Read an Excerpt

The White Glove War

Poppy

1

Hayes

My name is Hayes Mary McCord Anderson. I’m named after my great-grandmother, Hayes Mary McCord, and while you’ve probably never heard of her, in my house she’s practically a celebrity. Not a day goes by when my grandmother doesn’t say her name at least once.

“Big Hayes” was born in 1902, when Savannah was at its poorest and saddest, and she was “empowered” before anyone even knew what that meant. Great-Great-Granddad was in shipping, and the family château on Gaston Street was super fancy, until the War of Northern Aggression came and General Sherman launched his cowardly attack on the city.

My family lost everything. But Big Hayes’s mother was proud and resourceful, and she managed to save up enough money to send her little girl off to boarding school. By the time Big Hayes returned to Savannah, she had her education and her mother was dead of malaria. The first thing Big Hayes did was sell the house on Gaston Street and marry a distant cousin who had inherited so much land upstate that just selling it off was a full-time job. Next, she started the Savannah Society for Ladies, the Citizens League, and the Historical Preservation Core. When Yankee developers began tearing down old houses to put up parking lots, she put on her dungarees and lay down in the middle of Barnard Street to stop them from running a fire road through Pulaski Square.

There is, however, one thing about Big Hayes McCord that no one will tell you. It’s one of our family secrets, hidden away under lock and key. You won’t be able to find it out for yourself in any library or archive, either, because my grandmother has carefully and systematically destroyed every shred of evidence.

You see, Hayes Mary McCord, like many of the McCords before her, was not blessed with beauty. According to legend, she had pores the size and color of oily raisins. Her fingers were like sausages, her hair the texture of a used diner mop. One eye was three times as big as the other, and her nose had a bump on the end as large as a plum. She was so hideous, my grandmother Sybil once confided to me, it was a miracle she married at all. If not for her truly sparkling personality, she would have been doomed. As it was, the distant cousin she married was blind in one eye, and the only thing he was passionate about was collecting beetles. And then they had Sybil.

“It’s a miracle,” my grandmother says, “that I turned out as pretty as I did.”

Then she looks at both of us in the mirror as if she can hardly believe it herself.

“We could practically be sisters.”

However, what my grandmother and my mother and I all know is that our beauty is no miracle. It is bought and paid for. In 1957, a deal was struck in the woods with a man named Doc Buzzard. I’ve benefited greatly from this deal, as have all my sisters in the Magnolia League. But the price—for all of us—has been very, very high.

It’s a cool, beckoning morning. The drama of the holidays has taken a serious toll on my looks, and my charms are due for renewal soon, meaning that I have to be extra careful. I don’t want to go outside looking like I’m unraveling, so before I go, I take a quick Brighten-Me Bath—herbs steeped in peppermint, frankincense, and a drop of wasp pollen—then apply a little Buzzard Eye Bright tincture to my inner lids and give my hair a good Sina-Ever-Shine Steam. A quick hop back and forth over a bundle of birch sticks to ensure my powers of natural attraction, plus a drop of hawk’s blood behind the ear for resilience and wisdom, has me ready to face the day. These potions don’t smell all that wonderful, but they’re effective; by the time I’m done, the dog won’t go near my bathroom, but I look and feel like a million dollars. Having put in enough beauty work to hold me over for the day, I go downstairs to put on my cashmere peacoat and then head to the sunporch to tell my mother I’m going out.

Though beautiful, our Pulaski Square house—which boasts five bedrooms, a drawing room, a dining room, a cupola, and a library—is fairly modest by Magnolia League standards. With the help of the Buzzards, none of us ever have financial difficulties, and most of the Leaguers believe that the size of your house should reflect the size of your bank account. My father, Claude, added the cupola in a last-ditch attempt to make a peace offering to my grandmother. She had always complained that our house didn’t have a profile that was “significant enough,” whatever that means. But Dad’s plan didn’t work, the fighting continued, and pretty soon he went off to Paris. Actually, I don’t know for sure that Paris is where he ended up. He didn’t tell my mother where he was going when he left, but in my heart I know it’s France. But then, I’m sort of obsessed with all things French.

“Absolutely not,” I hear my grandmother saying as I approach the sunporch. “Three marriages should be enough for any woman.” I freeze in place. I didn’t know Grandmother was here. If she sees me, I’m not getting out of here for at least an hour. She’s going to want to go over what I must—and what I absolutely mustn’t—do at the meeting this afternoon. I start to quietly back away.

“But Booker’s so dull,” my mother complains. “He’s driving me crazy.”

Not that I’m a part of the conversation, but for the record let me just say that my stepfather isn’t dull. He’s dependable. There is a difference.

“All husbands are dull,” my grandmother says. “Part of a wife’s job is to pretend they’re not. You absolutely may not get another divorce. Think of the family.”

