“We love little kids,” Dixie said. “If Quincy and Jody ever need a sitter, just call us.”

“I’ll remember that,” Mitzi said. “But I’ve got a feeling that Jody will cherish every minute she can spend with that child.”

“So she likes kids?” Graham asked.

“I’m not sure that she likes all kids, but that one has taken her fancy,” Mitzi said.

“Well, honey, you’ve taken my fancy,” Graham said for her ears only.

There was no sneaking up the stairs to her room that evening, not with Paula, Fanny Lou, and Jody all sitting around the table with the leftovers from a large pizza in the middle of them.

“We bought a baby bed and Fanny Lou and I put it together. The nursery doesn’t look so bare now,” Paula said.

“And Quincy asked me out to dinner on Wednesday, and I said yes,” Jody said.

Mitzi took the last chair and reached for a slice of pizza. “Graham and I are officially dating now.”

“That’s not enough detail,” Jody said.

“Hey, all I get from you two is that there’s a baby bed upstairs and you’ve been invited on a dinner date. I’ll talk when y’all do,” Mitzi said.

“We bought a white crib and the bumper pad is pink-and-white checks,” Paula said. “That’s all I’ve got except that Fanny Lou and I needed to go to church to pray for forgiveness for all the dirty words we said.”

Jody raised her hand. “Fanny Lou, you were right to tell me to go out with him. I had a great time.”

“And I like Graham a lot,” Mitzi said.

“That’s all?” Both of Fanny Lou’s eyebrows shot up. “Just that you like him. We want a hell of a lot more from the both of you.”

Paula focused on Jody. “We need to hear a little more about Jody’s new feller first. How does he make you feel?”

“Free is the best way I can describe it,” Jody admitted. “I’m at peace with everything when I’m with him. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”

“Okay, now you.” Paula turned back to Mitzi.

“Don’t leave out a single thing,” Fanny Lou said. “And you can start with yesterday and build up through today when you decided that y’all are dating.”

Mitzi went to the refrigerator, got out a root beer, and sat back down. “Well, as us southern girls say when we start to tell a fairy tale, ‘You ain’t goin’ to believe this shit.’”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

The poor old air-conditioning system at the church could keep up with only so many bodies crammed into the pews like sardines. And now folks were being ushered into the fellowship hall, where a big-screen television had been set up for those who couldn’t be in the sanctuary.