Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly — Robert Dalby

An irresistible Southern charmer about small-town gossip, second-chance romance, strange weather, and ballroom dancing in the most unlikely places.

Laurie Lepanto is on the horns of a dilemma. Her favorite market, the Piggly Wiggly, of Second Creek, Mississippi, is on the verge of closing its doors, nearly done in by a new Mega-Mart across town. Over the years, the Piggly Wiggly has been more than a supermarket-it's been a community center and town hall, and it's even seen a little romance blossom in its aisles.

Laurie-who has never met a problem she can't solve- is determined to help Mr. Choppy, the Piggly Wiggly's manager, keep his business afloat. She enlists her fellow "Nitwitts," a formidable array of the town's most influential widows, and the town's most eligible silver fox, Powell Hampton, a sixtysomething widower and former ballroom dance instructor. For two hours a week, Powell will waltz-or fox-trot or tango-at the Piggly Wiggly with Second Creek's ladies while the salesclerks do their shopping for them.

In a place like Second Creek, where everyone knows everyone, waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly soon becomes the town's most festive event. And after a few turns around the floor with the handsome and charming Powell, Laurie soon begins to make plans for romance as well as civic renewal.