“Claude was never dull,” my mother says, and I hear a clink of glass on glass as she pours herself another drink. Probably something alcoholic.

“Claude was worse than dull,” my grandmother says. “Claude was not suitable. And if you hadn’t had your head full of Harlequin Romances, you would have instantly realized that.”

“Mother, if I hadn’t met Claude, I wouldn’t have had those beautiful children.”

“Cuts both ways, Ellie. The children are saints and blessings, but if you hadn’t met him, then I wouldn’t have had to take steps. Haaaaaaayes!”

My heart flutters, but I recover quickly and make sounds on the steps as if descending, then clatter through the parlor into view. There they are: my mother and my grandmother, both dressed in silk dresses, sitting across from each other, sharing half a chocolate pecan pie. My mother is lounging with her feet up on the ottoman, but Grandmother, as always, sits up straight and proper, as if her spine were made of iron. I was right about the drink too: Although it’s ten o’clock on Saturday morning, a big pitcher of mimosas is within easy reach of my mother.

“There you are! Aren’t you precious? And isn’t that a tasteful coat?”

“Thanks, Grandmother. You actually gave it to—”

“As if I don’t remember, child. Anything to see the end of that foul thing you used to drape over your shoulders. Honestly, it is sometimes such a struggle with you.”

“Such a struggle,” my mother parrots.

“But we certainly were rewarded for our efforts at the Christmas Ball. You were the most gorgeous debutante ever!”

“Well, Madison looked pretty great too,” I say.

“Pshaw! Blondes win over brunettes every time.”

“And Alex—”

“Don’t even speak that name in this house,” my mother says.

“Dorothy Lee’s prodigal granddaughter is a disaster waiting to happen,” my grandmother adds. “She’s as common as pig tracks. Just her being here lowers the tone of the entire city.”

“That’s hardly fair. She’s my friend—”

“Not fair?” my mother gasps. “Have you completely forgotten what she did to Thaddeus? She put a love charm on him. He could have died.”

“Madison did the same thing to Thaddeus, and you don’t hate her.”

“Because Madison does not have a malicious bone in her body,” my grandmother says, revealing just how little she knows about Madison. I love Madison, but some of the things she says would strip paint. “Hers was simply the misguided act of a young girl blinded by a teenage crush. What Alex did was a deliberate attempt to destroy this family.”

“I’ve spent a lot of time with her,” I say. “She’s not like that. She’d never hurt Thaddeus on purpose.”

“Hayes,” my mother says, “can’t you see what she’s doing? They can kick Magnolias out, you know. If you associate with a bad element, the League will cut you loose so fast you won’t even have time to bleed.”

“Oh, Ellie, don’t be so dramatic.” My grandmother sighs. “Now you’re scaring her.”

“Well, maybe it’s high time someone started being dramatic,” my mother says, pouring herself another mimosa. “Alex Lee is a disgrace, an embarrassment, and an obstacle to Hayes.”

“Only if her grandmother continues as president of the League, and that’s hardly a foregone conclusion. Now quit your jaw music. I know what’s in my grandchild’s best interests.”

“They may be your grandchildren, but they’re my children, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them,” my mother says.

“Do Jesus, Ellie, I heard you the first time.” My grandmother sighs again. “Now hush up before you start wearing on my nerves. Hayes, if you’re going out, make sure you’re at 404 Habersham by one forty-five. I know you have a tendency to lollygag, and it will not do for you to be late for your first League meeting.”

“But I’m never—”

“Don’t back-talk me, miss. We need you focused today. All eyes will be watching you as the most promising young Magnolia we have, and I expect you not to disappoint me.”

My cheeks go red. “I won’t.”

“Because your mother is not entirely wrong, you know. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Magnolia League membership isn’t a given. Not forever. You have to continue to earn your spot.”

“I—”

“So you take that seriously, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Because without the League, you’d be nothing.”

I swallow hard and nod.

“All right. One forty-five, Hayes.”

She turns her back to me as she reaches for the pitcher, indicating that this conversation is over. Seizing the opportunity, I smile at her and my mother and slip out the door before they can start squabbling again.

My grandmother—who discovered Alex’s ill-advised plan to put a Come With Me, Boy on my poor brother, Thad—has advised me to sever all ties with my new friend other than unavoidable Magnolia business. Sybil is a wise woman, correct on just about everything besides the color peach and Michael Bolton, and it’s true that Alex has pulled some less-than-savory moves. She attempted to dose my brother with that love spell, she lied to Madison, she deceived me, and recently she’s inexplicably started acting like some kind of super-perfect League member. I mean—what? She just got here.

But the bottom line is that Alex is a Magnolia sister. I believe in a lot of things—God, our country, the concept that y’all is the correct and most polite way to address a group of people—but above all, I believe in the League. My membership has given me everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m pretty, I’m popular at school, I basically have no problems, and I’m dating a gorgeous boy. If I were just me, well, who even knows what I’d be?

