My Spy 6: Private Eye

Dresses

I was staring at the computer screen agonizing over what I should do. This is such an invasion of privacy but I almost need to see the truth for myself, even if it is ugly. 

I drop my head into my hands, wondering if this is the end of a twenty-year friendship. My mother's voice snaps my head up, "Looks like you need an eye break. Staring at that thing will make you cross-eyed." She watches as I roll my eyes from the doorway and then adds, "Ryan came outta here all huffy. Thought I'd check in."

"Annabeth drama," I tell her vaguely. 

"Shocking," she mutters and then crosses into the office. Her eyes search the room like it's her first time in here and she runs a finger along his leather-bound books as she says, "I gotta go into town and get our costumes figured out for Founder's Day. Darla just called and said we need to get in there."

"I didn't want to go to Founder's Day last year and I definitely do not want to be paraded about this year," I tell her. I minimize the screen so she can't see Annabeth's messages. 

"Why not? You were fresh off a scandal last year. This year you are a newlywed gettin' to ride in the parade with Ryan. I'll even have Darla give him a higher ranking uniform," she says, like that will get me to jump up and shout, "I'm in!"

"You do remember the weekend I had right?" I snap to her and she stops organizing my father's pictures long enough to stare at me and reply, "Yes dear. And this will help get your mind off the trauma."

"Online shopping is helping with that," I tell her but she won't let me off the hook that easily. 

"Sawyer Mae, only a handful of people know you missed that trial because you were in the hospital. If you don't stand on top of that parade float this weekend, people are going to think you are hiding from Rory." She says as she points her dainty finger at me. "You need to be fierce and standby what you and Molly did."

"Mother, I don't have the energy to be the face of a movement right now. I'm all over the place emotionally, this shit with Annabeth has me anxiety-riddled. My hormones are making me feel like I could burst into tears at the drop of a hat. I am fine to stay tucked away in here."

She frowns and places her hands on her cardigan-covered hips, "Molly Hamilton is going to be on her float. You're going to leave her alone in all this?" I look to her and she has me there. I can't hang Molly out to dry again. I wasn't with her in that courtroom after I promised I would be.

 My mother takes my silence as an opportunity to guilt trip me some more, "You also had the volunteers up the design on our float and apparently they spent hours creating a cannon that can shoot confetti. You need to be on that float, rising above the crowd showing everyone nothing is going to stop you from being Sawyer Sweeney, Hollis Belle, Ryan Hart's wife and town darling."

"Alright mother, I will go to Darla's with you and ride on the float, but that's it. No two stepping this year, no barn rehearsals, no volunteering me to work an event that day. Got it?" I tell her and this satisfies her... for now. 

************

When we pull up to the costume shop dread washes over me. I remember running into Whitney and Jackson here last year and I wonder if I'll bump into anyone today. 

Mainstreet is always busy the week of Founder's Day. The party planning committee takes the entire week to decorate and pass out event information. People are either renting their costumes or wandering the fabric stores, looking for pieces to make their own.  Volunteers hang red, white and blue ribbons down lamp posts and parking meters, while street sweepers make the parade route litter free. It's hustling today, so I pull the hood of my black sweatshirt over my head and shove massive sunglasses onto my face.