We never truly get over a loss. But we can move forward and evolve from it - Elizabeth Berrien

Hadley stared at herself in the mirror, turning  side to side, watching as the skirt of the dress twirled around her legs.  She was wearing a flowing white sundress that fell to midway between her thighs and her knees.  The back was cut open, criss-crossed with decorative straps.  Her makeup was simple, just enough to highlight her blue eyes and freckles - the way that she had been taught by the woman at the beauty salon who had done her makeover for Tanner's challenge weeks earlier.

She had left her hair in loose waves down her shoulders and paired the entire ensemble with a little handbag and strappy sandals. 

"Stop fretting.  You look perfect."

Hadley glanced to her open bedroom door.  Her mother was leaning against the frame. "Thanks."

"And you look nervous."  Her mom took a few steps into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed next to where Bandit was napping. 

The dog had been running around all morning, frolicking in the surf as Hadley threw balls for him between her training sessions.  Just that morning she had started back up on the regime she had used when training for surf competitions. 

A necessary readjustment to her life because Tanner had challenged her, for letter number twenty-two, to enter into a competition.  As if he had known that she wouldn't have been able to do it without his insistence.  So she was entered for a local event in a few weeks.  It wouldn't be big or flashy and she'd probably get her ass handed to her...But she had registered that morning nonetheless. 

"Ty says that his dad will probably like me but his mom will most definitely hate me."

"Well...Then you do your best to make her like you.  And if she doesn't then that's her problem because Ty is clearly infatuated with you."

Hadley flushed and tried to change the subject.  "Are you sure that you and dad don't want to come?  I know Ty's grandmother invited you."

"Not our kind of crowd.  Beth-Anne and I get along fine but the rest of the crones she hangs out with are just...Something else.  Your father and I are going to visit with Ian's parents.  Zach and Ashley invited us over to watch the game.  We'll be much happier doing that."  She winked.

"If you say so. But I know that you and Mrs. Lewis are just going to spend the entire time gossiping while dad and Mr. Lewis talk football."

"That's what makes it work so well!"  Her mother laughed, the sound bright and twinkling, and then sobered for a moment.  "You'll let us know if you start feeling sick?"

Hadley rolled her eyes.  "I promise.  But I'm good now.  That bug has passed."

She hoped. 

It had been a day and a half since she'd gotten past her pit of despair.  She had gone to work at the aquarium for her scheduled shift the day before and was planning on going in again tomorrow.  And while she was still slightly pale, she felt much better than she had before.  Her thoughts had cleared again, the dark shadows leaving nothing but cobwebs for her to brush away.

"Good.  You'll have to let us know the name of the food truck that you and Ty went to so that we make sure to stay clear of it.  I don't want anyone else in this family getting sick like you did.  Hell, maybe the entire thing needs to be inspected!"

Hadley's phone buzzed.  "Ty is here to pick me up," she said, cutting her mother off mid-rant.  "I should go."

"Have fun! Call us if you need something!"

"I will but I won't!" Hadley called over her shoulder as she passed her mother.  "I'll see you later!"  She paused briefly in the kitchen to say goodbye to her dad before heading for the door.

Ty was waiting for her outside, leaning against the front of his truck.  He had combed his hair for the occasion - though there was still a portion of it that refused to flatten towards the back of his head - and he was wearing a pair of black slacks and a grey button-down shirt that matched his eyes.  He'd rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. 

"You look beautiful," he said as she reached his side.  He opened the door to the cab for her, pausing long enough to kiss her gently before letting her climb in.  As the door shut, he walked around the front of the truck to the driver's side, waving at her parents who had migrated towards the front deck. 

"Thanks," she replied with a blush as he hopped in and started the engine.  "You look pretty dapper yourself."