Winter in Savannah is truly amazing. The cold air takes the edge off the swampy breezes, and people can actually walk a few blocks without being drenched in perspiration. Everyone is always out in the parks no matter what the weather, but especially on a day like today. Several of the local ladies have taken the opportunity to celebrate the mid-fifties temperature by dressing their dogs in sweet little sweaters that match their own coats.

The only item on my morning agenda is a Christmas gift return. Jason gave me a book on golf. Golf! At first I thought it was strange but cute that he would give me a book on the sport he likes to play. Then I realized he was regifting me! Which is why I am nipping by to see the reasonable ladies at E. Shaver’s to do a little exchange. Madame Bovary, bien sûr.

The rate at which my hoodoo love charm is wearing off Jason is alarming. I had to dose him for flirting with another girl, and the result was, well, annoying. He always wanted to kiss me, always wanted to be around. But now he’s treating me in a totally second-rate manner, which will not do. As soon as this Magnolia meeting is over, I have to speak to Sam or Sina about another batch.

After purchasing my book, I make my way up through Madison Square to my favorite part of Savannah—Broughton Street, a lovely stretch a few blocks from the river just packed full of the cutest little shops and cafés, not to mention Leopold’s Ice Cream. I start off my morning with a chocolate brownie sundae, complete with butterscotch, whipped cream, and candied pecans, then make my way to my favorite boutiques—Copper Penny for shoes, James Gunn for cocktail dresses. Then, before going into BleuBelle’s to see what’s new, I pause to catch my reflection in a store window. It’s always good to keep an eye on things. My hair, which Sybil had me conjure as long and blonde, is radiant from the Ever-Shine, and the Calorie Canaries seem to have been working overtime, because I’m looking even trimmer than usual. As for my complexion, I’ve kept up the deer-tick paste regimen Sina prescribed and, I have to say, despite the concoction’s disgusting texture, it’s cleared every blemish from my face, as promised. I am a Buzzard-created beauty, head to toe.

“Hayes!”

I whirl around. It’s Anna, in all-new Christmas clothes.

“Hey, Anna! How was your holiday, sweetie?”

“Great! My dad got me a Vespa. It’s super cute. You should come for a ride.”

“Does it have a matching helmet?”

“Helmet? Who wants helmet hair? Besides, I’m a good driver.”

I’ve seen Anna drive, and she’s like a squirrel on Adderall behind the wheel, but it’s not my place to judge. Alex and Madison make fun of Anna enough, calling her Orang-Anna, a reference to her ill-advised self-tanning routine.

“Well, be careful.”

“So, what’s the gossip?”

I’ve always liked Anna, but according to my mother, her family is complete New Money, and my grandmother has pointed out on several occasions that they’re not even really Southern. She claims Anna was born in Delaware or something. Still, Anna prides herself on knowing everything before anyone else does. She’s not all bad.

“Oh, Anna, you know I don’t gossip!”

“And you call yourself a Southerner. Well, the whole school is talking about your friend Alex.”

What? “Why?”

“First she comes to town looking like something that crawled out of one of those natural, organic food barns. Then she gets it together and lands your superhot brother. Then she dumps him—I mean, your brother! And we’re all sitting around thinking that she totally blew her social life, doing that, but it’s like… she’s, like, doing this phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes thing, you know? I mean, she’s everywhere around town over vacation—every ball, every wedding, every charity event—right at her grandmother’s side. Everyone’s just waiting to see who she lands next, and what she’ll do. Did you see that thing on her in ‘Savannah Seen’? It’s, like, she’s only sixteen, you know, and she’s the biggest thing the Magnolia League has ever turned out.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

“Not as far as I can tell. And you don’t have any inside dirt on why she gave Thad the boot?”

I bristle. I may have my issues with Alex, but we’re both in the League, and that means something. It means Alex and Madison will always have my back and I will always have theirs. If I can’t trust that, then what is the League but a bunch of gossipy old ladies?

“No, Anna. Because, really, it’s none of my business.”

“The heartache of your brother and your best friend? I mean, Hayes, if it’s not your business, then whose business is it?”

She has a point. But still…

“Anna, I just can’t say any more. Magnolia loyalty. You understand.”

Anna nods. “I get it. Although what I don’t get, Hayesie, is why you bother keeping up with that League stuff. It made sense when you were obviously going to be the head of it. But what if Alex changes it all around? I mean, her grandmother has been running it forever, and obviously Alex is going to be in charge next. Where does that leave you?”

My heart hammers inside my chest as I think of my grandmother’s words this morning: Without the League, you’re nothing.

“I guess you have Jason.”

