My Spy

Church Attire

The next morning, I spend more time than usual getting ready as it's hard to find the right outfit to wear when you're about to see someone you loathe entirely.

LulaBelle Anders has been my arch-nemesis since we could drink our sweet tea from sippy cups. Like most of my friends, I was born a debutante and fed from a silver Tiffany spoon by caregivers. LulaBelle on the other hand, was born desperate to be an admired debutante but unfortunately, lacked the wits, tact, and beauty to be gracefully accepted by the other Southern Belles. The fact that she wasn't from a founding family didn't help her either.

Because of her nauseating desperation to fit in, she quickly became the most competitive woman in Hollis. She clawed and scratched her way up the social hierarchy and people found it easier to placate her than to engage in any kind of sad competition with her. She always had to bake the best apple pies, create the most colorful arrangement of flowers, be the superior high tea host and be the most "on trend' woman in town. Because everyone falsely gave in to her, she soon became what she thought, was the crème de la crème of Hollis.

She was absolutely horrified when I not only got engaged before her but my fiancé, Jackson Hemming, is the son of the richest family in Mississippi. She attended my engagement party all smiles and speaking in a high, sing-song voice of fakery because well, that's what we true Southern Belles do, but I know she was secretly dabbling in voodoo just praying something would ruin it all for me. And sometimes, I like to believe it was the voodoo that ruined Jackson and I forever since it would be much easier to accept than the real reason.

Now, LulaBelle is hosting a brunch for all the "important" folk in our small town this morning so everyone will be gathered when she makes her big announcement. Everyone in town already knows LulaBelle is going to announce her pregnancy with the Mayor's son, Garrett Anders, but everyone will still cry as they throw their hands into the air and praise the newest member of the Hollis Yummy Mummys while I take advantage of the bottomless mimosas.

I hear my mother's knock at my door and I know it's my mother because she never waits for a response before throwing the door open.

"Sawyer I'm just coming to see if you're almost ready to go. We can't be late going to the Mayor's house. You're already going to have more attention than a proper lady should goin' into that house today," she snaps. "You also better remind me why I sent you to all those etiquette classes. I raised a proper lady so mind your manners. No shenanigans from you today." I want to tell her she should have asked for a refund years ago.

My mother sent me to those horrible classes where they perfected ladies on how to eat at a formal event, how to descend down a staircase slowly and what topics are appropriate for public discussion. They also worked on proper speech since my mother did not want me to use southern slang and sound like a hillbilly. So now, I know I'm not supposed to use words like ain't, y'all and reckon and which order to use my forks at dinner, but I still tend to bring up inappropriate topics of conversation which flusters most of our townsfolk. And nothing can pry me away from my y'alls.

My mother was perhaps the most ecstatic at my engagement to Jackson, in hopes that marrying into an influential Hollis family would attract me to the high society events where I could showcase my skills as a debutante. What she didn't realize, is Jackson enjoyed drinking and skipping those events as much as I did. We had more fun getting skunk drunk down at the lake than we did dressing up and going to a stuffy charity dinner. Although, once we were married, I'm sure we would have eventually fallen into line. His mother is as strict as mine at sticking to traditions and appearances.

I quickly finish sliding into the most comfortable pair of heels I own and give myself one last look over in the mirror. I decided on a knee-length navy sundress, cinched at the waist with a peanut butter-colored belt and matching heels. I usually don't care too much about my appearance but I decided I wanted to look decent while I get the sympathy frowns from my mother's friends about my failed engagement. It will only add fuel to the fire if I showed up lookin' a hot mess. That, and I know LulaBelle was ecstatic when the news of my scandal broke, so any opportunity to look better than her I take.

I walk out of the closet and my mother gasps with surprise.

"Ah Sawyer, you my girl, are a vision." She tugs at the dainty diamond cross she always wears around her neck and I'm thinking she prayed for me to look respectable for this event today. "See isn't it nice to get all dressed up, Sawyer? Remind the town that you are everything that sow LulaBelle is not." My eyes widen, it's very rare that my mother insults someone so bluntly.

"Wow, did you just call LulaBelle a pig, mother? That's so unladylike of you," I say sarcastically with a hand over my shocked, open mouth as she rolls her eyes at me.

"Well bless her heart but that woman is more fake than her marriage. We all know Garrett is one of them fancy boys. As soon as it was starting to become common knowledge, Mayor Anders found him the most eager woman he could find and married him off. Six weeks is not a proper engagement. We all know why it was so rushed."

"Well LulaBelle is pregnant so that will squash any fancy rumors about Garrett for the time being," I say as I follow my mother and her white sunhat out of my room.

"Yes, and it's a darn shame that she's settled down before you are," she says with her lips pursed. "Just remember to hold your head high today Sawyer, and remind everyone that you are still a prized southern belle." I shake my head at the words she's been trying to beat into my head for weeks now and follow her downstairs. I hear my brother's loud voice already in the foyer and I see both him and Ryan standing by the front door in their church attire.

"You are going to the brunch too?" I ask Austin, surprised and my mother answers for him, "Of course he's going. He hasn't been home in so long that I thought it would be a good opportunity to see everyone. Show the town the Sweeneys have one child that has their life together." Austin pretends to be over-enthusiastic for my mother's sake but she still swats him in the chest as she passes him to get to the front door. Ryan is rocking back on his heels as I pass him and I give him a small smile before exiting the door.