Ty held her hand as he drove, his thumb tracing idly over her knuckles.  The party was being held at a golf course in Wilmington, about ten minutes away from Wrightsville Beach, so he had time to tell her of how crazy his family had been acting for the past few days to get it ready.   His mother had been driving everyone nuts, his father had taken to hiding out full-time with Ty's grandfather in the garage, and Penn was spending as little time at home as he could.  The only one who could stomach being in the same room as her was her mother-in-law - Ty's paternal grandmother - but on more than one occasion, Ty had watched his grandmother roll her eyes and mutter under her breath.

"What you're telling me is that this is going to be a miserable affair?" Hadley asked.

He grinned as they turned onto a long stretch of dirt road.  "Probably.  I hope you're not regretting the fact that you offered to come."

"Not yet."

"You will." But the sparkle in his eyes told her that he was kidding.

They pulled up to the Cape Fear Country Club shortly after.  Cars lined the lot and people were walking up the steps towards the front door, most of them dressed wonderfully.  Ty pulled the truck to a stop and then glanced at her as he cut the engine.

"You ready for this?"

She shook her head.  "Nope."

He laughed.  "Good.  Let's go."

Ty jumped out and met her at the front of the truck.  He didn't hesitate in taking her hand and leading her up the steps.  They walked into a large open foyer.  People who worked at the Club were bustling by, carrying trays of food or glasses of wine.  Hadley just narrowly missed being knocked over by one of them who shot her a wide-eyed look of apology before continuing on.

The majority of the party-goers headed for the back exterior of the club.  Beyond were long fields of green - the golf course that the club backed onto.  It seemed to go on forever.  Parts of it were spotted with people out on the greens and then, closer to the clubhouse, there were larger congregations.  People dressed in their finery, eating little finger sandwiches and holding glasses that shimmered in the sun. 

Even early at the start of the party, it was impossible to count how many people had arrived.  It seemed as if Ty's mom had invited everyone in town - except Hadley only recognized about half of the faces.  She didn't know where the rest of them had come from.

Hadley leaned against the white-painted balcony railing.  Ty slipped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him slightly, relishing the warmth of his body against hers.

"Where are your parents?" Hadley asked.  "And your brother?"

"They're here somewhere.  Penn was complaining about the suit they were forcing him into earlier so he's probably off hiding or sneaking snacks.  My dad will be by the bar talking and constantly refilling his scotch glass.  She will be in the middle of all of the gossip so look for the cattiest group of women and you'll see her."

"So what you're saying is to stay away from those areas."

"Exactly.  I'm going to go get us some drinks.  What do you want?"

"Just a water.  Thank you." 

Ty winked, paused to press a kiss to her cheek, and then ducked away back into the busy crowd inside.  Hadley stayed where she was, enjoying the breeze blowing softly across her face.  People chattered around her constantly but she tuned them all out, listening only to the sounds of the leaves rustling in the trees and the birds chirping in the distance.

Until, at least, someone called her name.  "Hadley?"

Hadley's head whipped to the side.  She blinked.  "Adam?"

Sure enough, in front of her straight out of the Good Mourning Group, was Adam.  He was dressed in a white buttoned down shirt and black slacks and there was an empty tray of wineglasses balanced in his hand. 

"Hey! How's it going?  I didn't know you were going to be here."  For a moment he looked as if he were about to give her a hug and then he settled for a fist bump instead.

Hadley nodded.  "I came with my boyfriend.  You're working here?"

"Yup."  A sharp dip to his jaw.  "Braden's working the event too.  My aunt is a chef here and they needed a few extra servers for the night.  We figured it was an easy way to make a couple of bucks."

"Cool." 

"You coming to the group tomorrow?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes," she affirmed.  "It's, uh, been a rough week.  Hopefully Phil isn't an ass."

Adam laughed.  "He's always an ass.  Whatever.  I'm starting to think that's part of his whole game plan.  Unite us by having us hate him."

Hadley chuckled along with him.  "You might be right."

"I should get back to work but it was nice seeing you.  Next time I load up a tray of food I'll make sure to find you first before the grabbers take them all."

