Jody came into the room and went straight to a container with dozens of tiny drawers full of beads. “Hello, ladies, I’m Jody. You must be the Harrison girls. Looks like you’ve chosen some pretty colors.”

Paula came in right behind her and laid the bodice of a dress on the table. “And I’m Paula.” She smiled.

“I’m Dixie. Pleased to meet y’all.” The girl’s eyes darted around the room, trying to take everything in.

“That’s beautiful. What kind of skirt goes on it?” Tabby asked.

“Mermaid,” Paula answered. “How’re you liking Celeste?”

“We’ve only been here a week. I guess we’ll make friends when we start school.” Dixie pulled out a pair of three-inch spike heels in a size nine.

“Or maybe we’ll get to know some of them when we go to church with Aunt Alice.” Tabby put on a pair of shoes identical to the ones that Dixie had and walked across the floor in them. “You can wear high heels if you want. But not me. I’m not wearing something that makes me feel like I’m walking on stilts all day.”

Jody cocked her head to one side. “Must be a long wedding.”

“Don’t know how long it is exactly, but Mother said we’ll be there from eight in the morning to midafternoon. The wedding is at ten. I don’t know why we can’t just show up at nine thirty.” Tabby opened a box and slipped her feet into a pair of shoes with kitten heels no more than an inch high. “I might be able to stand these. If not, I’ll embarrass everyone and kick them off. We can still do our toenails in a horrid color, Dixie.”

“I vote we do every one of them in a different color,” Dixie laughed.

“Yaaas,” Tabby said. “Bright neon colors with polka dots on them.”

“Y’all sound like you’d make real good little hippies,” Jody said.

“Yep, we would, only we ain’t little. We’d make real good big hippies,” Tabby agreed.

“I could stay here all day and visit with you kids, but I need to get back to work.” Jody pulled a small drawer full of beads out from a container and carried it out of the room with her.

Paula glanced down at the sketch Mitzi had drawn. “You’re going to love this design for your dresses. It’ll be so comfortable you’ll feel like you’re wearing a nightgown. And the color will be beautiful on you both with your skin.”

“You really think so?” Dixie asked.

“I never lie, especially not to kids. They can smell a lie a mile away,” Paula declared.