Caden's #Situationship, page 5
He unlocked the door, revealing a very large studio-style loft with country chic décor that I hadn’t expected to see from him.
“There’s a kitchenette and bathroom with a shower as well, but if you want to take a bath, you’ll have to do so in the main house. And before you ask, my sisters-in-law decorated the place,” he supplied. “If it were up to me, this loft would just have a bed and maybe one of Malakai’s paintings on the wall.”
I snapped my fingers when I remembered the artwork Caden used to show me. “Is Malakai still doing a lot of painting?”
Caden smiled as he placed my bags near the couch. “He has several studios where his work is displayed and he’s working with more celebrities and entertainers than I can count.”
“That’s amazing. I used to love it when he’d email you a pic of a new piece he was working on. Goodness, I miss those college days.” I told myself to ease onto the sofa, but I plopped down ungracefully, more tired than I realized.
“Shit was easy back then, wasn’t it?” He sat down beside me, close but not too close. “Do you still write like you used to?”
Write? The word was more foreign than it should have been. “I’m trying to re-work this Southern Belle Handbook, but I’m kind of stuck.”
“Typical Cordelia,” he chuckled. “Can’t imagine how you could get stuck on a topic that you live and breathe.”
“I thought the same thing, but it’s giving me the blues. When you saw me in the parking lot, I’d been getting rejected by a small publisher. My mother would rather I just drop the entire handbook idea all together anyway.” I brushed some of my fallen hair from my eyes, wondering why Caden’s line of vision was so focused on my hand.
“So how long do I have to wait before you tell me when the wedding is?” he asked, as if he’d read my mind.
My eyes flew to the massive diamond on my hand. I’d forgotten I was even wearing a ring. “Oh no, I’m not officially engaged.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Unofficially then?”
“It’s complicated,” I told him, laughing awkwardly. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why I’d laughed at all because my situation wasn’t funny. But he was making me nervous and the only thing worse than an angry Cordelia was a nervous one.
“Are you’re already married then?”
“No,” I stated, shaking my head. “I was engaged a few years ago and it didn’t work out. This ring used to be my aunts and she was one of the few people who really understood me in my family. She passed a couple years ago and left it for me in her will. I wear it every day.”
Reaching out, he lightly touched my hand. “If you aren’t married or engaged, why do you wear it on your ring finger?”
I took a deep breath, the explanation too complicated of a conversation for the moment. We hadn’t even known each other for a full year back when we went to the same university, yet we’d gotten close so fast. Conversations heavier than they should have been between an eighteen and twenty year old. I never could explain why we seemed to connect so well together. Why a friendship between a man like Caden had been as effortless as breathing.
Even so, I waved off his question by telling him, “Well that story doesn’t amount to a hill of beans, so let’s save it for another time.”
His eyes squinted briefly before he let out a boastful laugh. “Damn, I forgot how funny your Cordelia-isms could be sometimes.”
“Don’t make fun of me.” I playfully swatted at his arm. “What about the fact that you call every woman darling all the time? Is that not odd? I thought you would have grown out of that.”
“Sorry, darlin,’ didn’t mean to make you madder than a wet hen.” His voice was high and girly like he was pretending to be me, so I popped him harder that time.
“I said, don’t make fun of me, Caden. I’m not married or engaged, nor do I owe you an excuse about why I wear my aunt’s ring on my ring finger.”
“Okay, calm down, pit bull.” He lifted his hands in defeat. “I was just asking.”
Only I wasn’t done being feisty yet. There was something about him that always got me riled up and ready to pop him at a moment’s notice. “I may have missed you a little, but I haven’t missed the way you always tease me.”
“You’ve missed me?” he asked, grabbing my forearms to block my movements. “Didn’t know I meant so much to you.”
“You don’t! I meant to say that I didn’t miss you at all and your teasing is annoying.”