"Grabbers?"

He nodded solemnly, face grave.  "The ones who reach for a piece of shrimp and then tell me that they should only have one because they're trying to lose weight...And then they keep taking my shrimp until I'm out.  And then I have to walk back to the kitchen to refill my tray because one guy can't keep his fingers away from the crustaceans."

"Oh."  She hadn't realized that serving food was that complex.  "Well...Good luck with that.  Tell Braden I say 'hi' if you see him before I do."

"Sure.  See you later, Hadley."

"Bye."

Hadley watched him go and then turned back look out at the greens below.  She was watching one man sink a put at the eighteenth hole, the closest to the clubhouse, when an older woman with white-blonde hair and dressed in a midnight blue dress dotted with flowers came to rest against the railing near her.

"So," the woman said, "is it what you expected, Hadley?"

Her head snapped around at the sound of her name.  "Excuse me?"

The woman turned and Hadley realized who she was speaking with.  Beth-Anne McAlister.  Ty's grandmother.  Hadley had seen her around town for years but had never had a real conversation with her.  She knew that her mother had spoken with her on several occasions but her own memories of Beth-Anne and her husband, Frank, were vague. 

She supposed that she should have been surprised at being addressed so comfortably.  Beth-Anne's voice was friendly, almost as if she were talking to an old friend.  It didn't surprise her that Beth-Anne recognized her.  It was a small town.  Everybody knew each other.  But Hadley was surprised at the fact that the other woman came to speak with her without Ty being present.

Beth-Anne gestured to the building and the greens beyond.  "The club.  This whole stupid party my daughter-in-law had me throw.  Is it what you expected?"

"Honestly...I had very small expectations coming into today.  Ty wasn't very enthused about it."

"Really?  He was hiding it so well," she said dryly and with a roll of her eyes.  Clearly, Ty's misgivings about this event hadn't even been hidden from his own family.  Beth-Anne added, "He talks about you all the time."

Hadley flushed, felt the blood rise into her cheeks.  "Oh?"

"You're all he cares about this summer aside from his brother.  You've grown on him very quickly which is an impressive feat, let me tell you.  Ty...He isn't like Penn.  He usually takes awhile to open up to people.  To feel comfortable around others.  He likes his space.  I think he worries about being an imposition on people he doesn't know very well.  But you...He's attached himself quite firmly to you in a very short amount of time."

This did not sound like the Ty that Hadley had come to know.  He seemed quite comfortable around everyone he met.  Hadley had never gotten the sense that he was trying to prevent from being an imposition.  In fact, she had gotten the opposite sense.  Like he was fine just jumping in and being a part of whatever it was that was going. 

"That doesn't sound like the Ty I know," she admitted to Beth-Anne. 

"Hmm," the older woman hummed. "You put him at ease, sweetie.  He can be himself around you.  It's marvelous to watch.  He's grown into a man this summer.  Before he was just an idiot."

The last part was so matter-of-fact that Hadley burst out laughing.  That's what she was doing when Ty came back a moment later, carrying a water, a beer, and a glass of red wine.

"What have you been saying about me, grandma?" he asked as he handed Hadley her water.  He kept the beer for himself but handed the wine off to Beth-Anne.  "I saw you from the bar and realized you didn't have any alcohol in your hand.  I figured you might need something to help you get through this damned thing."

"An idiot," Beth-Anne stage whispered to Hadley as she indicated her wine glass, "but he does have his uses."

"What was that?" Ty said. 

"Nothing, nothing.  Thank you for the wine." She winked at Hadley as she pressed the rim of the glass to her lips.

It was all Hadley could do to keep from laughing. 

Penn found them shortly after, towing an older man who Hadley knew to be Frank McAlister, Ty's grandfather and Beth-Anne's husband.  They were in deep conversation about motor engines and all of it was so technical that she and Beth-Anne began their own conversation while the boys talked.  The older woman pointed out some of the people from the country club but did so without using anyone's names.  Instead, Hadley got the real information.

