“You’re right, Granny.”

“Do what you want with your lives,” Fanny Lou said. “But please give us back our Mitzi and sassy Jody.”

“We would pay good money or doughnuts or even chocolate ice cream if y’all would be happy again,” Paula added. “If the girls hadn’t spent so much time upstairs these past two weeks with their flowers, they would’ve noticed the difference, too.”

“Whoa, wait a minute,” Mitzi said. “Is this one of those interventions?”

“Hell, no,” Fanny Lou said. “This is doughnuts and milk and friends havin’ a conversation. Now I’ve got to go, but I’ll be here to ride down to the fireworks show with y’all this evening. I hear Harry is making ice cream for afterwards, but he might want it to be a surprise so don’t say anything. That sound good?” She grabbed another doughnut and waved as she left.

“We’ll be waiting for you,” Paula said. “I don’t know what to do to get y’all out of the same emotional ditch, but if you’ll tell me what will help, I’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen.”

“I feel like I owe y’all an apology,” Mitzi said. “But I don’t know what to say I’m sorry about.”

“Me, too,” Jody said.

“Mitzi, you’re not happy. Go down there. Take him to bed. Or never call him or see him again. We don’t care. What we want is our happy friend, the one who’s the glue that holds all of us together, to be herself again,” Paula said. “God, I would have gone crazy if I hadn’t had y’all for support all these years. You know what kind of home life I had. Y’all were my escape and my hold on reality. And Jody, like Granny said, we miss your sass.”

“Okay, then let’s go upstairs, and have a Friends marathon today. Just mindless funny stuff to take my mind off everything. We’ll turn off all our phones and ignore the business one if it rings. Think we could do that?” Mitzi asked.

“I’ll get the chips and dip and a six-pack of root beer,” Jody said.

“I’ll bring up a package of pecan sandies and that bag of candy bars that I hid in the bottom cabinet drawer,” Paula said.

“I’ll have the first season started when you get there,” Mitzi said.

The big orange sun had turned the mesquite trees in the distance into silhouettes that evening when they reached the football field. By the time they’d started up into the already crowded bleachers, the pre-event had started. Someone down at the goal line picked up a microphone, asked everyone to stand for the flag salute, and to remain standing for the national anthem.

Everyone stood. Men placed their hats and caps over their hearts. Mitzi put her hand over hers and recited the salute, just like she’d done at every football game she’d attended at Celeste High School. After that, the high school band provided the music while some young guy with a singing voice as smooth as honey sang the anthem. As soon as it was over, the first burst of fireworks lit up the sky.

She was looking up as she sat back down, so she didn’t notice the twins or Graham settling in behind her, but the prickle on the back of her neck clued her in. Then Dixie and Tabby each laid a hand on her shoulders.

“Did you save us these seats?” Dixie asked.

“Sure did.” She turned around and caught Graham’s eye. “What’d y’all do all day?” she asked them, but her gaze stayed on Graham’s face.

“We cut out and sewed up these shirts for tonight,” Tabby said proudly.

It was a simple pattern with an elasticized neck, raglan sleeves, and a cute little ruffle around the bottom, with white stars on a dark-blue background. The body of the shirt was red-and-white vertical stripes. Mitzi couldn’t have been prouder of them if they’d made those shirts at the shop.

“They’re beautiful,” she said.

“Want to know what I did?” Graham asked.

“Surely you didn’t baste or sew anything,” Mitzi answered.

“No, I dried their tears when they kept breaking the gathering thread for those ruffles.”

Harry sat down beside Fanny Lou and turned around to say, “Welcome to my world when it comes to girls and sewing. I’ve got a gallon of homemade ice cream aging up real good in the truck. I’m plannin’ on takin’ it to Mitzi’s after this is over. Y’all should come join us.”

“Yes!” Dixie did one of her fist pumps in the air.

“Mitzi?” Graham asked.

“No way we’ll eat a whole gallon all by ourselves, so please say you’ll come help us out,” she answered.

“Then we’ll surely take you up on the offer, Harry. I love your ice cream.” Graham’s knee brushed against Mitzi’s back.

Short little bursts of electricity shot through her body at his touch. Two weeks away from him hadn’t gotten him out of her mind any more than fourteen years of not seeing him had.

Graham couldn’t take his eyes off Mitzi that evening. All he could really see was her red hair and the way her neck curved to her shoulders, but even that much made him want to lean down and at least whisper a thank-you for inviting them for ice cream. He kept his distance because he was afraid if he got that close, he’d kiss that soft spot right under her ear.