“These are my partners, Jody and Paula, and our . . .” She hesitated, not knowing how to introduce Dixie and Tabby.

“We’re the interns,” Dixie said. “And Tabby will be modeling the wedding dress right there this evening. That’s one big cake. Do you cut it to let people sample? How’d you get it in here?”

“In three vans, and no, we don’t cut this one. It’s not even real cake under all that icing. Just Styrofoam. My helpers will be here soon with the samples that we’ll be offering for tasting. You’ll have to try our new hummingbird cake,” Glenda said.

A group of three ladies finally made their way to The Perfect Dress table. “I’m the bride and these are my bridesmaids. Do you really only make custom dresses for plus-sized women?”

“When are you getting married?” Mitzi asked.

“December, and I’m”—she lowered her voice—“a size sixteen. Is that considered plus-sized?”

“We make dresses for size fourteen and up,” Paula answered. “So you’re interested in a one-of-a-kind wedding dress? Let me show you the pictures of what we’ve already done. Then Jody can show you the sample fabrics we keep on hand in the store. If you like what you see, you can make an appointment with Mitzi to design the dress of your dreams.” Paula pushed the photo album over to the edge of the table. “Y’all have a seat so you don’t have to bend.”

Mitzi kept an eye on the girls as they milled around from one table to another. It was like seeing everything for the first time through their eyes.

“We do bridesmaid dresses as well,” Jody said.

“That’s fantastic. You can see none of us are beanpoles,” the girl said.

“Could I give you a card? It’s got all our information on it in case you’d like to think about it and make an appointment,” Mitzi said.

“I don’t need to think about it.” She picked up a card. “We all live in McKinney. Celeste isn’t far. Can we get our name on the calendar now or do we have to call?”

Mitzi opened her appointment book. “What day is good for you? And will you all three be driving over?”

“Yes, ma’am, we will. I’m Kay Lynn Johnson. Next Friday would be wonderful,” she said.

Mitzi ran her finger down the page until she reached the right date. “Morning or afternoon?”

“Afternoon,” one of the bridesmaids answered. “Kay Lynn hates to get up early on her day off.”

“Then let’s say two o’clock,” Mitzi said.

“That’s great.” Kay Lynn wrote the time down on the back of the card. “This is like awesome.” She turned to leave and saw the wedding cake. “I have to have that thing, too. Only I want poinsettias instead of roses.”

She and her friends moved over a few feet and started talking about cake. Glenda’s samples arrived while they were still there, and Kay Lynn was busy tasting them when the next set of ladies came up to The Perfect Dress table.

“Looks like it’s going to be a profitable day,” Glenda leaned in to whisper from the next table.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mitzi agreed, but she was looking at the text from Graham that had popped up on her phone: Missing you.

She hurriedly typed in: Me, too.

Jody scanned the whole room and thought about all the brides-to-be there. If she ever trusted someone to get into another relationship, she intended to have a real wedding. Maybe not a big one, but a ceremony to seal the vows.

“Y’all ready to take a break for lunch?” Mitzi asked.

“It’s noon? Man, the morning went fast.” Jody pulled a cooler out from under the table. They’d packed sandwiches, apples, and chips but hadn’t brought anything to drink. Dixie immediately volunteered to go outside to one of the many vendors and get drinks for everyone.

“I’ll go with you,” Mitzi said. “You can’t carry in five drinks all by yourself and besides, I need to stretch my legs.”

“While we’re waiting on them, I’m taking a bathroom break,” Paula said. “We’ve been so busy answering questions and booking appointments that I couldn’t get away. But there seems to be a lull right now.”

“They’ll hit us hard at one o’clock. The latecomers arrive then.” Glenda and her assistants moved back a few feet, circled their chairs, and dove into a bucket of fried chicken.

“I’m going with Paula,” Tabby said. She leaned down to whisper in Jody’s ear, “Next time we do one of these, let’s make a stop by the fried chicken place. That stuff smells wonderful.”

“It’s something to think about, for sure,” Jody said. “But we’ve got some amazing chicken salad sandwiches.” A customer walked up to the table but didn’t stick around long when she found out they only worked for size fourteen and up. Jody was putting out the food when she heard boots on the hardwood floor. When the footsteps stopped, Jody turned around to see who it was.

“Hello, may I help you?” she asked as she locked gazes with Lyle and her stomach sank.

“Hello, Jody.” His tone dripped icicles.

“What are you doing here?” Her chest tightened. Pain shot through her temples, and her hands shook.

Kennedy looped her arm into Lyle’s. “Honey, they don’t sell cakes, and I don’t need a wedding dress for our big ranch reception. What we need to look at is centerpieces for the tables and a cake. And I like this one right here.”