Those That Came Before

In Plain Sight

Hadley sat at the kitchen table with a full piece of pepperoni pizza in front of her. A glass of sweet white wine in hand. Her third one. Blair was going on about something she saw that she wanted to buy for the house. Kolby was standing at the island, surveying the room. Brantley was grabbing another slice of pizza. Mama Becky listening intently at what Blair was trying to describe as some piece of furniture that was a must have. 

Becky and Kolby showed up for the casual dinner, right at the time that Hadley was about to pack up and head back to Tennessee. She knew she couldn't get away with leaving, at least not until everyone left or had gone to sleep. 

Brantley sat down beside her, pulling his chair in closer to the table. "Do you see what I have to put up with?" He asked, half joking, half showing her what she left him with after she refused to let him call off the wedding. He took a ginormous bite of his pizza as Hadley watched the grease drip down. She needed to figure out what she was going to do with this new found information. She couldn't just blurt it out. And she was hoping that Blair would tell Brantley all on her own. But there was no sign of that any time soon. 

Then it hit her. She knew what she was going to do. Hadley took a smaller bite of her slice, pulling off some extra pepperoni to munch on. Her favorite part. By the end of the year, she was either going to have lost her best friend. Or it was going to be the best thing that happened to all of them. Either way, the truth was going to come out. All of it. 

"So, who is up for going out tonight?" Kolby asked, still standing alone in the kitchen. 

"oh, me!" Blair didn't hesitate one bit. Brantley rolled his green eyes. Mama Becky noticed, placing a gentle hand on his. It was better than the ear tug Hadley was sure she wanted to give him for putting up with Blair. 

"What do you say, Hads. You want to go?" Kolby walked in to the dining room, placing his hands on the back of Blair's chair. 

Are these people blind? Why is she the only one who can see what was going on. Maybe because it was fresh in her mind. Or maybe because she was more than annoyed at this point in time. Either way, she wasn't letting the two of them go out and get away with it. 

"I'm in." 

Brantley nearly choked on the crust of his pizza. Hadley glanced at him. "What?" 

"Miss I'm too old for that crap is going out?" He chuckled, poking fun. 

"There's a lot that might surprise you." Hadley challenged. 

Blair's eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed as she abruptly stood up, trying to distract from what she thought Hadley had meant by her response. She went to the fridge and grabbed a water, opening it to take a quick sip. Kolby watched in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. 

"Well, this ol' girl is going to head home and let you youngins' go paint the town." Becky pushed her chair back, grabbing her purse that was slung over the arm rest. She gave Kolby and Blair each a hug, warning Kolby to be a good boy. She then gave Hadley a squeeze. 

As she landed on Brantley, she pulled him in closer. "Pay attention to what you've been missing." Becky whispered in his ear. She gave him a wink and waved goodnight once more before heading out the front door. 

Brantley put his plate in the farmhouse style copper sink, turning back around to lean against it. He watched as Blair excitedly grabbed Hadley's arm and brought her upstairs to give her an appropriate (by Blair's standards) outfit for going out. He knew what his mama meant. But why did she have to be right all the time.