“Oh yes,” I answer, grimly thinking of his halfhearted presentation of Swing Now! wrapped in newspaper at our Christmas tea. “Anna, it’s so sweet of you to be concerned for me, but I’ve got to go. Important Magnolia meeting this afternoon. I’ll see you in school, okay?”

“Okay,” she says, with what I can’t help seeing as a crafty smile as she saunters off. It’s all I can do to run into BleuBelle’s and have Damien show me the latest clothes that fall within the River School dress code. Shopping always helps, of course. After a few outfits I’m barely thinking about Anna anymore.

But really… what if she’s right?

2

Alex

On the first Saturday of the new year, my grandmother and I sit across from each other at the Gryphon Tea Room, on the grandest section of Bull Street. We’ve been engrossed in polite conversation for more than an hour now, although, because of our carefully hushed tones, the other diners can’t hear a word of what we’re saying. Still, everyone in the restaurant has noticed us, not least of all the few tourists who’ve wandered in for brunch.

You can tell my grandmother is used to being stared at; she almost seems to invite it. After all, who sits in the main window of the Gryphon Tea Room if they don’t want to be noticed? That’s probably why we’re dressed so well. The other diners most likely wonder how we can fit into these threads, having just ordered a second tea platter stacked with little frosted vanilla cakes, warm, buttery scones, and tiny pimento-cheese sandwiches with the crusts sliced off—a feast that might challenge a party of four.

Of course, what very few Savannah natives would know is that just four months ago, I looked a lot more like a Bob Marley wannabe, complete with awesome dreads, than this picture-perfect debutante princess. Four months ago, I probably would have been politely asked to leave the Gryph because they’d think I was there to sell pot in the bathroom.

But people can change. Or that’s what I’m trying to convince my grandmother of. So here I am, hanging on her every word.

“You must remember,” she says to me, “that your appearance matters at all times. As a Magnolia, you are always onstage. Right now you’ve got a very nice look, but you spent time getting ready for the meeting today. The key is consistency. Consistency is what separates the merely well dressed from the impeccably turned out. One late-night run to Kroger in your sweatpants for some small emergency item, and your image is ruined. All that hard work goes up the chimney because of a weak moment.”

I can’t help smiling. “I’m sorry, but that’s crazy.”

“Might be. Doesn’t make it any less true, though. I once wore a bathrobe to pick up the newspaper, and Khaki caught a glimpse of me on her morning walk. She gave me hell about it for weeks. I got so sick of listening to her that I finally had Doc whip up a Saw Nothing powder that I slipped into her biscuit. Believe me, Alexandria, people remember your looking bad much longer than they remember your looking good. And you, my dear, have a long and unfortunate history of disagreeable clothing and fashion choices to live down.”

I shift uncomfortably.

“It’s why plastic surgery after the fact is almost always a bad idea. People remember. The key is prevention. And prevention is precisely what League members strive for.”

“Miss Lee?” My grandmother has forbidden me to call her Grandmother. “Sometimes I think you are the wisest person I know.”

“Don’t play me for a fool,” my grandmother says. “It’s insulting that you think I wouldn’t notice your sass.”

“I’m sorry. I just meant that all this is new to me. I get lost sometimes.”

I give her my most honest expression. My grandmother looks at me cautiously, narrowing her eyes as if testing my sincerity. But I’ve become good at this—without flinching, I hold her gaze. Finally, she sits back and takes a satisfied sip of tea.

“Hmm,” she says.

Ha!

Alex: 1. Evil grandmother: 0.

Okay. You may be wondering why a former Birks-wearing, Phish-loving, California hippie like me is now

1. dressing like a Bush twin,

2. being a fake, syrupy poseur,

3. ditching my homey Dex, who happens to be waiting at the library now, and

4. bothering to listen to something as dumb as debutante protocol.

The fact is I’m in a serious jam. It’s pretty freakin’ bad, though it does, maybe, have a silver lining. The good news is that my mother, who for a whole year I thought was dead and gone, is actually alive. Well, sort of alive. Half alive? Whatever she is, she’s not dead yet. Her van did go over the edge of Orr Springs Road back in Ukiah, and her body—well, it did technically stop living. But her spirit hasn’t actually gone over to fully dead yet, which means, in a way, she might be able to come back to me again. I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve seen her.

The bad news is that my grandmother has bought a hoodoo spell in order to keep my mom’s spirit prisoner. Spells calling on the dead are strictly forbidden to the Magnolias, so I don’t know what she thought she was doing or how she was able to do it. She doesn’t have a clue that I know, so my entire perfect Southern princess act is just to win her trust until I can find a way to set my mother free.

“Alexandria,” Miss Lee says, “pay attention! Where is your mind, child?”

Um… Hades? Soul-raising tactics? “Oh, I was just thinking about how gorgeous your floral arrangements are this week.”