Amusement shone in his eyes the longer we went back and forth. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve missed you, too,” he admitted, dropping my arms. “When you showed up to my doorstop in this outfit and that big hat, I wasn’t sure the Cordelia I knew was still in there once I realized who you were.”
His words hit me a little hard because there was an underlying truth to them that I didn’t want to acknowledge. A part of me that was worried I’d never find the Cordelia he knew even if he saw glimpses of her.
He stood up suddenly and announced, “We will get started on the tour of the property tomorrow morning if that works for you.”
I nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Breakfast is at five a.m. tomorrow.”
My eyes bulged out of my head. “There’s no way I’ll be up that early, so I’ll pass. I’m pretty sure I have a protein bar in my bag.”
“Suit yourself.” With one more glance my way, he left the loft and a part of me was grateful to be alone again. Being around him had always been sexually exhausting, but I’d kept my morals back then and we’d built a great friendship in the process.
Now that we were all grown up, things didn’t seem as simple. As much as I tried to ignore it, I could hear Harper’s voice telling me that I needed to take this time to really figure out why I’d been a shadow version of myself lately. Problem was, every solution I had went straight back to Caden Madden.
Five
CADEN
* * *
“Wait, wait, wait. So you’re telling me that Cordelia, who we went to school with, is actually the rep from Red Rose Investment Firm?”
I nodded to Houston. “Yeah, man, that’s exactly what I’m sayin’.” After I made sure Cordelia was settled, I sent a text out to my friends who were helping me with the expansion of the ranch saying I needed to call an emergency meeting this morning to catch them up to speed. Although I made sure breakfast was cooked for them every morning, I’d had Pete—a retired veteran—cook up his delicious steak and eggs today, heavy on the steak.
“And this is also the same woman Houston mentioned that you got into an argument with when y’all were in Dallas?” Wade asked. Wade was Houston’s little brother and another good friend of mine.
“Yep. One in the same.” I went on to describe how yesterday had gone, trying my best to get them to focus on the fact that her visit was about partnering with Red Rose and not catching up on old times. I should have known my partner-in-crime, Linc, would focus on the unimportant shit.
“Yo, not to cut you off, but is she the chick everyone in town is talking about?” Linc asked. “The one who was wearing this big ass dress and had folks thinking a costume convention was in town?”
I slowly nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m sure Cordelia is who they were talking about. But like I said, fellas, she will be in town for three weeks, which means, we have to be on our best behavior.”
Linc was the first to laugh, since rarely were we all on our best behavior at the same time.
“Has she ever been on a ranch before?” Wade asked.
“I’m not sure,” I told him. “Based off yesterday’s interaction, I doubt it. She’s more of the city type, so working with us will be out of her element.”
“Damn, that’s messed up,” Linc chimed in. “I think I caught a glimpse of her in my cousin’s Instagram story.”
“For real?” Houston asked. “If it’s still on there, let me see.”
“Listen, it’s safe to say Ms. Rose isn’t your typical southerner,” I mentioned after Linc confirmed the story wasn’t available to view anymore. “But do me a favor and try not to make the ranch look bad. I’ve already had a chat with the rest of the staff and we can’t forget that she’s here representing Red Rose Investment Firm.”
“Her father just retired,” Linc said. “So she probably has a lot to prove.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
Turning his iPhone toward me, he bellowed, “Google, baby,” before resuming his search. “I mean, shit, does she always wear those crazy ass hats? Not a pic of her without one.”
The sound of a door closing above my garage diverted my attention. “Well, do me a favor and don’t ask her any stupid questions about how she dresses or what she’s wearing because she’s coming down now.”
All the men straightened up and stood just as I got a knock on my door. Something told me Cordelia was the type who would appreciate the level of respect of having men stand as she entered a room, and since we were born and raised in the south, that’s just how we were.