"You see that woman there in the purple?  Her husband has the worst smelling breath of any person I've ever met." 

Or,  "The man with the paunchy stomach won the lottery three times.  He's a multimillionaire because he knows how to pick some damned numbers.  If only my husband knew how to do that."

And Hadley's personal favourite, "You see that blonde woman with the scrunched up nose who is smiling way too big and trying to pretend that she's not an insufferable bitch?  That's my daughter-in-law."

It was official.  Beth-Anne was Hadley's favourite person at the entire party.

Though Ty had been adamant that the night would be terrible, Hadley had to admit that it actually wasn't that bad.  She enjoyed spending the time with him.  His grandmother was a hoot and she could have spent hours talking to Frank who - Hadley learned  - had given Ty his truck.  They had fixed it up together every time that Ty had visited with them as a child.  At sixteen, the truck had been a gift.  Now, whenever something in it broke, Ty taught Penn how to fix it.  Just as he had been taught.

After about two hours of standing about, dinner was served. Chicken in a cream sauce, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and salad with homemade croutons.  Penn kept their table laughing the entire meal to the point that her sides actually ached from it.  Ty alternated trading jokes with his brother and whispering in her ear.  The entire time they ate, he kept one hand on her knee. 

When the meal ended, Ty spun her towards the dance floor.  He held her tightly, even through the faster songs.  They didn't speak.  There was no need to.  It was enough for her to hold him tightly and wish that all days could be spent like that. 

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said after a moment as she broke away from him.  "Just need to hit the restroom."

"I'll wait for you back at our table."

"Okay."

He squeezed her hand before letting go and pushing his way through the people.  Hadley went in the opposite direction towards where the ladies' room was.  It was empty when she entered it but as she finished up in one of the stalls, the door reopened and a high-pitched voice, accompanied by the clacking of multiple pairs of heels on the floor, cut through towards her.

"—Can't believe he brought her here. I explicitly told him not to."

"Have you spoken to her?" a second voice said, a little bit lower than the first.

"I don't need to. Her reputation preceeds her. I mean, the girl is a wreck. You should hear the stories that they tell about her, Maddy."

A sinking feeling in Hadley's chest. She peered through the cracks in the stall, saw a tall slim blonde woman. The same woman Beth-Anne had pointed out earlier in the night. This was the woman who had raised Ty.

A dramatic sigh coming from the other woman — a brunette with a slight Boston accent. "C'mon, Darcy."

"No, you don't understand. The girl...She's going nowhere, Mads. Everyone sees it. Besides, it's only a matter of time before she loses it like her brother. That's what some of the ladies at the club have been saying. He was the good one, apparently. Everyone was so surprised when he offed himself."

A pause before Darcy continued, "She and that son of mine are going to make my family a laughing stock. Rebecca says so as well. They've been all her Thursday night social group can talk about. Apparently the two of them keep disappearing together. I've caught Ty sneaking out of the house late at night going off to see her. It's only a matter of time before he gets her pregnant and then she'll be my problem forever."

Maddy hummed. "Well...Summer is only, what? Another four weeks? After that they'll go their separate ways. It's just a fling. Don't worry about it."

"Three," Darcy corrected. "He moves to San Diego the last week of August."

Another type of chill shot through Hadley's veins. Three weeks. Was that all the time she had left with Ty? Three weeks and then...Nothing? Summer fling, Maddy had said. Is that truly what she and Ty were? It didn't feel that way to her but was that what he thought they were?

This was seriously not the type of question that was going to be answered while hiding in a toilet stall.

"Then you only have to deal with the situation for another few weeks and then she's gone and it's over. Don't stress, Darce. You'll get wrinkles."

A deep breath. "You're right."

"Of course I am. Now come on. We should get back before either of our husbands notice our absence."