She looks at me suspiciously. “Have you been dabbling with Sina again?”

“No! I—”

“Because you know that any association with her or Sam Buzzard outside the League is strictly forbidden.”

“Oh yes. I know,” I say innocently, desperately hoping she hasn’t been checking my phone records. Sina is my only hope to lift the spell off my mother. I’ve been talking to Sina more than anyone.

“Fine. Now. Your clothes of late have been quite appropriate, even I must admit. Other than that silver… thing. You cannot wear that.”

I can’t help frowning. “But Madison designed that cocktail dress herself. I think it looks cool.”

“It really doesn’t matter what you think,” Miss Lee snaps. “You are in training, and therefore your personal taste and opinions are not to be trusted until they are fully and reliably shaped—by me. Perhaps the other girls can get away with these trashy Music Television looks, but they’re not born to leadership. You need to look appropriate.”

I finger the hem of my dress. In fact, Miss Lee has done away with most of the awesome wardrobe Madison and Hayes picked out for me back in the fall. They gave me a makeover so extensive I’m kind of surprised Teen Vogue didn’t fly in to document it. I thought that would be enough for my grandmother, but ever since I told her off at the Christmas Ball, I’ve had to undergo a whole other transformation. Now I’m so damn preppy, I look like a walking Episcopal church social.

But this is her game, and I’m playing to win.

“All right.” I give her a bright smile. “I really appreciate your guidance, Miss Lee.” I smile again, then sneak a glance at my thin antique watch—a gift from Mary Oglethorpe.

My grandmother catches me. “Going somewhere?” she asks.

“I just…” I hesitate. I consider a lie, but the truth is so harmless I decide to let it fly. “I was actually going to meet Dexter from school at the library real quick. It’s the first time he’s read The Lord of the Rings, and I—”

“Absolutely not.”

“But—”

“Fantasy games are unbecoming to a lady,” she says, closing the subject. “And the idea that you would even dream of spending time with some strange boy when you could be reinforcing your relationship with your Magnolia compatriots leaves me breathless. You are going to have to earn the respect of the other girls.”

“Hayes and Mad do respect me,” I say, trying to recover. “We’re sisters. Don’t you remember how they had my back when I walked the stairs at the ball?”

Which, it becomes instantly apparent, is exactly the wrong thing to say.

“I remember very well, Alexandria,” Miss Lee says coldly. “I remember those humiliating antics of yours perfectly.”

I clench my hands in my lap. Crap, crap, crap.

My grandmother’s eyes bore into me in a way that makes me seriously uncomfortable. Then, just as suddenly, her face transforms into a terrifyingly false smile.

“Why, is that Jonathan Bailey?” She raps sharply on the window, and a large man outside, trailed by a miniature version of himself, grins and heads inside the Gryph.

Quadruple crap. My grandmother may be concerned about propriety in every other aspect of her life, but with Jonathan Bailey that goes clear out the window. She’s working on some lucrative business deal with him and persists in throwing me at his son, Owen, an oafish, paw-heavy redneck known by all the girls at school as SlOwen.

“Well, I was wondering when you two would show up,” Miss Lee coos. “Alex here has been dying to see Owen.” My heart sinks. Apparently, my grandmother has set me up—again.

SlOwen grins at me. He reeks of Axe body spray, and I try not to wrinkle my nose too obviously. It’s one of the first things a Magnolia League debutante learns: Keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself. No matter what you may think about someone, keep it on the inside. On the last date we had (at Miss Lee’s insistence), he dragged me out to St. Catherines Island at five a.m. to go whitetail hunting. We sat in the deer blind for five hours in total silence. I’m an animal rights advocate and, at least in my old life, a PETA member, so if a deer had come anywhere near Owen’s gun, I was prepared to throw a shoe at it. But the only animal we saw all day was a squirrel, and that was while Owen was passed out from his third midmorning beer, anyway. The dude still managed to wake up enough to try to paw me on the way home. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

Keep it on the inside, I remind myself.

“Hey,” Owen says, pointedly looking at my chest. “You look really… flowery.”

“Owen dear, Alex was just telling me what a wonderful time she had with you last week. You just charmed the pants off her with that hunting trip!”

“Hope you’re being literal about that!” bellows his dad. “Ha! Girl’s got legs that go on all day, including Sunday!”

“Oh, Johnny. You are hilarious. Well, Alexandria, Johnny and I have some business to discuss, and I know you’ve been dying to catch up with Owen. Why don’t you two keep each other company while we old relics talk about boring, grown-up money things.”

“But Miss Lee, my plans…”

“What plans? I’m sure Owen can show you a better time than that Dexter person of yours. You two run along.”

Owen wipes his nose with his sleeve, then drapes a thick tentacle over my shoulder. “Some kids are over at Wet Willie’s right now,” he informs me. “They’ve got girls who’re supposed to wrestle in Jell-O—”

“Excellent, Oren. No need for details!”

