The Perfect Dress(79)

“Going to fish?” She held the door for him.

“Nope, just tucked everything in here. I’m really looking forward to being outside all afternoon.” He crossed the porch and yard, got into the truck, and fastened his seat belt.

“Me, too. We haven’t been out on the boat in weeks,” Dixie said from the back seat.

“And we get Mitzi and Harry and Granny Fanny Lou today,” Tabby said. “It’s going to be wonderful.”

Alice drove right to the marina and had just parked when Mitzi pulled in beside her. All five of them unloaded, and Graham looked over everyone’s heads and winked at Mitzi.

Harry stuck out his hand. “Hey, Graham, looks like we’re outnumbered today.”

Graham shook it. “Looks that way. We might have to stick together to ward off all this femininity.”

“That’s what I figure,” Harry chuckled. “Which one of these things belongs to you?”

“The one with Just Cruisin’ on the back,” Dixie answered.

“Me and Dixie named it when we got it. We used to go out every weekend.” Tabby set her tote bag on a case of soft drinks and carried it down the boardwalk to the second slip.

“Hello.” Graham took a couple of steps and stopped in front of Mitzi. “Nice hairstyle you got there.”

She pulled her sunglasses down on her nose and looked up over them. “I’m glad you like my dog ears. I don’t like to sweat.”

“I do honestly like your hair, but your eyes mesmerize me.” He immediately wondered if that was too bold, if maybe he was coming on too strong.

She bumped his arm with her elbow. “And you said you were shy around women.”

“I usually am, but it’s different with you.” He winked.

It took two trips to get everything onto the boat. Then Alice rolled out the awning and started up the engine. When they’d gone out to the middle of the lake, she turned the steering over to Graham. “I’ll be right back.” She threw off her caftan, revealing a bright-red tankini underneath, and dove into the water.

Dixie and Tabby followed right behind her, tossing their cover-ups onto a side bench, and into the lake they went, headfirst.

“You swimming?” Graham asked Mitzi.

“Nope, not me. I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“Well, I do,” Jody said as she peeled out of her shorts and shirt. “It’s been years since I’ve gotten to be in the water, so here goes.” She went in feet first and emerged a few seconds later with her long braids floating behind her. “I swear, next week, I’m cutting these things off. They’re weighing me down.”

“You wouldn’t be the same without your braids,” Mitzi told her.

“Paula?” Fanny Lou asked.

Paula shook her head. “I’ll just sit right here in the shade and enjoy the scenery. How long do we leave them out there?”

“Fifteen minutes and then we’re going to gather them in and have some lunch. I still make the girls wait half an hour after eating before they go back in the water,” he answered.

“I bet that’s why they wanted to get wet before we eat, right?” Fanny Lou said. “If we do this again, I’m dragging out my old yellow-and-black suit from the seventies. I’m just itchin’ right now to get into that water.”

“Not me. I’d sink like an anchor,” Harry said. “Delores was half fish. She loved any kind of water—the ocean, the lake, even a backyard pool. She taught Mitzi to swim when she was only two years old.”

“Really?” Graham raised an eyebrow. “I thought about putting a pool in for the girls, but they don’t want it. They say that the lake is bigger, deeper, and lots more fun.”

“I like a pool because it’s private,” Mitzi said.

Graham immediately reconsidered putting one in his backyard. There was plenty of room, and the yard already had an eight-foot privacy fence around it. He was imagining a cute little cabana-type atmosphere when the four ladies climbed back onto the boat.

“We’re starving now for sure.” Dixie grabbed a towel and dried her face before wrapping it around her wet hair.

Alice set about getting the food from the cooler—fried chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, and thick slices of dark rye bread. Then she opened another cooler and brought out icy cold cans of root beer. Tabby pulled paper plates from under the bench on one side. Dixie handed out plastic forks.

“I’m taking two chicken legs,” Tabby said. “There’s probably eight more, and I’ll fight y’all for the last one.”

“You can have ’em,” Harry said. “I’m a thigh man.”

“And you?” Graham nudged Mitzi on the arm.

“Wings all the way.” She found four wings and claimed them all for herself. “This is really nice. I’m so glad that we came today.”

“If you changed your mind about coming today, all you had to do was call me,” Graham whispered to her. “I would have understood if you were tired from yesterday.”

“I couldn’t do that to the girls,” she said.

“What about me? Could you have done that to me?”

“Are you trying to pick a fight?” she asked. “If so, then wait until we get home, because I’m not spoiling this day for the rest of our families.”