Page 48 of Small Town Sash

"Mom?" Hadley blinked, surprise etching her features. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking on my star," her mother said, her icy blue eyes scanning the jovial scene before settling on Hadley with an intensity that could rival stage lights. "And what, may I ask, is all this?"

"My friends." Hadley gestured to the group. "We're celebrating."

"Really?" Her mother's perfectly arched brow lifted. "And what's the occasion?"

"I got a job offer," Hadley replied, her voice a mixture of pride and defiance. "From Candace. At the dress shop. And I accepted."

"Is that so?" Her mother's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, darling, I have news, too. Bigger news."

"News?" Hadley tensed, the word feeling like the prelude to a storm.

"Miss Panhandle, sweetheart. I was able to work my magic and get you a spot, but we need to leave for upper Texas right away," her mother announced as if she were revealing a winning lottery ticket.

"Wait, what?" Hadley's pulse quickened.

"I already packed your things. We leave now," her mother insisted as she reached out to grab her arm.

Hadley yanked her arm away. "No, Mom. I'm not going."

Her mother's eyes narrowed into slits. "What did you just say to me?" she hissed.

"I said no." Hadley's blue eyes mirrored the steely resolve in her voice.

A collective gasp echoed around the table. The world seemed to pause mid-spin, waiting with bated breath for the explosion that was sure to follow.

"You're turning down the pageant?" Her mom's voice was incredulous as if Hadley had just turned down a meeting with royalty.

"Yes, I am," Hadley affirmed with a nod.

"But why? You could be Miss Panhandle," her mother's voice held a note of hysteria. "What's gotten into you?"

"Because..." Hadley started, then took a deep breath. "Maybe I want more than sequins and tiaras in my life."

The room fell silent once again, every eye on Hadley, who stood tall in her seat despite her trembling hands.

"And what could be more fulfilling than being a beauty queen?" her mother spat out, shocked.

"This," Hadley gestured around the table at her friends, their wide-eyed expressions moving between the two women. "Friendship. Real-life experiences. And a job offer that doesn't require me to wear a bathing suit in front of judgmental people."

Her mother stared at her, jaw working soundlessly. "Hadley Monica Wilder," her mother finally spluttered, waving a manicured hand in exasperation as her cheeks flamed red in indignation. "You want to throw away your dreams for these...these...common pursuits?"

A silence blanketed the room again, weighty and charged.

"Actually, Mom," Hadley said, her voice firm. "These are my dreams."

Her mother's face fell. "You're serious about this?"

"As a heart attack," Hadley retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine, have it your way. But when this all goes terribly wrong, you'll only have yourself to blame," her mother warned before stalking off with an elegant swirl of her designer coat.

"Wow," Avery broke the silence, blinking owlishly at the exit of Hadley's mother. "That was...intense."

"Well, that's one way to drop a bombshell," Jenesa muttered with a shrug.

It may have been chaotic and far from what her mother considered "ideal," but this was where Hadley felt she truly belonged—amidst good friends who were more like family. They were crazy and imperfect, but they were real, and to Hadley, that was more than enough.

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