Page 42 of Small Town Sash

"I'm so proud of you. You didn't need that crown to prove how amazing you are," Avery gushed, pulling away. She was grinning wide, and her green eyes sparkled with sincere admiration.

Hadley laughed, feeling warmth spreading through her at her friend's enthusiasm. "Thanks, Avery, that means a lot."

Inside the B&B lobby, Jenesa looked up from the front desk. She gave Hadley an approving nod across the room. "Well done," she called over.

Hadley smiled back, suddenly feeling a little surer of herself.

"I knew you had it in you," Jenesa added before turning her attention back to the check-in book.

"How about some hot chocolate?" Avery suggested, motioning towards the cozy dining area. "I swear I make the best in all of Texas."

Hadley nodded. "I could really use that."

Over hot drinks and freshly baked cookies, the trio talked about everything but pageants, beauty queens, and disappointed mothers. It felt good, normal even, as if Hadley hadn't just turned her whole world upside down.

As the women finished their treats, they heard footsteps approaching the dining area. Braden appeared in the doorway, his face breaking out into a large smile when he saw them.

"Well look who I found," he said teasingly as he walked over to join them. "Three of my favorite ladies."

"Braden, hi," Avery exclaimed, standing up to give him a hug. "Care to join us?"

Braden shrugged nonchalantly. "I have to do some studying. I have a big test tomorrow. It's why I wasn't at the pageant practice today."

"Well, you missed a big one," Jenesa told him with a smile. "Hadley spread her wings and is free from pageants now."

"Is that so?" Braden asked with raised eyebrows. "I guess I need to be filled in on what I missed." He took a seat at the table and looked at Hadley expectantly.

Hadley's stomach twisted nervously at the mention of the pageant. She had hoped to avoid talking about it tonight, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. She took a deep breath before launching into the whole story. She told them about the director's decision, her confrontation with her mom, and her resolution to give up pageants altogether. As she spoke, she could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She needed to be strong and not let anyone see how much this was affecting her.

When she finished, there was a small moment of silence before Braden spoke up. "I'm sorry things didn't go as you hoped, Hadley," he said sincerely. "But I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself."

Hadley's heart swelled at his words. It meant a lot coming from someone like Braden, who always seemed so put together and confident.

"But I know it must be tough to let go of something that meant so much to you," he continued with understanding in his eyes.

His words hit her hard because they were exactly what she was feeling—torn between standing up for herself and holding onto fulfilling her parents’ dream of being Miss Hero Texas.

"Thanks, Braden, but I really need to be going." Hadley climbed to her feet and waved goodbye.

As she walked home, she replayed in her mind, over and over, the gasps of shock as she confronted Mrs. Shomacker and the look of disappointment on her mother's face when she found out what she had done. It was not the highlight reel of a beauty queen's dream, but for Hadley, it was something more valuable. She'd learned she didn't have to live by everyone else's rules.

Hadley felt an odd sense of peace wash over her. The hardest part was over. She could finally start living life on her own terms. She had shown everyone she was more than a pretty face, proving it even to herself. Sure, there would be fallout and disgruntled chatter in town over the next few days, but for now, she basked in her courage. Her mother's words from earlier echoed softly in the back of her mind, but Hadley fought them off, clinging to Candace's comforting words instead. Suddenly, being 'just Hadley' seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world.

Chapter Twelve

Braden slumped onto a barstool at The Rusty Hinge, the dim lighting matching his mood. His fingers tapped an absentminded rhythm on the sticky surface, the remnants of spilled beer beneath his touch. He'd been staring into the same half-empty glass for the better part of an hour, his mind replaying Hadley's face like a movie on loop.

"Hey there, tall, dark, and brooding," came a voice that was decidedly not Hadley's. A young woman with a flirtatious smile slid into the space beside him, her overly floral perfume cutting through the scent of stale peanuts and despair.

"Sorry, not interested," Braden said without looking up.

"Ouch, shot down before I even took off," she teased, undeterred.

"Trust me, it's not you," he muttered, finally glancing her way. "It's...complicated."

"Isn't it always?" she quipped, twirling a strand of her brown hair.

"Right now, it's Hadley-level complicated," Braden confessed, though he wasn't quite sure why he was telling this toa stranger. Maybe it was the way the light hit her eyes, throwing him back to a pair of striking blue ones framed by black lashes.

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