“You’re a smart lady.” Tabby set the shoebox on the table. “I want this pair—in pink, not burgundy. That way if I want to take the bow off the back and wear the dress to church later, they’ll match.”

“I’d say you’re pretty smart.” Paula pulled out a drawer and removed a zipper, measured it against the bodice, and then exchanged it for a longer one. “Maybe I’ll see you in church. I go to the same one your aunt Alice does. She’s a friend of mine.”

“Then I’ll tell her I met you. Paula, right?”

“That’s right. Paula Walker. See you Sunday, if not before.” Paula carried the top of the dress and the zipper out of the room.

Dixie chose the same shoes in a size smaller. “And pink for me, too. I’ve got a floral pashmina scarf that would be pretty with this dress for church.”

“Well, ladies, that just about does it,” Mitzi said. “We’ll let y’all think about this style overnight. I’ll figure up an invoice to give to your dad, and we’ll do measurements and make any adjustments tomorrow if that works for you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dixie said. “And you’ll have some flowers for us to work on, right?”

“If it’s okay with your dad,” Mitzi reminded them.

“He won’t care. He don’t get home until at least six, and you close at five. We can throw a roast in the slow cooker and be home in time to put supper on the table,” Dixie said. “This has been so much fun. I’m glad we get to come back tomorrow.”

When they’d gone, Mitzi went back to the sewing room and slumped down in a chair. “Paula, can you put a spell on something so that I can have those girls? They’ve stolen my heart in only an hour.”

“All kids steal your heart. You’ve always been drawn to them, from babies to teenagers,” Jody said. “If you’d been smart, you’d have three or four by now.”

“I haven’t met the right guy,” Mitzi said.

“Honey, you don’t have to be married to get babies. Do I need to tell you about the birds and bees?” Jody teased. “Me and Lyle’s been livin’ together for fourteen years, and we ain’t married.”

“And you don’t have kids,” Paula said.

“That’s by choice,” Jody declared. “Mine, lately, not his. He says that we’re getting to the age where we’d better be making a final decision on that. I told him we got five more years.”

“How’d you come up with that number?” Paula asked.

Jody pushed her chair back from the sewing machine and headed toward the kitchen. “I need something to drink. Y’all want a glass of tea?”

Paula followed her. “Just water. You didn’t answer me.”