“Have you told your mama?” Jody asked.

“Not yet. I tried to tell Selena when I went down to see her the last time, but I just couldn’t do it. You’re the first ones I’ve told,” Paula admitted. “You want to break it to Mama for me?”

“Hell, no!” Jody shook her head emphatically. “If I happen to be pregnant, I’m going to tell my mama I found the baby in a cabbage patch.”

Paula glanced over toward Mitzi and raised an eyebrow.

Mitzi threw a hand over her forehead in a dramatic gesture. “I love you, girl, but not that much. Gladys will breathe fire, and I’m real fond of my eyelashes and hair.”

Chapter Seven

Never again,” Jody said as she threw back the covers and sat up on the sofa bed.

“‘Never again,’ what?” Mitzi yawned.

“Never again will I fall in love.” She had had a sleepless night, worrying about her own pregnancy possibility. Like Paula, she was terrified of being a bad mother. And if the poor baby only had her, and not a decent father to balance things out, then it would be twice as bad.

“Don’t say that. You’re a good person. You deserve to be happy.” Paula got bacon and eggs from the refrigerator and began cracking the eggs into a bowl.

“So do you,” Mitzi said. “So do all of us.”

“Maybe, but trust is tough after this kind of thing.” Jody kicked herself for not seeing the signs. Paula hadn’t had a beer in months, and she loved beer. She did drink a little sweet tea, but she didn’t go around with a glass in her hands from midmorning until suppertime. If Jody hadn’t been so wrapped up in her own problems with Lyle, she would have recognized all the signs. “Let’s make a decision about moving and then go forward without looking back.”

“You always say that,” Mitzi said. “Are we ever able to not look back?”

“I’m going to give it my best shot.” Paula set the eggs aside and started frying bacon.

“Me, too,” Jody said. “That’s not saying I’ll always get the job done, but when I fall on my face, I have these two amazing friends who’ll help me get back up.”

“Yes, we will.” Mitzi popped open a tube of biscuits and arranged them in a pan. “So I’m in for the move. It’ll save money and we’ll have more room. Jody can even have a private bedroom for when she gets a boyfriend.”

Both of Jody’s palms went up defensively. “That’s not happening. Paula, I need one of your stones to carry around in my pocket to ward off all feelings of love.”

“That would be a jasper stone. It helps control emotions. I’ll give you one before we leave for work this morning. I’ve carried a moonstone with me for weeks. It helps with pregnancy,” Paula said. “And by the way, I checked the signs last night. This week is a good time to move, but next week isn’t. It seems like an omen to me.”

“I’ve always thought your superstitions and stones were a little wonky,” Mitzi said. “But I might be willing to sleep with a love one under my pillow.”

“Under your pillow won’t work,” Paula scolded her seriously. “It’s got to be next to your skin. You need a rose quartz. Put it next to your heart.”

“If y’all are going to try this, then I’m game, too,” Mitzi said. “But it’ll have to show some power to turn me into a believer.”

“Will your jasper stone keep me from wanting to strangle Lyle?” Jody asked.

“Maybe I’d better give you a sodalite stone. It’s a little stronger than the jasper. So we’re really going to move into the shop?” Paula asked.

Jody cocked her head to one side. “I’m all for it, but what about all those stairs? You going to be able to get up and down them?”

“I’m pregnant, not crippled. Women have lived in two-story houses with babies for centuries,” Paula answered.

Mitzi shook her finger at Paula. “But you got to promise that you won’t lift anything heavy. I’ll call that moving company from—”

Paula grabbed her finger. “I will not be treated like an invalid. I’ll concede to not carrying my dresser and mattress up the steps. But I won’t be mollycoddled. Understood?”

“So we’re in agreement about the move and not babying you?” Jody asked.

“Looks like it.” Paula nodded. “But right now we’ve got to get to work. Wedding dresses don’t wait, and we’ve got to get Ellie Mae’s bodice done this week for her first fitting.”

“You’re awfully quiet, Mitzi,” Jody said. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“I’m sorry. I was thinking about whether it would be wise to get a mover to just come take care of it for us or to use your truck and make a dozen trips,” Mitzi answered.

From the slight blush on Mitzi’s face, Jody didn’t believe that was the entire truth and nothing but the truth, but she didn’t argue. “We should use my truck and save the money. No more than y’all’ve got, we can do it in probably five trips,” Jody said. “Get it all out tonight, and then put things away a little at a time.”

Mitzi nodded in agreement. “I’ll call Granny and Daddy. They both have trucks and they’ll be glad to help. Lord have mercy! Our lives have sure changed since we left work on Friday.”