine on his desk.