lay one on her. A little twinge of something fluttered across Sadie’s heart. It wasn’t envy. It was more like a reminder that someday she’d like to find someone who wanted to stand in front of a minister, promise to love her forever, and bend her over his arm.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Steagall.”
Sadie turned and prepared to follow the bride and groom back down the aisle and into the foyer. Maybe mixed with the little twinge was that tiniest dab of melancholy.
She moved from the arbor and wove her free hand through Rusty’s arm. She wasn’t quite sure why she felt even the tiniest dab of melancholy. She wasn’t sad about her life. She liked her life.
“Ready to party?” Rusty asked out of the side of his mouth as they moved down the aisle.
“Yeah.” She could use a glass of wine. Maybe it was seeing her cousin and Aunt Bess and Uncle Jim so happy. Maybe it was her bubble gum dress and the small bouquet of pink and white flowers in her hand. Maybe it was being back in Lovett where the purpose in life was to marry and have children. She wasn’t quite sure of the origin of her sudden mood, but felt very single and alone. Even Rusty was on loan to her. His girlfriend was in the crowd somewhere. As far as she knew, she and newly single Becca were the only solo girls at the Sweetheart Palace. Even her cougar aunt Charlotte had managed to find herself a date.
Sadie took her place in line for pictures. She smiled for the photographer and pretended that her mood hadn’t flatlined. She was happy for her cousin. Truly. But she couldn’t wait to get back to her real life where she didn’t feel like quite the manless loser.
After the pictures were taken, they all moved to the dining room swathed in pink and gold and white. Tally Lynn grabbed Sadie in a tight hug against her white meringue of a dress. “I’m so glad you could come.” Her face all lit up with love and plans of a happy future ahead of her, she added, “Gosh, Sadie, I just know you’re next.”
Her cousin meant it as a kindness, a reassurance, and Sadie pushed up the corners of her lips and managed a cheery “Maybe.”
“I had you seated at a table with a couple of the aunts.” She pointed to one of the round tables tricked out with roses and pink tea light centerpieces. “They’re just so happy you’re here and it will give y’all a chance to catch up.”
“Fabulous.” The aunts. Sadie walked between the tables covered in white linen and crystal, Caesar salad on each china plate. She moved slow and steady toward the inquisitioners with white cotton candy hair and red rouge on their octogenarian cheeks. “Hi, Aunt Nelma and Ivella.” She placed a hand over her cleavage and bent forward to kiss each of them on their thin skin. “It’s wonderful to see you two again.”
“Lord, you look like your mama. Nelma, doesn’t she look just like Johanna Mae when she won Miss Texas?”
“What?”
“I said,” Ivella shouted, “doesn’t Sadie look just like Johanna Mae!”
“Just like,” Nelma agreed.
“It’s the hair.” She sat across from her aunts and next to a bigger girl who looked a little familiar.
“Such a sad thing,” Ivella said with a shake of her head.
What was a sad thing? Her hair?
“Poor Johanna Mae.”
Oh that sad thing. Sadie placed her linen napkin on her lap.
“Her heart was just too big,” Nelma yelled. She might have problems with her hearing, but there was nothing wrong with her voice.
The older Sadie got, the more her memories of her mother faded. And that was a very “sad thing.”
“Too big,” Ivella agreed.
Sadie turned her attention to the woman on her right and offered her left hand. “Hi, I’m Sadie Hallowell.”
“Sarah Louise Baynard-Conseco.”
“Oh, Big Buddy’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“I went to school with Little Buddy. What’s he up to these days?” She picked up her fork and took a bite of lettuce.
“He’s working in San Antonio for Mercury
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Steagall.”
Sadie turned and prepared to follow the bride and groom back down the aisle and into the foyer. Maybe mixed with the little twinge was that tiniest dab of melancholy.
She moved from the arbor and wove her free hand through Rusty’s arm. She wasn’t quite sure why she felt even the tiniest dab of melancholy. She wasn’t sad about her life. She liked her life.
“Ready to party?” Rusty asked out of the side of his mouth as they moved down the aisle.
“Yeah.” She could use a glass of wine. Maybe it was seeing her cousin and Aunt Bess and Uncle Jim so happy. Maybe it was her bubble gum dress and the small bouquet of pink and white flowers in her hand. Maybe it was being back in Lovett where the purpose in life was to marry and have children. She wasn’t quite sure of the origin of her sudden mood, but felt very single and alone. Even Rusty was on loan to her. His girlfriend was in the crowd somewhere. As far as she knew, she and newly single Becca were the only solo girls at the Sweetheart Palace. Even her cougar aunt Charlotte had managed to find herself a date.
Sadie took her place in line for pictures. She smiled for the photographer and pretended that her mood hadn’t flatlined. She was happy for her cousin. Truly. But she couldn’t wait to get back to her real life where she didn’t feel like quite the manless loser.
After the pictures were taken, they all moved to the dining room swathed in pink and gold and white. Tally Lynn grabbed Sadie in a tight hug against her white meringue of a dress. “I’m so glad you could come.” Her face all lit up with love and plans of a happy future ahead of her, she added, “Gosh, Sadie, I just know you’re next.”
Her cousin meant it as a kindness, a reassurance, and Sadie pushed up the corners of her lips and managed a cheery “Maybe.”
“I had you seated at a table with a couple of the aunts.” She pointed to one of the round tables tricked out with roses and pink tea light centerpieces. “They’re just so happy you’re here and it will give y’all a chance to catch up.”
“Fabulous.” The aunts. Sadie walked between the tables covered in white linen and crystal, Caesar salad on each china plate. She moved slow and steady toward the inquisitioners with white cotton candy hair and red rouge on their octogenarian cheeks. “Hi, Aunt Nelma and Ivella.” She placed a hand over her cleavage and bent forward to kiss each of them on their thin skin. “It’s wonderful to see you two again.”
“Lord, you look like your mama. Nelma, doesn’t she look just like Johanna Mae when she won Miss Texas?”
“What?”
“I said,” Ivella shouted, “doesn’t Sadie look just like Johanna Mae!”
“Just like,” Nelma agreed.
“It’s the hair.” She sat across from her aunts and next to a bigger girl who looked a little familiar.
“Such a sad thing,” Ivella said with a shake of her head.
What was a sad thing? Her hair?
“Poor Johanna Mae.”
Oh that sad thing. Sadie placed her linen napkin on her lap.
“Her heart was just too big,” Nelma yelled. She might have problems with her hearing, but there was nothing wrong with her voice.
The older Sadie got, the more her memories of her mother faded. And that was a very “sad thing.”
“Too big,” Ivella agreed.
Sadie turned her attention to the woman on her right and offered her left hand. “Hi, I’m Sadie Hallowell.”
“Sarah Louise Baynard-Conseco.”
“Oh, Big Buddy’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“I went to school with Little Buddy. What’s he up to these days?” She picked up her fork and took a bite of lettuce.
“He’s working in San Antonio for Mercury
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