Falling For Hadley

Chapter 23

HADLEY'S POV

"You look gorgeous Hadley," Jack compliments me as he squeezes me into a hug. I pull away from his hug and lock my arms with Bentley and Oliver. The two of them puff up their chests proudly and Jack walks in front of me. 

"You guys are like my bodyguards," I laugh at their goofy protection skills and they all look at me seriously.

"That's because we are," Bentley says in all seriousness. The smile fades from my face as we continue to walk. It was time to be strong. I can't cry tonight. Even if I see him. I have to be a glacier. Unbreakable, strong, cold, unwavering glacier. 

"You look gorgeous," Trent's voice reaches me from behind and I laugh.

"I knew the night couldn't go without a dose of stupidity from this town's player," I turn as I speak, standing tall like a queen.

"Harsh. I said I was sorry," he reaches his hand out and takes mine, bringing it to his lips. I smirk at his attempt to be charming but he still continues to try to schmooze me.

"Sorry doesn't make up for the past and it doesn't fix or change anything," I say looking down at him. His eyes shimmered mischievously and it reminded me of Dylan. I missed him. It felt as if a part of me was missing from my body. Like I lost half of my heart.

"Can I at least be your escort tonight?" he asks shyly and I shake my head no.

"I already have three bodyguards but thank you for the offer," I politely decline and he slumps. I link my arms with Bentley and Oliver again and we presume our walk towards the front doors. It was time for my last stand. And my last chance to try and shake Dylan from his cold world.

"Hadley, you look like a queen. And tonight, I think you're going to work the place like you are," Bentley whispers in my ear and I kiss him on the cheek. 

"Thank you," I squeeze his arm gratefully and we make it to the doors. I take a deep breath and then the doors are open and everybody is staring.  People's mouths were wide open as I walked by and I didn't know what to think. 

"I think they're jealous," Oliver whispers and I laugh. And then everybody was smiling as I walked towards the mural. I touch my flower band as we glided across the floor, I felt self-conscious about what I was wearing. I had never worn something so fancy before. Once we make it over to the mural, I glance up at the image of the turtle and the coral reef that I had painted and somebody taps me on the shoulder. 

"Did you paint this young lady?" an older woman was suddenly standing in front of me a congenial smile and a wine glass in her hand. 

"Yes. Do you like it?" I ask kindly and she nods grandly.

"Oh yes. It's gorgeous. It almost captures the true beauty of the sea," she says sweetly and I shake my head humbly.

"I could never even come close. Are you an aquaphile?" I ask, intrigued by her opinion.

"Of course! I used to work here! And I surfed every single day that there wasn't a storm in the sky," she responds with a look in her eyes like she had a lifetime of stories to tell. And I knew she did. She was already very interesting.

"I was an intern here. And I painted this to try and stop them from turning this place into a casino," I explain as more people begin to gather around us.

"I figured so. It's a true tragedy that they feel the need to turn this place into something it was never intended to be," the elderly woman shakes her head depressed by the future of this place and I nod my head agreeing.

"What was your inspiration for the picture?" another woman asks and I smile.

"Well, I was an intern here and my favorite thing to do was take care of the turtles. I always fed them and nursed them. I sometimes got to help with surgery and bandaging any injured ones. But I loved to return them. You can see the gratitude in them when they get to go home. It feels great to have saved a life and given them another chance to thrive. I was here training to be a Marine Biologist and I still plan on doing that," I explain and everyone around me smiles.

"Why Marine Biology?" a man asks from the back and I laugh.

"It's a funny story. So I have three older brothers. They're actually over there. And one day when I was twelve, they had picked on me so much that I had run down to the beach to be alone for a while. And while I was sitting there, I heard something making noises. Of course, being a curious twelve-year-old at the time, I walk around until I find the source of the noise. And when I do, I burst into tears. It was a young Hawksbill Turtle who had a big chunk of fishing net wrapped all around its body. I was so upset and crushed that this kind of thing happened. So I ran back up to my house and told my parents and they called the Center. And when they got there to pick up the turtle, they let me ride along and I got to feed the turtle when it was all bandaged up. I have loved the career and act of taking care of the animals ever since that day," I explain, the memories of the day flashing through my head. Everybody around me suddenly softens and I could tell that I was really getting through to them. 

"Did you paint this?" a younger woman asks and I nod in response, a smile spilling across my face. And that's when the elderly woman gently taps my arm.

"That young man is staring at you from over there," she whispers and I look up, freezing as soon as I see who it is. 

"Dylan," his name rolls off my lips with a sweet aftertaste left behind. He looked absolutely amazing in his black and white suit with an ocean blue tie. I could feel his intense blue eyes burning into me from across the room. I watched as his parents approached him and I could hear him shouting as soon as they walked over. I watch for a minute longer and then I finally let go. I let go of all the pain and all the love. I release it all into the wind of the world where someone just might be able to catch it.

And as soon as I look up again, I see it happening. The ribbon is up, and Dylan is holding the scissors.