The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(34)

“Breathe, girl,” Stella said.

“What did you do, Stella? I’m surprised with your temper that Nancy is still alive. Why would she do that?” Alma Grace asked.

“What could she do? It was already done before she knew about it,” Trixie asked right back. “I heard that she’s got a secret boyfriend but she’s not tellin’ her mama a thing until after the ball because she’s so mad at her, though.”

“I’m standing right here,” Stella said.

Alma Grace’s big eyes got wider and wider. “What ball? Lord, what have I missed?”

“The brand-new marriage ministry that Heather is creating is planning a ball.” Piper went on to tell Alma Grace all about it.

Alma Grace scarcely blinked through the whole story. “Does Agnes know? I’ve been on a cruise this past week with my future in-laws and fiancé. Haven’t been down to Bless My Bloomers until I ran through here. Do Carlene and Jenny know about this? Lord, I thought that thing with Carlene’s divorce was horrible. This has got to be worse.”

Piper finished Rhett’s hair and dusted the back of his neck with a small brush before whipping the cape from around him. “Whole town knows. It’s the newest fodder for the gossip vines. You’ll have to buy a brand-new fancy dress for the ball. Agnes says we all have to go.”

“Well, I’m not brave enough to fight with Agnes for sure,” Alma Grace said seriously. “I bought a couple of formal-type dresses for the cruise. I’ll just wear one of them. When is this ball?”

“Last Saturday night in the month of July,” Piper answered.

“And you all will be there?” Rhett asked.

“Yes, sir,” Trixie said. “Alma Grace spoke for all of us when she said none of us would buck up against Agnes. Are you going?”

“Yes, ma’am. Boone and I’ve already talked about it. I’m shinin’ up my boots and gettin’ my hat dusted off. I wouldn’t miss a good dance for nothing.” Rhett laid the money order on the cabinet. “Thanks, Piper. I appreciate you taking care of my hair. It looks great. Wish y’all weren’t going to stop doing haircuts for men. What made you decide that, anyway?”

“Agnes,” they said in unison.

“Well, FYI, I wouldn’t buck up against her, either.” Rhett laughed.



Stella glanced over at Piper. “Well?”

Piper shrugged as she sank down in the chair where Rhett had been sitting. “I thought I was doing my best friend a favor. Now I think I’ve opened Pandora’s box and I’m not sure how to put the lid back on it.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Why would you? Peeking inside what Rhett has to offer might be fun.”

Piper threw the back of her hand over her forehead. “Don’t give me that look. This is unbelievable.”

Alma Grace cocked her head to one side. “Do we need to put you on the prayer list?”

“Good God, no!” Piper almost shouted. “Look what happened when Nancy put Stella on that list. The whole town has gone crazy.”

“Crazy is not a new thing for Cadillac,” Alma Grace laughed.

Trixie held up a hand. “This will all blow over after the barbecue ball, and something else will take its place. Gossip creates. Time dissipates. That’s what Mama used to say before she got sick.”

“I don’t know if anything can dissolve the gossip since Heather is in town. Lord, the oil boom way back in the last century will be a drop in the bucket compared to this new ministry she’s talking about,” Piper said.

“And believe me, she is dragging up dirt that I thought was buried more than a decade ago,” Stella said.

“You mean about . . .” Alma Grace slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Oh, yes. Fresh scandal from an old recipe. She figures if she can find some poor old fool willin’ to marry me with my reputation, she will be well on her way to a prosperous career in marriage ministry,” Stella said.

“I’ve missed a lot. It’s going to take a whole week to catch up,” Alma Grace said. A short blonde who was almost as religious as Heather, she and her two cousins ran Bless My Bloomers, the plus-size lingerie shop in town. At least, it had started out to be a fancy panty place for the curvy women, but these days it catered to any size. After all, women deserved to have sexy undies, no matter if they were a size 3 or needed three X’s on the tag.

Stella finished cutting Trixie’s hair and motioned toward the shampoo sink. “Maybe, just maybe, somebody will get married out of the deal even if it’s not me. I only want to get past my birthday; then Heather can do whatever she wants. She can re-create the Sadie Hawkins idea if she wants to—as long as my name isn’t attached to it.”

The front door let in a burst of hot air and there was Agnes looking like she should be pushing a cart filled with great Dumpster-diving bargains.

“Hell’s bells, but it’s goin’ to be a hot one. How many men have you turned away?” She pulled a chair under the air-conditioning vent and slumped into it.

“None. Piper cut Rhett Monroe’s hair because he didn’t see the sign,” Trixie tattled.

“But that’s the only one that’s getting a money-order haircut,” Piper said quickly.