“Owen.”

“Now, Johnny, shall we?”

Nodding at his dad, Owen ushers me out the door, his arm clamped around me. Just to play the part, I wink at my grandmother and then turn to Owen to give him a you-are-so-awesome smile. Which, of course, is exactly when Thaddeus Anderson comes striding around the corner of Charlton Street, his skin tan against a white button-down, blond hair sliding in front of his green eyes.

Oh God. Just looking at him makes my heart want to explode. Seriously. I’m afraid it might actually burst. He looks pleasantly surprised to see me, which makes me feel like I’m floating up like a big balloon. It’s just like it was before, when he came down from his superhot-guy platform to tell super-normal and awkward girl Alex that he thought she was cool. The way he used to look at me—as if I were spinning a plate on one finger and running naked, covered in paint, down Bull Street. As if I were the funniest, weirdest girl in the world—that’s how he used to look at me. I used to be able to make him laugh just by making a stupid face. But he’s not laughing now. Instead, a horrible, cold mask slides down over his face, and I remember what I did and how much he hates me. I don’t blame him. If I were him, I’d hate me too.

“Oh,” he says, stopping. “Hi.” His eyes travel from me to Owen and back to me. The neutral expression he’s trying to maintain is clearly a struggle. “I—”

“Hey, man,” Owen says. “Lookin’ forward to seeing you play sticks this spring. Wanna come to Wet Willie’s? The daiquiris are off the hook, and Alex and I”—his hand slips down my back and he squeezes my side protectively, fingers creeping closer and closer to my breast—“are heading over to get our Saturday morning drink on.”

“No,” Thaddeus says quickly. “I’m cutting down, myself. See you in school.” And with that he turns on his heel and strides away from us.

I feel sick. Really. I think I might throw up.

“Buzzkill!” Owen calls at Thad’s retreating back. He turns to me, grinning. “Right? I mean, dude. What a snob.”

It takes a major effort, but I manage a tiny smile. “Right,” I say, desperate to banish my ex-boyfriend’s pained face from my mind. I watch him walk away, blinking back the tears before Owen can see them.

Every nerve in my body says to run after Thaddeus and tell him everything. But I know there’s no way he can know the truth.

3

Hayes

Magnolia League Meeting, Number 437

Miss Lee presiding

Refreshments: Mrs. Funche (savories), Mrs. Basinger (sweets), Miss Oglethorpe (beverages)

I’ve been at 404 Habersham plenty of times, but only once during a meeting of the Magnolia League and never as a member. Ever since I was old enough to write a thank-you note, I’ve been told that this building is here waiting for me. It’s been my Buckingham Palace, my White House, my Taj Mahal, so coming here today as a real member is—well, it’s a big deal. Alex and Madison may feel differently, but for me it’s one of the greatest days of my life.

Outside it’s winter; but inside the meeting room, it looks like spring has exploded. All the members of the Magnolia League are packed in tight, wearing every pastel shade under the sun. Enormous arrangements of hydrangeas sit on the side tables and mantelpieces like giant pink and purple fireworks. And just about every flat surface is buried beneath piles of pickled shrimp, cheese straws, deviled eggs, and smoked-ham biscuits. There’s scuppernong punch, coffee, mimosas, Bloody Marys, cherry bounce, and two pitchers of some mystery drink that tastes absolutely delicious.

Today, at last, we’re the main event—Madison, Alex, and I. The first new members in three years, we also happen to be the grandchildren of the Senior Four. Now that we’re finally here, everyone wants to welcome us, say a few words, kiss our cheeks, give us hugs.

Tinkle tinkle tinkle. Tinkle tinkle tinkle.

With one perfectly manicured hand, Dorothy Lee, Alex’s grandmother, is ringing a tiny china service bell. Conversation instantly screeches to a halt.

“Thank you all so much for joining us today for the four hundred and thirty-seventh meeting of the Magnolia League of Savannah,” Dorothy says. “I apologize that there aren’t enough chairs, but it’s so rare that we’re all together at the same time. I expect we can tolerate a little discomfort. Besides, after the holidays, all this standing is good exercise.”

“Standing isn’t actually an exercise,” Madison whispers, and I give her an unladylike elbow in the ribs.

“Before we move on to new business, we must do our root list. I have the following members listed as due to have their roots and charms renewed this month: Julie Buchanan, Sadie Funche, Hayes Anderson, Marjorie Basinger, and Albertha Legree. Please, all of you, remember that you need to provide Sam with all of the required ingredients for your youth renewals.”

“That is going to be extremely difficult,” my mother says. “Some of those items are impossible to source right now.”

“Goofer dirt is very low,” Mary Oglethorpe, the treasurer, says. “Particularly for the financial-sector charms.”

