Southern Charm

Southern Charm

By

Leila Lacey

Family Legacy Series

This book is a work of
fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead,
is coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Leila
Lacey.

All rights are reserved in
accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. The scanning,
uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without
the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the
author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material
from the book (other than for review purposes) prior written
permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected] Thank you for your support of the
author’s rights. Editing by: Geri Hansford who may be contacted
at:
[email protected]

This book is lovingly
dedicated to my grandmother Gladys. Thank you for being so good to
me. I miss you more than words can say.

CHAPTER 1

“
Shelby, yoo hoo, Shelby
darling over here,” Shelby Beasley’s sister, Savannah, said when
she saw her sister walk into the Country Club Restaurant to meet
her and their mother for lunch.

“
Savannah, for God’s sake;
put your hand down!” Shelby’s mother, Sarah, said in her distinct
southern drawl. The Beasley’s were a wealthy and well known family
in the town of Shelbyville, Georgia.

The Country Club restaurant was built
in 1858. John Beasley had this building commissioned to be designed
and built by the famous New York architect, James Manson. Completed
in 1859, this building was originally used as a warehouse and later
housed Lunyard Shipping Company. The lower floors were known as the
Lower Range and the top floors as the Upper Range.

During the War Between the States,
General Sherman’s lesser officers used this building’s empty
offices for housing and planning space. The main dining room
showcases a map that was hand-drawn by Union soldiers detailing
Sherman’s march from Tennessee through Georgia. The Beasley family
was one with deep roots in the community so were expected to look
and behave a certain way.

“
Oh for Pete’s sake,
Momma, don’t get your feathers all ruffled! I was just trying to
get frumpy Sally over there in her chair as soon as possible so as
few people see her as possible,” Savannah said to her mother
sitting back into her chair pouting.

“
You better watch your
tone, young lady!” Sarah said in a hushed angry tone to her
daughter. “I swear, sometimes you get too big for your britches. I
am not your father. I am not wrapped around your middle finger. Do
not forget that!”

“
Hello, Momma,” Shelby
said arriving at the table and kissing her mother on the cheek
before sitting in her own chair. “Hello, Savannah! How are you
today?” she said smiling to her sister.

“
Shelby!” Savannah said
rolling her eyes at her sister and taking a sip of her Mint
Julep.

“
Well, who put a bee in
your bonnet today?” Shelby said curiously.

“
I would say that it was
being expected to have lunch with you AGAIN, looking like a slob
and claiming you as my sister,” Savanah said rudely.

“
SAVANNAH!” Sarah said to
her daughter. Don’t you DARE speak to your sister that
way!”

“
It’s ok, Momma! I know
Savannah hates me without the hateful vile words that come out of
her mouth toward me,” Shelby said sadly. Shelby was what some would
call the ‘ugly duckling’ in the family. She had chocolate colored
skin like her father but hazel colored eyes like her mother. She is
5’5” when her sister and her mother were 5’ 10”. Her father and
brother were 6’4” and of course the thing that they hated the most
about her, while the rest of her family was slender and athletic,
Shelby was a plus-sized woman that wore a size 18. Shelby graduated
from high school when she was 16 and went to Harvard, graduated
with her PhD in Art History and a Masters in Public Administration.
To her mother she was a walking disappointment because she was
overweight.

Pretending to be playing the violin,
Savannah rolled her eyes heaven ward. “Honestly!” her mother said
slapping her arms down. Right then a waiter approached their table.
“Can I take you order miss?” he said to Shelby.

“
Hello James! How are you
today?” Shelby said to him smiling.

“
I am busy as a
stump-tailed cow in fly time, Ms. Shelby! How are you?” James said.
Shelby knew all the people that worked for her family locally on a
first name basis and some of them she knew their families as well.
Shelby had never seen her status or money as making her better than
anyone. She could not say the same for her sister.

“
I am well! How are your
girls?” Shelby said to him but Savannah cut off his
response.

“
Oh my God, can you
fraternize with the help on your own time please? Tell him what
disgusting thing you want to eat so that he can get back to work!”
Savannah said looking at James like he had just stepped in a patch
of cow manure and put his feet up on the table.

“
James, bring my daughter
a Spinach Salad with Apple Cider dressing please." Her mother said
dismissively.

“
Momma, I am hungry! I did
not eat breakfast this morning,” Shelby said to her in a whining
tone. She always felt like a five year old around her mother. Her
mother had ordered her to be her sister’s Maid of Honor for her
wedding even though they did not like each other. Her sister, of
course, had acted like she was thrilled trying to keep her
“position” with their mother firmly in hand. Then she had teased,
mocked and had been cruel to her every chance she got after that in
the planning of this wedding.

“
Oh hush, Shelby! Your
sister’s wedding is in six days and you still need to lose at least
ten pounds to fit into your dress. I will not have you embarrassing
this family!” she said in her patented hushed angry tone. Shelby’s
mother was known for two things: judgment and whispering things she
found distasteful.

“
Momma, I have lost forty
pounds in two months and I can fit into my dress,” Shelby said to
her starting to fidget. Shelby had always fidgeted with her hair
and hands when she was upset or nervous.

“
Being able to fit in it
and looking good in it are two different things, Shelby. You looked
like a pink pig in a blanket at the last fitting!” her sister said.
Shelby started to tap her foot under the table
nervously.

