“Oh, honey, she did an amazing job. I just wish I’d have known what you were going to do. I’d have filmed it so I could watch it over and over,” Jody said.

Paula held up her camera. “You are welcome.”

“I’ve got the best friends in the whole world,” Jody said past the lump in her throat.

Mitzi’s stomach clenched as she and Tabby pushed through the double doors into the room where the models and their assistants would get ready for the show that evening. So this was the maternal instinct that people talked about. Anxiety and pride all rolled into one big ball.

A lady in a blue vest took a look at their lanyards and ushered them back to a table with a card that said “The Perfect Dress.”

“You can set up right here. You’ll be in the first fourth of the models in alphabetical order.” She pointed toward the end of the room. “Your number is on the card on your table.”

Mitzi’s mother had used a camera to snap pictures of her at every school event and function, no matter what she was involved in. Now Mitzi was doing the same, only with a phone, as she took the first photograph of Tabby in her cute little white capris and shirt. “Before and after to send to your dad,” she explained.

“Did Paula send that video to him, too?” Tabby opened her tote bag, set up a small, lighted three-way mirror, and laid out a whole array of makeup.

“Yep.” Mitzi pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

“Good.” Tabby leaned forward and started with a few dots of liquid makeup on her face that she brushed outward. “He’s going to tell me that it wasn’t a nice thing to do but that I did it for a good reason.”

“That’s what I’d tell you.” Mitzi propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.

“I really do wish you’d been older or Daddy would’ve been younger so he would have noticed you in high school. He whistles a lot now. Why don’t you ask him out on a real date? Not just a lake date.” She applied eyeliner to her left eye.

“Men should ask women,” Mitzi answered.

With one eye looking fabulous and the other not even touched, Tabby turned toward Mitzi. “This is the modern world. When I date, I’m going to ask a guy out. Daddy is kind of gun-shy when it comes to askin’ women. And we haven’t helped very much. We kind of sabotaged the first lady he got serious about because we were afraid he’d like her more than us. Then the next one was downright awful. But we like you. We promise to be nice if you’ll ask him out. We’ll even dress him up.”

Mitzi snapped a picture of her, then sent it to Graham. “He’ll get a kick out of seeing you getting ready.”

Tabby went back to her makeup. “You’re not going to talk about dating him, are you?”

“Don’t think so,” Mitzi answered as she sent the pictures to Graham.

She got a text back immediately: I’m jealous. Wish I was there.

She sent back a smiley face and kept snapping pictures as the process went on. The lady in the vest came by and said, “Fifteen minutes and it will be your turn.”

Tabby flipped her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head and put away all her things as methodically as she’d gotten them out. “Okay, I’m ready for the dress and the veil.”

After Tabby took off her capris and shirt, Mitzi held the dress for her to step into. Tabby stood in front of a long bank of mirrors with a few other bride models as Mitzi fastened each little satin button on the arms of the dress. “I feel pretty in this. Do you think I’ll like feel like this on my real wedding day?”

“Yes, I do,” Mitzi assured her. “Now for the veil.” She set the tiara on the top of Tabby’s head. “I don’t think I messed up your hairdo. If I’d tried to do that with mine, it would’ve looked more like a fresh cow pile than an elaborate style.”

“It’s all in the twist of the hand and the curls from those little pink sponge rollers you saw me in this morning.”

Tabby inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly as Mitzi snapped another dozen or more pictures. “Oh, Mitzi, just look at me. When I get married, I want a veil like this. Nothing over my face to make me sneeze,” Tabby said. “Okay, are we ready?”

“Depends.” Mitzi snapped more pictures.

“On what?”

“If you’re going barefoot or if you’re going to wear the shoes in that box.” Mitzi pointed.

Tabby giggled as she took out the shoes and slipped her feet into them. “I’m nervous.”

“Not as much as I am,” Mitzi admitted. “My mama used to give me a kiss on the forehead for good luck when I had something that made me nervous. Granny gave me one on the day we opened our shop since Mama wasn’t here to do it. Now I’m giving one to you.” She leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss on Tabby’s forehead.

Tabby took a step forward and kissed Mitzi on the cheek.

“I wish my mother was here,” one of the other models said.

“Not me,” Tabby said. “I’d rather have Mitzi.”

Mitzi got misty eyed and was so glad that she was there with Tabby.

“Five minutes.” The coordinator pointed to Tabby.

“Maybe I need one more kiss to calm me down. I don’t want to disappoint y’all, and I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,” Tabby said.