“I thought old Sean O’Reilly passed last week. The vice president of Georgia Commonwealth Bank? Didn’t anyone go to his funeral?” Dorothy asks.

“I did,” my mother admits. “But what should I have done? Gather the dirt in my purse? I think people would have wondered what I was doing.”

“In other words, you were off to the wake too fast,” my grandmother quips.

“Well, someone has to go to the grave tonight,” Dorothy says. “How about one of our new girls?”

“I’ll do it,” Alex volunteers. Madison and I exchange glances. It really is a little annoying how much of a Magnolia Alex is trying to be lately.

“That’s wonderful, Alexandria,” Miss Lee says, looking pleased. “Now… did anyone who is scheduled for a renewal not hear her name read out? No?”

Sandy, Madison’s mother, raises her hand.

“I’d like a new youth renewal,” Sandy says. “I’ve been getting a little frayed around the edges. I think my charms might be… unraveling.”

Miss Lee frowns. “Are you sticking with the regimen?”

“Well, I’m a working woman and—”

“The noontime prayers are not optional, dear. If you go to Sam, that’s the first thing he’ll tell you.”

“But I’ve been mostly doing them—”

“Mostly isn’t always. We can’t waste the Buzzards’ time with silly requests. I’m sorry, but no. Anyone else?”

I look over at Mrs. Telfair. Her face has turned a deep shade of crimson.

“Well…” It’s Mary Oglethorpe. “I was going to ask for a bit more Prosperity Oil. Not Sam’s. Sina’s. Sina’s is noticeably more potent.”

Miss Lee turns to Mary and gives her a cold stare. “Mary, you must learn to control your spending.”

“I—”

“Ladies, we are all given the appropriate proportion of Prosperity Oil every year. We are extremely fortunate—extremely!—to have this oil in today’s economy. But you have to exercise more judgment in using it. You cannot throw it about promiscuously, as if it were drinking water. I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no, Mary. But perhaps one of your sisters will lend you what you need?”

“I have a little bit set by,” my grandmother says. “Tom’s practice has done extremely well this year.”

“Thank you, Sybil.” Mary sniffs, giving Miss Lee a look that could kill a mule.

“Anyone else?” Miss Lee asks sweetly. No one dares to speak. “Excellent. Well done. I’m glad to see so many of you are managing your charms so well. Now, I have an irregular item I’d like to bring before the membership today. Does anyone object?”

It’s evident from the expression on my grandmother’s face that her vote would be to throw Dorothy Lee and her irregular item right into the river, but no one objects.

“As all of you know, I lost my daughter a little less than a year ago,” Dorothy says. Little sympathetic sighs bloom quietly around the room. Next to me, I feel Alex stiffen. “Well, I’ve been working with Jonathan Bailey to arrange an appropriate memorial gesture. Louisa loved gardening and horticulture, as most of you probably recall. Representatives of the Park and Tree Department of Savannah have told me that the current greenhouse is not meeting their needs, and so I’ve purchased the vacant lot at the end of Habersham Street. That’s where they’ll build the Louisa Lee Memorial Greenhouse. My daughter would have… she would have liked a greener Savannah. And… and she…”

Dorothy trails off. In sixteen years, I’ve never seen her forget what she intended to say next. No one even dares to breathe.

“The first anniversary of my daughter’s passing is less than two months from now,” Dorothy manages. “It will not be a happy day for me. I would like something to distract me from it. I’ve never used the League to pursue my own agenda, but I’d like to have a small reception here that night, just as a quiet fund-raiser. Vote?”

“Seconded,” Khaki Pettit says.

“All in favor?” Mary Oglethorpe asks.

“Aye,” say thirty-four voices in unison.

“Thank you all so much,” Dorothy Lee replies, with what seems like real emotion.

A buzz spreads through the room. There’s nothing like seeing a grown woman come close to tears to create a minor sensation.

“Order,” my grandmother suddenly calls. “The room will come to order, please.” I can’t help wincing at the sound of that “please.” It’s like the crack of a whip. “This is a wonderful way to start the year, but let us please all keep our dignity. What Dorothy has requested is simply not appropriate.”

The room falls silent. Mary, Khaki, and Dorothy look at her, stunned.

“An event at 404 Habersham reflects on the entire League, past and present,” my grandmother continues. “When has the Magnolia League ever held a little bitty reception for anyone? We might as well just put out a folding table, eat off paper napkins, and call ourselves the Rotarians. No, if we’re going to raise funds for the Louisa Lee Memorial Greenhouse, then let’s do it in style! We probably won’t be able to have a ball on such short notice, but at the very least it should be a soiree.”

It seems that Dorothy is about to say something, but suddenly Sadie Funche chimes in. “Seconded!” she cries.

