Mitzi knew all that already, but there was still a little niggling thought pestering her about why Graham was attracted to her. Every relationship she’d ever had came up short because she’d measured the guy by the kind of man she thought Graham was. There was no doubt about her love, but his was a different matter. Sure, he said he felt sparks, but that might be because he hadn’t been with a woman in a while.
“Well, cat got your tongue, or are you going to comment?” Fanny Lou asked.
“I thought maybe Rita had given up.” She picked out a jelly-filled doughnut and took a bite out of it.
“That woman is like them flesh-eatin’ fish. Piranhas. She’s made up her mind to have him and she just might get him if you don’t decide what the hell you want. You’re runnin’ from your own heart.”
Mitzi didn’t argue, but why were so many people interested in her life? She was past thirty, had been working and making her own way for the most part for the past fourteen years. Sure, she’d screwed up a few times, but she’d learned from her mistakes.
“Why is it so important to all y’all that I date Graham? Is it because he’s a big man, and I don’t look so fat when I’m with him? Is it because he’s got money, and y’all want to see me comfortable? Just what the hell has he got that keeps you pushing me toward him?” She could hear the chill in her own voice.
“Size and money ain’t got nothing to do with it. You had a glow, a happiness and contentment, when you were spending time with him. The past two weeks you’ve been unhappy, even with this job that used to be your dream come true,” Fanny Lou said. “I want you to be happy like you used to be.”
“And Jody? She needs to be happy, too, right?” Paula asked.
“Absolutely,” Fanny Lou agreed and turned to focus on Jody. “Quincy is a good, decent man. I know it hasn’t been long since Lyle left you, but this might be the way for you to get all that shit finalized. Step outside your comfort zone and peel off that brand Lyle put on your heart all those years ago. There’s good guys out there and Quincy is one of them. I’m not telling either of you to jump into what you call a relationship these days, but I am telling you to get things settled. I don’t like the way you’re acting.”
“You’re right, Granny.”
“Do what you want with your lives,” Fanny Lou said. “But please give us back our Mitzi and sassy Jody.”
“We would pay good money or doughnuts or even chocolate ice cream if y’all would be happy again,” Paula added. “If the girls hadn’t spent so much time upstairs these past two weeks with their flowers, they would’ve noticed the difference, too.”
“Whoa, wait a minute,” Mitzi said. “Is this one of those interventions?”
“Hell, no,” Fanny Lou said. “This is doughnuts and milk and friends havin’ a conversation. Now I’ve got to go, but I’ll be here to ride down to the fireworks show with y’all this evening. I hear Harry is making ice cream for afterwards, but he might want it to be a surprise so don’t say anything. That sound good?” She grabbed another doughnut and waved as she left.
“We’ll be waiting for you,” Paula said. “I don’t know what to do to get y’all out of the same emotional ditch, but if you’ll tell me what will help, I’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen.”
“I feel like I owe y’all an apology,” Mitzi said. “But I don’t know what to say I’m sorry about.”
“Me, too,” Jody said.
“Mitzi, you’re not happy. Go down there. Take him to bed. Or never call him or see him again. We don’t care. What we want is our happy friend, the one who’s the glue that holds all of us together, to be herself again,” Paula said. “God, I would have gone crazy if I hadn’t had y’all for support all these years. You know what kind of home life I had. Y’all were my escape and my hold on reality. And Jody, like Granny said, we miss your sass.”
“Okay, then let’s go upstairs, and have a Friends marathon today. Just mindless funny stuff to take my mind off everything. We’ll turn off all our phones and ignore the business one if it rings.