The Yellow Rose Beauty Shop (Cadillac, Texas #3)(69)

“I refuse to pay a lot of money for something I’ll only wear once. We should have started looking before it was only a week before the ball. Remember when we were in high school? We fretted about our prom dresses for months on end,” she told Charlotte and Stella.

“But you might get to dance with Rhett again,” Stella said. “Can you believe that Mama duct-taped those signs all over town? Heather is liable to go up in flames and throw her out of the Angels.”

“Hey, I’m just happy she didn’t use a Magic Marker to draw mustaches on the gent and the lady pictured on them. Did you see the way they were dressed? That man looked like a sissy from the last century with those knee britches and buckled shoes,” Piper said.

“And the lady with her hair all done up two feet high and that ball gown with a hoop skirt sure don’t look like she’s going to a Texas barn dance, does she?” Stella laughed.

“I’d have liked to see Nancy use a Magic Marker to turn the mansion in the background into a barn or a one-hole outhouse.” Charlotte held up a lovely pale-green halter dress with a rhinestone clasp, which would show off cleavage. “Think Boone would like this?”

Stella motioned toward the empty cart they were sharing. “Put it in here and we’ll take it to the dressing room. I’m not going with less than six and I’m not leaving without a dress.”

“And I’m not spending a lot of money,” Piper said.

Charlotte smiled. “Darlin’, we’re in the discount store of the South. I don’t think anything in here would knock too big of a hole in our checking accounts.”

“But after the dress, we’ve got to buy shoes and jewelry,” Piper reminded her.

Stella held up an off-white ankle-length lace dress with spaghetti straps. “I might forgo the jewelry and get one of those temporary tats on my shoulder just to rile Heather.”

Piper picked up another off-white lace dress and held it up. “You should buy this one or at least put it in the cart to try on. Look, it’s got a little train in the back and oh, I do like the satin buttons all the way from shoulders to train. It’s gorgeous and it’s been marked down three times, so it’s a steal.”

“And you are not getting a tat, not even a temporary one. Everett would throw a fit,” Charlotte said. “I think a strand of pearls is what you need with that dress. Borrow your mother’s. Those that belonged to your grandmother. Then you won’t have to buy jewelry.”

Stella took the dress from Piper and put it in the cart. “I like it and it’s in my size.”

“So you are making pulled chicken and potato salad. I think I’ll make broccoli salad and barbecued pork chops,” Charlotte said.

“How in the hell am I supposed to make her eat my chicken? She hates me and sure won’t trust me not to dose it with something,” Stella mused aloud.

“First, you tell her that it’s much too spicy for her delicate nature. Then you tell her that you really made it for Quinn because he has always loved it so much. Believe me, she’ll eat it then.” Piper tossed two dresses into the cart. “I don’t know why we’re buying dresses. If it was billed as a barn dance we’d be wearing tight jeans and western-cut lace blouses.”

“Cultural affair, my ass. This is Cadillac, Texas, where folks get excited about hot peppers and chili, not dancing some fancy waltz shit in a barn. I can’t even picture Boone in knee britches,” Charlotte fussed.

Stella held up a dark-green dress in Piper’s size. It was chiffon over satin with a shorter underskirt, but this one was designed to stop at midcalf, which would put it about knee length on Piper. The halter top was draped in soft folds that would draw the eye to her long, graceful neck.

Charlotte took the hanger from Stella and draped the dress over the cart. “Put your hair up in a messy French twist with a glittery clasp, and Rhett is taller than you so you can wear high heels.”

Piper tossed another dress into the cart. “Y’all are forgetting something very important here. Charlotte automatically gets drawn in with Boone because they are engaged, but there’s no tellin’ who Heather will draw out for me and you, Stella.”

Stella patted her on the arm. “Not to worry. Agnes can do magic from a hospital bed. If she swears you will be dancing and dining at the ball with Rhett, then it will happen.”

Nancy rounded the end of the long dress rack and waved. “Hey, y’all out huntin’ down a cheap dress for this ball?”

“Yes, we are.” Piper raised a hand to high-five with Nancy. “Good job on all those posters.”

Nancy slapped her palm and said, “I used up a whole roll of duct tape fixin’ those posters, but by golly, it’ll take a muscle man to bring them down off the windows.”

“Are you sure Agnes hasn’t recruited you to take her place in Cadillac instead of Stella?” Charlotte asked.

“Oh, no, I don’t have red hair. I’m just a minion for the new queen.” Nancy bent her knees in a bow to Stella.

“Stop it. When she springs that joint, she’ll want her crown back.” Stella laughed.

“You mean her horns?” Nancy said. “I’m surprised, Stella. I thought you might take Agnes’s lead and wear overalls redone into a dress.”

Stella held up the lacy dress. “What do you think of this one? Agnes and Rosalee are the only ones who get to go in fancy overall dresses. Rest of us have to be properly attired.”