“All in favor?” asks my grandmother.

The “ayes” blow the roof off. Voices are ringing out all over the room, and committee assignments are being made, and I just can’t help myself: Before anyone can stop me, I’ve volunteered Alex, Madison, and myself to handle the flowers, ticket sales, and music.

Finally, the meeting adjourns early, and the room sighs with relief. All the Magnolias are buzzing, and the only thing anyone wants to talk about is the fund-raiser. Who’s planning what? How are we handling food? Can we do this by February? Even though it’s the middle of the day, I decide I’ll have a sip of something, and I’m just turning to get a mimosa when Madison rises up in front of me like an accusing ghost.

“Do you know what you just did?” she asks, proceeding to toss back a Bloody Mary. “Do we need to have an intervention? Because I have to assume you’re on crack.”

“Oh, come on, Mads. Don’t hose on my parade.”

“You just threw us under the bus,” Madison says. “I’m not about to spend the next two months of my junior year as some decoration slave. And Alex doesn’t look so thrilled about this either.”

“We’re doing this for Alex’s mom. It’s a wonderful cause.”

“My mother is not a cause,” Alex says, coming up behind us. Her eyes are full of tears. Before I can reply, she pushes her way out of the room.

“Nicely done,” Madison says.

“Well…” I’m trying to recover, but I don’t know what to say. Madison and I take a couple of ham biscuits and head downstairs after Alex. We find her outside, sitting on the steps.

“You know, you’re going to have a big black mark on your butt when you get up,” Madison says.

“I want to be alone right now.”

“Look, you think we’re happy about this soiree thing?” Madison asks. “We don’t really want to volunteer. Hayes just let her mouth get away with her.”

“It’s my mother we’re selling tickets for,” Alex says. “Like she’s, I don’t know, a carnival ride or something. She’s barely even dead!”

“Time out,” I say curtly. “Enough of this pity party. Your grandmother thinks showing emotion is unladylike. Didn’t you see her up there? I’ve known your grandmother all my life, and that’s the closest I’ve ever seen her come to crying. Besides, who knows? If you support her on this, you two might actually grow closer. Would that be such a terrible thing?”

Alex’s face looks positively at war with itself. Her mouth wants to say something angry, while her forehead scrunches up, like she’s thinking hard.

“You’re right,” she says, relenting. “I just… it’s tough, you know?”

“I know,” Madison says, putting an arm around Alex’s shoulders. “That’s why we brought you ham.”

“There you all are.” My grandmother is coming down the stairs. “I am so delighted that you girls took on such an important challenge. I know you’ll make me proud.”

“It’s all Hayes, Mrs. McPhillips,” Madison says.

“I don’t believe that for a skinny minute. I know that both of you are just being the sweetest and most supportive dears to your friend in her time of need.”

Sybil stops and cups Alex’s cheeks a bit tightly with one of her gloved hands.

“You look just like your mother,” she says, and then turns. “Hayes, why don’t you ride with me?”

It’s not a suggestion; it’s an order. And so I follow her to the car, which is parked, as always, in the No Parking zone. No one would dream of giving my grandmother a parking ticket so close to 404 Habersham.

“Damn it all to hell,” my grandmother suddenly hisses before even backing out of the parking lot.

“Don’t worry,” I say quickly. “The flowers won’t be a problem. I’ve—”

“Are you blind?” she snaps. “It’s not the flowers. This is another of Dorothy Lee’s power grabs. She thinks the League is her own personal playpen.”

“She just wants to do something nice—”

“Don’t give me that. She’s the reason Louisa left in the first place. I could just spit, seeing her up there, squeezing crocodile tears out of her dusty old eyes. What a show. And lording her grief over the rest of us, as if she’s somehow more profound than anyone else, when she practically killed her own daughter.”

I sit quietly. That notion seems pretty unreasonable to me. After all, it’s not like Dorothy drove Louisa over that cliff.

“Hayes, I want you to keep an eye on your chubby little friend.”

“Alex?”

“Do you have other formerly fat friends I’m not aware of? Of course, Alex. Alexandria Lee. What a horrible name. It sounds like she’s from West Virginia. You and I, we’re going to make sure this is the last time Dorothy Lee treats the Magnolia League like she’s the queen of the Nile. This party is going to be the end of her, and you’re going to help me.”

Suddenly, Dorothy Lee’s face appears at my grandmother’s window. I can’t help jumping.

“I was just talking about you,” my grandmother says, beaming as she lowers her window. “And how brave you were to speak about your private grief in such a public forum.”

Dorothy’s not having any of it.

“I saw you sneak that handkerchief of mine, Sybil. Give it back. We all know perfectly well what you like to do with other people’s things.”

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Excerpted from The White Glove War by Crouch, Katie Copyright © 2012 by Crouch, Katie. Excerpted by permission.
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