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really would, but they’re running House back-to-back on Bravo tonight and I just can’t get enough of that Hugh Laurie. My heavens, I could just eat that man up.”
    “Novella, this is serious! This is Dotty’s wedding we’re talking about! Of course, I guess I could give Shirlette a call. Come to think of it, she was in my advanced serger class last fall, she was practically teaching it herself. I guess she’s probably the better person for the job.” Stella held her breath, hoping Novella would take the bait.
    “Why, Shirlette couldn’t stitch a straight line if you paid her!” Novella squawked. “Back in home ec she used to have to rip all her seams. She never did learn how to set in a sleeve. Don’t be calling her, Stella, or Dotty’s gonna look like she’s on that What Not to Wear .”
    “Well, I just don’t know what we’ll do, then.”
    “Oh, hell, I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Give me an hour to get Len fed and I’ll swing around and get Gracie. She won’t mind coming up a day early with me.”
    Stella thanked Novella and hung up.
    “Shame on you,” Chrissy said. “Pitting those old birds against each other that way.”
    “Aw, don’t shame me, they’re all just looking for a reason to get out of the house. Also maybe don’t be taking up two lanes,” she added, as Chrissy nearly sideswiped a church bus.
    Stella resisted grabbing the wheel several more times, and they arrived at Mercy Hospital without mishap. After almost taking out the ticket dispenser at the parking garage, Chrissy managed to park more or less in a single space on her second try, and they hurried to find Divinity’s hospital room.
    It turned out not to be difficult. Once the volunteer at the information desk had directed Stella and Chrissy to Divinity’s floor, they stepped off the elevator to a volley of screeching.
    “Stoooooop! You’re hurting me, you’re hurtinghurtinghurting!”
    “If you’d just please hold still—”
    A tall, silver-haired woman wearing what looked like a giant lavender karate suit burst out of the room, clasping her hands to her ears. When she saw Stella and Chrissy, she took her hands away and her face lit up in a bright grin.
    “Stella Hardesty, what on earth are you doing here?” she demanded, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. “Did Dotty send you up to check on us?”
    “Yes, she did, and it sounds like I’m just in time. Do you need me to go slap some duct tape on that child’s mouth?”
    Tilly giggled before releasing her and turned to Chrissy, hugging her, too. Strands of colorful beads clicked gently around her neck and silvery bangles jingled at her wrists. “And you’re Loreen’s youngest, aren’t you?”
    “No ma’am, Susie’s the baby. It goes Mac, Lorrie, Danyelle, Pete, me, and Sue.”
    “Aw, God bless your mom and Ralph, having all of you kids!”
    “God bless them for sure,” Chrissy agreed reverently.
    “Oh, now.” Tilly gave her a playful wink. “Don’t you be doing it, too.”
    “What’d I do?”
    “You don’t got to be careful around me just because I’m a reverend now. I ain’t that kind of holy. Fact is, I believe I just committed a few sins of the heart myself.”
    “Like wanting to strangle your own flesh and blood?” Stella guessed, as the screeching started up again in the room.
    Tilly rolled her eyes. “It’s stitches , Stella, not the second coming of the Lord the way she seems to think. If any of mine carried on that way, I’d take a switch to ’em.”
    “How bad hurt was your niece, Mrs. McAfee?”
    “She fell out of a tree, maybe twenty feet up. She hit a couple branches on the way down and got some nice scratches here and there. One on her neck’s going to look nice for Halloween. She can pretend she got bit by a vampire. And that little shaved patch looks kind of strange. Her ankle ain’t nothing, a little ice would have fixed it up. She’s got a little cast on her arm… but other than that it’s mostly little