Southern Lights: A Novel

Alexa had reserved the best suite in the hotel, and Savannah looked around excitedly and exclaimed as she went from the living room to the bedroom and back again. It had a big four-poster bed like the one at Thousand Oaks, and this room was decorated in a deep yellow, with dark furniture, and lots of Tiffany glass. It was a classic antebellum mansion, and Savannah could hardly wait to see the spa. They had an appointment for massages, manicures, and pedicures the following afternoon before dinner. Alexa wanted to treat them both to a totally luxurious weekend.

They ordered something to eat in the room, since Savannah had already eaten and Alexa only wanted a light meal. Afterward she unpacked the few things that Alexa had forgotten in New York, and two new blouses and a sweater she had bought her, which Savannah loved and said she could wear to school. They talked about school, the people she had met there, and her meeting with her southern grandmother, and they talked about Alexa’s mother. They covered every possible topic and subject, hugged constantly, kissed each other often, teased each other, and Savannah told her about the “bless her heart” thing that southerners seemed to say before or after making a particularly bitchy comment, and Alexa roared with laughter and said it was true. They reveled in each other’s love, and finally got into the four-poster bed together at two in the morning. And then with their arms around each other, they fell asleep like two puppies, happy for the first time in weeks.

And the minute they woke up in the morning, they started talking about everything they wanted to do. Alexa wanted to take her to a few cute shops that she remembered, if they were still there, and her favorite restaurant for lunch, and Savannah had a list of places too. They had enough to keep them busy for a week, and by ten-thirty they were walking down the streets of Charleston on a gloriously sunny day. Alexa felt a tug at her heart as she saw familiar places, but she tried not to let it upset her. This weekend was all about Savannah and not the disappointment she’d had here.

They went to a shop full of nothing but cashmere sweaters, mostly in pastel colors. Alexa bought her a pink one, and they were laughing as they left the store, and Savannah’s eyes widened as she saw her friend from school. Julianne was with her mother, whose face lit up the moment she saw Alexa, as though she had seen her best friend too. She once had been, but had betrayed her as Tom had. It was the first time Alexa had seen or heard from her in ten years.

“Oh my God, Alexa! Dawlin’, how are you? You can’t even know how many times I’ve thought about you…I just miss you to pieces and Savannah is so gorgeous. Bless her heart, she looks just like you.” Savannah and Alexa exchanged a quick look at her last words and tried not to burst out laughing. But Alexa was irked by her hypocrisy and pretense of a still-existing friendship and concern that she tried to pretend had lain dormant, when in fact it had died years before, at her hands. “How long are you here for?”

“Just till tomorrow. I came down for the weekend.”

“My Gawwddd, we have to get together the next time you come. Call me before you do. We could have lunch with our girls.” Not on your life, Alexa was thinking as she smiled back at her. “We’re just so happy that Savannah is visiting her daddy. The girls are such good friends.” Alexa nodded and said nothing, with a fake smile on her face. Savannah knew that look, and it was reserved for people her mother disliked intensely or had utter contempt for. And she knew that Julianne’s mother was one. Her name was Michelle, and people called her Shelly. “What are you doing in New York now? Are you remarried?” Alexa had a strong urge to slap her when she asked. It was none of her business. Whatever the pretense, they were no longer friends, and never would be again.

“I’m a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office,” Alexa said quietly. She didn’t answer the question about marriage. She suspected Shelly knew anyway, from the girls. She had always been nosy, loved gossip, and pumped everyone for all the information she could get.

“Bless your heart, that’s such a big job, especially for a woman. You’re quite the celebrity around here.” Alexa thanked her and said they had to get going. The girls promised to call each other the following night, and Alexa and Savannah hurried away to the next shop on her list. And once they were out of earshot, Alexa turned to her daughter with a wry look.

“I counted a total of two ‘bless your hearts’ for you, and four for me. Watch out, she hates us!” Alexa warned her as they both burst into laughter.

“I noticed. I lost count after the first two. Julianne doesn’t get along with her mother either. She says she’s a total bitch.”

“Yeah, I’d say she’s right. She was about as sincere as poisoned ice cream, magnolia flavored!”