“
Shelby, will you please
stop fidgeting!?” her mother said frustrated as the waiter arrived
with their food. They all sat in silence and ate their lunch with
Savannah and her mother talking every now and then about the women
that were there lunching and what they were wearing. Shelby hated
when they talked about people that way. So she sat eating her salad
in silence letting her mind wander to going to the gallery opening
with Lance the night before. Lance Chandler had been Shelby’s best
friend since the eighth grade. Lance’s family was not wealthy like
Shelby’s; as a matter of fact, he had grown up in the trailer park
on the opposite side of town from Shelby. His mother had been an
art teacher at the private school that Shelby went to, so Lance and
his brother had been allowed to attend the school for free. Lance
was a twin. His brother, Logan, had been kicked out of school his
junior year for putting rat poisoning in one of the English
teacher’s coffee. Shelby used to have a HUGE crush on Logan. Lance
was tall with dark brown hair that he always kept in a military
crew cut and had ocean blue eyes. He had been on the track,
football, and baseball team, and had been in the chess club and on
the debate team with Shelby. Lance was the typical all American
country boy. With the exception that he had never been mean to
Shelby, never teased her about her weight or let anyone else do it
in front of him. She had gone to the art opening with him yesterday
as a favor to return the favor of him coming to the wedding with
her as her date.

“
Shelby, why are we
pretending that we are dating again?” Lance had said to her as they
walked through the gallery looking at all the sculptures that Lance
was showing.

“
Momma says it an
embarrassment that Savannah is getting married and Grayson has been
married for two years,” she had said pretending to look at the
sculpture up close. “I am the fat ugly duckling messing up the
family name.”

“
Shelby, I will NOT have
you talking about yourself that way in my presence!” Lance had said
to her. “As usual, your momma is barking up the wrong tree! You are
sweet, smart, funny and beautiful. Your sister is the one that is a
hell bitch. She should be ashamed of
her
.” Lance had always hated
Savannah. She had been the head cheerleader, prom queen, class
president and all around mean girl. And although Lance was the
Captain of the football and track teams, he had no interest in the
head cheerleader, which Savannah had never experienced.

“
Well, I know that and you
know that but you know Momma. She wants perfection at Savannah’s
wedding. I really appreciate you doing this for me, Lance. I know
people are thinking you are involved with me. It could look bad for
you,” she had said looking around the gallery.

“
BAD FOR ME? HOW?” Lance
had yelled and then lowered his voice looking around the art
gallery because people were looking at them. “You are my friend.
You are a kind, amazing, smart woman. I HATE that you let your
family make you feel less than that.” Shelby had quickly changed
the subject before this conversation turned into what she had
started to affectionately call ‘tough love’. Lance hated that she
did not value herself and that she had let her family treat her
like she was an outcast.

Snap Snap “SHELBY! SHELBY!” Sarah was
yelling at her daughter trying to get her attention. “Shelby, are
you listening to a word I am saying?” she asked her in that
distinct aristocrat southern drawl.

“
What? Oh, I am sorry,
Momma. I was just thinking about my to-do list as Savannah’s Maid
of Honor,” Shelby said.

“
I swear, sometimes I
think that nanny dropped you on your head, young lady!” Her mother
said exasperated. “I asked you if we were going to get to meet this
mystery man of yours before the wedding.”

“
Momma, Lance is not a
mystery man. He is the white trash redneck that Shelby has been
throwing herself at for years. I guess he finally took pity on
her,” Savannah said to her mother. Savannah had a way of making
‘Good Morning’ sound like ‘fuck you’ with a twist of Southern Belle
on it.

“
That is not the point,
Savannah. This young man has to be properly vetted before Shelby
brings him to a huge family event like your wedding. Even if he is
white trash, at least he is not that criminal brother of his,” she
said taking a sip of her fourth glass of champagne.

“
Vetted? Momma you make it
sound like I am running for president. He is just my boyfriend,”
Shelby said to her mother, feeling very intimidated as
usual.

“
Shelby? Hi, Sugar Plum, I
did not know you would be here today!” Shelby’s best friend,
Cassidy Graham, said as she arrived at the table.

“
Speaking of trash,”
Savannah said under her breath but making sure she said it loud
enough so everyone at the table could hear.

“
Hello, Happy Hooker,
Cruella,” Cassidy said referring to Savannah and her mother
respectively.

“
Excuse me!” Sarah said
giving Cassidy a dirty look. “Who do you think...” before her
mother could finish her question, Shelby interrupted.

“
Cassidy, will you go to
the bathroom with me? You can catch me up on the way there,” Shelby
said as she grabbed her hand and started walking to the bathroom,
dragging her friend along behind her. When she got to the bathroom
she let her go.

“
Cassidy, I have told you
how Momma’s hairs get up when you talk to her like that!” Shelby
said to her best friend. Cassidy Graham had been Shelby’s best
friend since they were five, and Shelby’s mother hated it! The only
reason she allowed their relationship was because the Grahams were
wealthier that Shelby’s family and her momma always wanted to keep
her options open. Cassidy was 6’0” and 230 pounds, so while she was
not stick thin, she carried her weight differently than Shelby.
Cassidy never cared what people thought of her. Her favorite saying
was “I don’t give a tiny rat’s ass”.