Page 3 of Caden's Situationship

I laughed. “No it isn’t. And I wasn’t tryin’ to listen.”

“You were,” she said. “You slowed your stride when you neared me and then you stood there for several seconds listening to my very private conversation.”

Is she serious?“If it was private, why were you having it outside in the parking lot?”

Her eyes widened. “Because it was a call I couldn’t ignore, so I had to answer. However, you are missing the point. You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on information that isn’t yours to hear.”

“You were talking pretty damn loud,” I stated.

She gasped. “How dare you curse around a lady!”

“Wait, what?” I pinched the bridge of my nose because yeah, she was right. I never usually cursed around a woman. “Ma’am, I apologize. It’s just been a long day.”

“Long day or not, I’m sure your mother raised you better than that.” She stomped toward me and it took all my energy not to laugh because princess was wearing a lot of material. There were so many ruffles on her bright pink dress, I didn’t understand how she could walk without tripping.

My eyes ventured to the large white and pink straw hat on her head and the peek of shoes that also seemed to have ruffles on them.Since when do shoes have ruffles?

“I know who you are,” she said. “My cousin, Abigail, told me all about what happened in the barn and how you led her on only to reject her after you kissed.”

“Kissed?” I shook my head. “Ma’am, I think you’re mistaken. I barely know your cousin, let alone kissed her. She came onto me, and I kindly told her I wasn’t interested. We cleared up our misunderstanding, so all is well.”

“All is not well,” she huffed. “How dare you come to this event and lead my cousin on?” She looked me up and down. “And then to come in a plain white T-shirt at that. Do you have any proper training?”

“Training? I’m not a damn dog.” In the back of my mind, I knew my voice was getting higher than I intended it to get, but this woman was working my nerves. Even more than her cousin, Abigail, had.

“And the greasy cowboy says yet another expletive.”

“Greasy! Who you callin’ greasy?” I barely recognized my own voice as I bantered with the patronizing princess. Call me crazy for even entertaining her, but I was offended. I kept myself well-groomed, and granted, I probably needed to shave, but who the hell was she? “What is it with you Dallas folks?” I exclaimed, ready to get the hell outta Texas.

“This isn’t Dallas,” she snapped. “We’re outside of Dallas in a town too rich for your blood, I’m sure.”

Well, damn. “Tell me how you really feel.”

“Why do black men say that?” She raised her hands in the air. “I just told you how I felt.”

“That’s not a black man thing,” I told her. “It’s a popular phrase.”

“That black men say most of all,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest in a way that made some of her ruffles block half her face. Thank God for that because it meant whatever she mumbled next was incoherent due to the ruffles.

“You know, since you approached me, you’ve been nothing but rude,” I told her.

“Says the innate man dressed in a white tee, plain jeans, and cowboy hat like he’s at a country barn dance instead of a prestigious charity event.”

And on that note …“Well, I think this is the time we part ways, darlin’.”

"You'll address me as ma'am as you did before," she quirked. "Addressing me the correct way is the only part of this unfortunate meeting that you've done right."

I didn’t even waste my breath on that last comment, and luckily, I saw Houston return, so I tipped my hat to the annoying ray of southern sunshine and met him at my truck.

“Who’s that?” Houston asked, nodding behind me.

I glanced back over my shoulder to see her still fuming and tapping an impatient toe on the ground. “A southern hurricane just like her cousin who I met earlier.”

“Wait, she’s related to that woman who lured you to the barn?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you do to her?”

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