Mitzi’s mother had used a camera to snap pictures of her at every school event and function, no matter what she was involved in. Now Mitzi was doing the same, only with a phone, as she took the first photograph of Tabby in her cute little white capris and shirt. “Before and after to send to your dad,” she explained.

“Did Paula send that video to him, too?” Tabby opened her tote bag, set up a small, lighted three-way mirror, and laid out a whole array of makeup.

“Yep.” Mitzi pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

“Good.” Tabby leaned forward and started with a few dots of liquid makeup on her face that she brushed outward. “He’s going to tell me that it wasn’t a nice thing to do but that I did it for a good reason.”

“That’s what I’d tell you.” Mitzi propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.

“I really do wish you’d been older or Daddy would’ve been younger so he would have noticed you in high school. He whistles a lot now. Why don’t you ask him out on a real date? Not just a lake date.” She applied eyeliner to her left eye.

“Men should ask women,” Mitzi answered.

With one eye looking fabulous and the other not even touched, Tabby turned toward Mitzi. “This is the modern world. When I date, I’m going to ask a guy out. Daddy is kind of gun-shy when it comes to askin’ women. And we haven’t helped very much. We kind of sabotaged the first lady he got serious about because we were afraid he’d like her more than us. Then the next one was downright awful. But we like you. We promise to be nice if you’ll ask him out. We’ll even dress him up.”

Mitzi snapped a picture of her, then sent it to Graham. “He’ll get a kick out of seeing you getting ready.”

Tabby went back to her makeup. “You’re not going to talk about dating him, are you?”

“Don’t think so,” Mitzi answered as she sent the pictures to Graham.

She got a text back immediately: I’m jealous. Wish I was there.

She sent back a smiley face and kept snapping pictures as the process went on. The lady in the vest came by and said, “Fifteen minutes and it will be your turn.”

Tabby flipped her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head and put away all her things as methodically as she’d gotten them out. “Okay, I’m ready for the dress and the veil.”