"They won't. The last time I saw them they were each being poured a new scotch."

Maddy chuckled and murmured something indistinct. After a moment Hadley heard their heels click away and the door to the restroom open and close.

For a minute, all Hadley could do was breathe steadily. And then she silently crept from the stall. In a daze she splashed some water on her face and stared at herself in the mirrior. There were so many emotions clawing their way out of her chest. She didn't even know how to begin processing what it was that she was feeling.

One thing she did know, Ty and Beth-Anne hadn't been exaggeratting. Darcy McAlister was, quite simply put, a bitch. The question remained...Was there merit to anything that she'd said?

Thoughts swirlled around her head as she left the restroom. Were she and Ty doomed to end in three weeks' time? Did people in town really see her as such a wreck or was that something that Darcy misconstrued? Was everyone speaking about her time with Ty? Were they just waiting for her to get pregnant like Darcy had said?

When she appeared back into the party, the abundance of people only made her feel overwhelmed. She strayed to the doorway, watching Darcy and Maddy disappear into the crowd.

"Hadley!"

Unconsciously, she turned to the sound of her name. Adam and Braden were standing before her in the foyer. They'd changed out of their serving attire and back into street clothes. It seemed that their shift for the night was over.

"Oh. Hey."

"You okay?" Adam asked with a raise of his brow. "You look a little shaky."

"I'm okay."

Was she?

There must have been something written on her face because for just a moment they paused and shared a quick look.

Then Braden stepped forward. "Hey, Hadley...Do you wanna come to The Waffle House with us?"

How many times had she been asked that question? How many Sunday mornings had she turned them down? Enough times for them to give up and stop asking, surely. Enough times that they should have been able to assume that her answer wasn't going to change any time soon. Yet still they continued to ask.

And here they were, asking again.

Hadley looked at them and she didn't know what it was but... maybe it was time that her answer changed.

"Yes," she said and her voice was steadier than she expected. "Yes, I would."

"Okay," Braden replied. "Meet us outside when you're ready."

"'Kay."

Before she could reconsider, Hadley walked back into the reception hall. Ty was where he said he'd be, waiting at their table. But he was in the middle of a conversation with his brother and dad and, as she watched, Darcy came up to join their group. Ty stiffened for a moment when she appeared by that easy smile didn't leave his face and Hadley...She just couldn't go over there. Not after what she'd heard.

"Are you alright, dear?"

Hadley turned her head to the side and nodded slowly to Beth-Anne who had crept up silently to her. "Yes" she said slowly, the word catching in her throat. "I'm fine."

Clearly, Beth-Anne wasn't convinced. She frowned. "It was that witch wasn't it? If you need to leave...I understand. She's a nasty woman. I told my son that many times but he never listened. Thankfully her son didn't inherited her awful personality."

Hadley didn't miss the singular tense. Beth-Anne clearly knew that Ty wasn't really Darcy's son. Whether Frank knew as well, Hadley wasn't sure but...Beth-Anne knew.

"I can tell Ty that you had to leave," Ty's grandmother continued. "I'm sure he'll just leave to find you once he realizes that you've gone. Where should I tell him to go?"

"Just..." Hadley's thoughts were a jumbled, unclear mess. "Can you tell him to call me?"

Beth-Anne placed a hand on Hadley's arm. "I can do that."

"Thank you."

"For what it's worth, you're a very lovely girl Hadley. What your brother did...It was truly unfortunate but it does not reflect on you. No good people in this town thinks that. I certainly don't. That wretched woman doesn't see you for what you are. Or for what Ty is."

Hadley stared at her blankly.

So Beth-Anne gripped Hadley's hands tightly and said strongly, "Fighters."

Tears brimmed at the edge of Hadley's eyes. She had to swallow several times. "I— Thank you, Beth-Anne."

"Anytime, dear. I'll tell Ty to call you."

And at that, Hadley turned on her heel, left the building, and departed into the night.