"So," Candace began as they cleaned up for the night. "Tell me about your mom. Is she finally getting on board with your new path?"
Hadley hesitated, fiddling with her wine glass. "She...she says she'll do her best to support me, but I can tell she's disappointed I'm leaving the pageant world."
"I see," Candace murmured, looking thoughtful. "Parents can be tough, but remember, this is your life."
"Yeah," Hadley said, sighing softly. "I just want her to be proud of me for something other than my looks."
"And she will be," Candace replied, reaching out to give her hand a comforting squeeze. "You've got talent, Hadley. No one can deny that."
Hadley smiled at this, looking at Candace through grateful eyes. For the first time since choosing her new path, she felt confident about her choices. Candace was proving to be just the support system she needed. With the perfect partner in crime—or better put, 'in design'—by her side, Hadley was certain she could finally make something of herself that didn't depend on her looks.
"I have one more request of you," Candace told her as they locked up the dress shop. "I want you to give Braden a real chance. My boyfriend is a great judge of character, and Charlie says Braden's an exceptional guy—the kind any woman would be lucky to have."
Hadley's heart pounded loudly in her chest at the mention of Braden. She hadn't expected Candace to bring him up, but looking at her friend, she could see the earnestness in her gaze.
"Braden is a great guy..." she began, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yes, he is," Candace replied firmly. "The guy who has been head over heels for you since the moment he laid eyes on you."
Hadley groaned, dropping her eyes to the ground. "It's not that simple, Candace," she mumbled. "I agreed to go out with him tonight, but even if it goes well, he's leaving soon."
"I never said it was simple," her friend frowned, patting Hadley's arm reassuringly. "The best things rarely are," she began, "and love...love is a tricky beast. It's messy and painful and frustrating beyond measure sometimes. But when it's right—when it's really right—it's worth every bit of mess and pain."
Against her will, Hadley felt a small flicker of hope ignite within her at Candace's words. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps she needed to stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong and just lean into the 'what if' things worked out for them.
"Okay, when we go out tonight, I'll give him a real chance," Hadley finally agreed, her heart skipping a beat at the thought.
Candace smiled triumphantly, linking arms with Hadley as they began to walk off. "That's all I'm asking. Why don't we head to my place and pick out the perfect outfit for your first date?"
Hadley nodded. "I'd like that."
Chapter Sixteen
As the nerves in the pit of his stomach tightened, Braden checked his watch for the third time in as many minutes, the second hand ticking away his composure. He paced the length of his freshly washed pickup truck, the reflection of the setting sun gleaming off the cherry red paint. His heart drummed a nervous beat against his ribcage.
"Come on, Harding," he muttered to himself, "it's just dinner. Not a search and rescue mission. She already likes you, or she wouldn't have said yes to the date."
Even with the pep talk, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was out of his league. Hadley was the entire package, and he was just a sergeant in the Air Force. He glanced down at his outfit, wanting to make sure that the black slacks and blue button-up were wrinkle free and ready to give great first date vibes.
He glanced up at Hadley's house, the porch light glowing like a beacon. Any moment now, she'd step out, and…the front door creaked open, and there she was. Black hair cascading over her shoulders, blue eyes catching the last rays of daylight, her peach skin illuminated by the soft porch light. She wasn't wearing acrown or sash, but she didn't need them. Her presence alone commanded attention in her simple lavender dress.
"Hi there," Braden blurted out, a little too loudly, as he caught sight of her curvy frame descending the steps.
Hadley smiled, a genuine warmth spreading across her face. "Hi yourself, Sergeant."
"Wow, you look...I mean...wow." He hated his lack of eloquence and chastised himself under his breath.
"Good wow or bad wow?" Hadley teased, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Best kind of wow," he assured her, opening the passenger door with a flourish. "Your chariot awaits, m'lady."
"Charming and chivalrous," she said, climbing into the truck with a laugh. "I might just have to keep you."
"Duly noted," he grinned, closing the door gently behind her as he resisted the urge to reach out and kiss her. The beginning of their first date was entirely the wrong time, and he knew it. If everything went right, he hoped there would be an opportunity to do so later, though.
Braden pressed his lips together in frustration as he rounded his truck to the driver's seat, the nerves barely manageable at this point. The weight of this being their first official date pressed down on him like a heavy rucksack. He wanted to be more than the average guy she was used to dating; he wanted to be memorable.
There was a brief, awkward moment when he couldn't get his key in the ignition. Their eyes met, and a blush crept up his neck. "Air Force trained, and I can't find a keyhole," he joked.