The Perfect Dress(63)

“Why are you even here?” Paula’s hands knotted into fists.

“To ask you not to tell Graham because he might tell Kayla and it would ruin my marriage. I hate talking through this screen. Someone might see me out here,” he said.

“You got a choice. You can stay out there or come inside and I’ll help Mitzi clean up the blood,” Paula said.

“That’s pretty harsh.” Clinton’s head jerked back up and he glared at her.

Paula eyed him from toes to eyes, wondering all the time what in the world she’d ever seen in him to begin with. “Go home to your wife. Try being faithful to her. And stay away from me. I never want to see you again.” She slammed the door and slid down the wall. She dropped her head to her knees and took a deep breath. “Do you think he could tell that I’m pregnant?”

Mitzi sat down cross-legged in front of her. “Nope. He’s only interested in saving his own hide. The bastard doesn’t care that he broke your heart or got you pregnant. Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’ll be fine when my heart stops pounding. Been a helluva day, hasn’t it? Don’t let it ruin your perfect time with Graham. And please don’t tell Graham, not to appease Clinton, because I don’t give a damn about him, but for the baby’s sake. If he said something to Kayla or Rita, it could eventually get back to Clinton that I’m pregnant.”

Mitzi held up a pinkie finger. “Remember when we did this when we were little girls?”

Paula linked her finger with it. “We’re big girls now, and it’s still friendship before relationship.”

“After today, I’m not so sure that I ever want a relationship,” Mitzi said.

“Don’t let what’s going on with me and Jody spoil what you might have. Good Lord!” Paula eased her way to a standing position when someone knocked on the back door again. “If it’s Clinton again, load that shotgun. This time I mean to do more than scare him. We can drag him inside, and then bury him in the cellar out back soon as it gets dark. The dirt floor won’t be too hard to dig up. I’ll even repair the hole in the screen myself.”

Mitzi eased the door open a crack and shook her head. “It’s Darrin. Do we let him in or not?”

“Sure, we do. Unless you want to offer to let Ellie Mae crash on our sofa upstairs,” Paula answered.

Mitzi opened the door wide and unlatched the screen door. “I suppose you’re here to see Ellie Mae?”

“I’ve been driving all over town, looking for her car. I finally spotted it out front but there wasn’t a parking space.” His eyes were swollen, as if he’d been crying, and his hands trembled when he motioned toward his truck. “Tell her that I made a huge mistake. I love her, and we’re havin’ a baby, and—”

“We’re not the ones to tell all that.” Paula pointed. “She’s in the foyer, and you might lead with the line about loving her.”

He rushed that way, and in a few seconds, Jody joined them in the kitchen. “Quincy is gone, and I refused to go for ice cream or coffee with him. Darrin is still here, but they don’t need a referee since he dropped down on his knees, laid his head in her lap, and cried like a baby. We might as well sit out here until it’s done. There ain’t no way we can go to the sewing room or upstairs without interrupting them. I could barely get through the foyer.”

Paula was the first one to pull out a chair and sit. “It’s like we got a sign outside. Clinton was here.”

“You’re shittin’ me,” Jody gasped.

“Nope, not one bit. Mitzi even loaded the shotgun,” Paula said.

“Is he dead? I didn’t hear a shot. Please tell me that he’s layin’ on the back porch, bleedin’ out,” Jody said.

“No, he’s not dead, but he might be if he gets tangled up with another woman and she finds out he’s married,” Mitzi answered.

“One can always hope.” Paula went to the refrigerator and brought out what was left of a cheesecake. “If he was out there with a gutshot, I’d eat a piece of this, then go brush my teeth before I called the ambulance.”

Mitzi got out three forks and laid them on the table. “It’s probably going to take a while for the lovebirds to get things settled between them.”

“If they can make up and be happy, it’ll be worth it,” Jody said. “But I’m disappointed y’all didn’t hurt Clinton, the sorry bastard, a little bit. You could have at least used the butt of the gun to wreck his balls.”

“I just want him to disappear so I can get on with my life. Things are getting quiet in there. Think it’s safe to peek around the corner?” Paula said.

Jody pushed back her chair and leaned around the doorframe for a look. “They’re kissing. We don’t have to offer to let Ellie Mae move in with us.”

“I would have vetoed that,” Paula said. “She’s way too dramatic for me to put up with her for more than an hour or two. When they get done making out and leave, let’s forget about sewing. I want to go upstairs, bring up a movie on Netflix, and forget about all this crap.”

“Amen to that.” Jody had barely taken a seat again and picked up her fork when Ellie Mae and Darrin came into the room, holding hands and having trouble taking their eyes off each other.