The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(53)

The song was a fast one titled “The Boy’s on a Roll.” Everett showed off some fancy footwork as he and Nancy swing danced in the grass. The lead singer sang that they were livin’ and lovin’ a day at a time and that they had something they could feel in their soul.

Everyone in the yard, including the two boys, stopped what they were doing, quit talking, and began clapping to the beat of the music.

Everett blew kisses to Stella and winked at all the men. Nancy was beaming through the whole song. When it ended, he returned her to her chair and kissed her smack on the lips. “Now that’s the way it’s done, boys, when we’re on a roll. And me and Mama, we stay on a roll.”

Everett had barely gotten from where the ladies were sitting to the ice-cream-making business at the back of the yard when Jed started toward Stella. He stopped in front of her and said, “You are too pretty to be a wallflower, ma’am. Might I have this dance?”

“I didn’t know preachers danced.” Piper clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as the words were out. “I didn’t mean—”

Jed chuckled. “I can’t speak for all preachers, but this preacher likes to dance. Especially in the backyard on the green grass in his bare feet.”

Piper looked down and sure enough, he and Stella both had kicked off their shoes.

The first chords of “Dancy’s Dream” started when Stella put her hand in Jed’s. It was a semifast dance and Jed mixed up a two-step with swing dancing. The song talked about the devil coming every night and dancing through Dancy’s dreams.

“So does the devil really dance in your dreams about a dark-haired beauty in New Orleans?” Stella asked.

“No, the woman who dances through my dreams is a redhead and she’s from Cadillac, Texas,” Jed said.

“Really? Who is she? Someone I know?”

“Maybe, but we were keeping our relationship a secret, remember? But I do have good news. Want to guess what it is?”

“Agnes didn’t break her hip but just threw it out?”

“No, she did break it but she came through the surgery just fine. Guess again.”

“They called off that damned barbecue ball—sorry, I’m trying to stop cussin’, I really am.”

“Nope, it’s still on the docket. Try again.” He drew her close to his chest and her heart swelled up so big she thought it would burst out of her chest. There was Jed Tucker holding her right there in front of her friends and her parents and it felt so right.

“Rhett told you that he’s in love with Piper?”

“Don’t know about that, but he didn’t tell me anything. Try one more time.”

“I’m out of guesses and the song is almost over. Tell me, please, darlin’,” she whispered seductively.

“The hiring committee met early and they hired me permanently today. I signed the contract just before I came over here,” Jed said.

“Dammit, Jed! You tell me that when I can’t even kiss you,” Stella said.

“Payback,” Jed said. “Let’s announce it right now to your family. This is a special night and that would be the icing on the cake.”

“Not until we’ve had time to talk about it and process it,” she said.

“And celebrate?”

“That, too. I’m so happy, darlin’.”

The song ended and Jed escorted Stella back to her chair with his hand on her lower back. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Thank you for not leaving me to be the only wallflower of the evening,” she said.

“What were y’all talking about out there?” Piper whispered when Jed had rejoined the guys. “Your eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. Is he the boyfriend?”

“I can honestly tell you that Jed is not my boyfriend.”

“George Jones,” Everett yelled, “is in the building, or maybe I should say his spirit is in the yard. These guys and these young boys are in for an education in real country music. Y’all listen to this now. Mr. George taught a lot of singers like Vince Gill to sing with a broken heart. It takes somebody with a heart to do that.”

Nancy wiped a tear. “I’ll go to my grave mourning for not seeing to it that your daddy at least had a back-row seat at Mr. George’s funeral. He went to the river with his little player the day that they had that funeral at the Grand Ole Opry. He had completely filled up the player with George’s music and didn’t come home until the thing needed recharging.”

“Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” played and everyone was respectfully quiet as Everett pulled off his hat and held it over his heart.

“Now let’s get happy,” Everett said, “with a little ‘White Lightning.’ Nancy, get out of that chair and dance with me to make me happy.”

Nancy came out of the chair so fast that Piper only saw a blur and the dancing began on the grass. Stella started clapping and whooping and the rest followed suit and pretty soon the whole area was alive with energy and happiness.

“That’s what I want,” Piper said.

“If I can’t have that, then I don’t want anything,” Stella agreed.

Charlotte nodded. “Don’t ever get mad at your mama again.”

Stella whistled through her teeth and Nancy sashayed around Everett, teasing and flirting like a young girl. Everett’s eyes glittered with love and pride when he brought her back to the chair.