The Perfect Dress(66)

“And they’re going out on Sunday after church to ride around on the lake in his pontoon boat,” Jody said.

“With the twins, Alice, and these two tattletales if they want to go. That’s hardly a date, now is it?” Mitzi said.

“Dates don’t have to be dinner and a movie. Dates mean spending time with each other,” Fanny Lou told her.

“You are so right, Granny.” Mitzi thought about the time she and Graham had spent together. “But now, let’s talk about your date with Elijah.”

“And this new dress you need,” Paula said. “What color do you have in mind?”

Fanny Lou giggled. “I was just tryin’ to get a rise out of you. I’m not going out with Elijah. Lord, if he tried to kiss me good night, he’d kiss my boobs instead of my lips. Or I’d have to stoop, and with my old bones, I’d never be able to straighten back up.”

Mitzi had dated a shorter man the semester she was in college. He always managed to stand on a higher step up to her garage apartment when he kissed her good night. If it hadn’t been for that staircase, he would have probably kissed her on the boobs, too. But she and Graham had connected without a single problem.



Graham picked up his briefcase and gently closed the door behind him so he wouldn’t wake the girls. Traffic was light that morning, so he arrived at work before eight. Vivien handed him a cup of coffee when he passed her desk.

“Good mornin’. You’ve got a meeting at eight thirty, so you can drink it slowly. After that, you’re free for the day,” she said.

“That’s good. I want to shadow that new salesman for a couple of hours and see how he’s doing.” Graham went into his office but he left the door open.

He set his briefcase on the floor beside his chair, set his coffee on the desk, and sat down to relax for a few minutes before his meeting. He should have told the girls that he’d asked Mitzi on a date, but he wanted to savor the time he’d spent with her on Sunday and those couple of kisses a little longer. Besides, when he told them that he’d actually asked Mitzi out, even if it was an informal family affair, they’d immediately start thinking the M-word. Graham would need a lot of time to say that word out loud.

A shadow in his peripheral vision startled him and he sat straight up. He must’ve spent more time letting his mind wander than he’d thought. He leaned forward to pick up his briefcase and get the papers out for his meeting. When he straightened up, Rita was in front of his desk and Vivien was standing in the doorway with a disgusted look on her face.

She tapped her watch and mouthed, “Fifteen minutes.” Vivien backed out and shut the door behind her.

Rita wore skintight jeans, an off-the-shoulder top, and high heels. Her long blonde hair framed her face and she’d applied bright-red lipstick.

“I’ve got less than ten minutes, Rita,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you, my grandmother died. We’re going through her house to get it ready to sell,” she said. “Kayla said she’d seen you Saturday and she told you that we were thinking about getting back together.”

“I’m not thinking any such thing.” He couldn’t believe that she was dressed like that when her grandmother had just died. Granted, times had changed, but she looked like she should be standing on a street corner, not mourning a relative.

“Well, darlin’, I am, and you know I get what I want,” she said. “I want to be a mother.” She moved around the desk and started to massage his shoulders. “Remember when I used to do this after football games?”

He pushed away her hands and stood to his feet. “Rita, we’re not in high school anymore, and we’ve been apart for more than a decade. I’ve moved on.”

“With who?” She glared at him.

“Someone else, and I like her a lot. I don’t want to ruin anything I’ve got with her. And she loves the girls.” He went to the door and stood beside it.

“Honey, you never forget your first love. Whoever this woman is, she won’t ever be able to make you forget me.” She laid a hand on his chest. “I own this heart. I always have, since the first time I kissed you. You might as well go on home and break up with her, because I will have you back.”

“Want to make a bet on that?” he asked.

“Don’t need to. Like I said, I get what I want,” she said.

“You wanted to be the wife of the owner of a Cadillac dealership,” Graham said sarcastically. “You never did want me, Rita.”

She tapped his chest again. “I want you now.”

“It’s too late.”

“It’s never too late for love.” She blew him a kiss as she left.

He barely had time to get his papers out of his briefcase when Vivien said the CPA had arrived. Lauren was a tall, thin woman with short blonde hair and brown eyes. She had a no-nonsense, get-down-to-business attitude that he liked. He’d thought about asking her out a few times but never could find the right moment.

“Good morning, Graham. I’ve scanned everything and it looks good.” She pulled a wingback chair around to his side of the desk and sat down. Then she removed her laptop from her briefcase. “I see you’ve got hard copies for me, just like your dad always did.” She waved a hand toward the stacks of papers. “I’ve told you that all those aren’t necessary.”