I took a deep breath as I opened the door, ignoring the nerves I felt in the pit of my stomach. I needed this partnership, which meant this shit had to go well. That also meant I should have been able to hold it together when I faced her again. Yet, despite my best effort, a snort escaped at the sight of her swimming in the blue fabric of another dress, and a bulky blue and white hat that almost looked too large to fit through my door.
What really made me almost lose my shit was the bright blue ribbon tied at her waist with a matching one around her neck.
“Are you laughing at me?” she asked, catching my slip up.
“I’m not,” I lied, leaning closer to her so that my friends couldn’t overhear. “I just didn’t expect for you to wear these dresses the entire time you’re here. Aren’t you hot underneath all that material?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been wearing these dresses for years, and I’m not hot at all.”
I wanted to call her out because if the sheen on her forehead was any indication, she was already sweating and had barely been outside after the short walk from the loft to my front door.
After inviting her inside, I almost didn’t even want to look at my friend’s faces. The room was so quiet, I could hear myself breathing and I didn’t want them to say anything that may offend her.
“Fellas, I would like for you to meet Cordelia Rose, the rep from Red Rose Investment Firm. Cordelia, this is Linc, Wade, and you may remember Hou from back in the day. They’re all helping me with the upgrades to the ranch whenever they have time.”
“Of course I remember Houston,” she said, stepping to him to give him a quick hug.
“It’s been a while,” Houston replied, returning her hug. “Nice to see you again.” I didn’t miss the questionable look he gave me when he hugged her. No doubt he was wondering why she looked so different than she had back in college.
Luckily, greeting Houston first broke the ice for the others, and after a little small talk, neither of the guys were staring at her as strangely as they had been when she arrived.
“We’ve already had breakfast, but I had our cook, Pete, make extra if you’re hungry.”
She smiled. “Yesterday, you made it seem like I wouldn’t eat if I couldn’t get up by the crack of dawn.”
“He’d never starve you,” Houston said with a laugh. “He made sure his staff didn’t eat your portion.”
She glanced at me, gratitude reflected in her eyes when she thanked me. I shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but Hou was right. I wouldn’t have let anyone touch her food. I couldn’t recall if she’d had a decent meal since she arrived.
It was funny how she didn’t look any different than she had yesterday, yet somehow, I no longer saw the unusual clothing as we continued to talk, but rather, I began to see my old friend. The slightly awkward southern girl who’d tripped over my boots when she was racing out of her classroom one day. I’d reached down in time to break her stumble, but there’d been something in those big brown eyes that had made me hold onto her a little longer than I should have. In a way, even then I couldn’t explain our connection, much like I didn’t have a damn clue what the hell was brewing since she rolled into my town like a frilly ruffled hurricane.
When Houston cleared his throat, I looked back at the guys, ignoring the amused expressions on their faces when I informed her, “The plan today after you eat is to show you the grounds first. Lance wanted you to get a good lay of the land, and if there is additional information you need regarding any part of the property, I can answer any questions for you. Sound good?”
She nodded. “That would be great! I’m usually pretty quick about these things, but since I’ll be in Cranberry Heights for a bit, maybe I can help you around the ranch to get a more in-depth view. At Red Rose, we really like to be involved with our client’s business when we visit.”
“Of course, that would be fine.” I observed her outfit again. “Will you be changing before the tour?”
“Why would I change?” she asked. “Aren’t we just walking around your property?” I heard one of the guys snort and figured it was Linc. It was always Linc.
“Yes, we’re walking, but we also may be on the tractor for a bit since I have to get some work done, so I can show you some of the property at the same time. Did you bring jeans and T-shirts?”
Her eyes widened. “I would never be caught dead in jeans and a T-shirt on a business visit!”
What the … “You do realize you’re on a ranch, right? I have livestock. There’s dirt and mud everywhere. You can’t step outside without getting dirty. I’m sure if you look at the rim of your dress, it’s dirty just from your short walk.”
She studied the bottom of her dress and upturned her nose. “Well knock me into tomorrow, you’re right. I just brought this dress and it’s already filthy.” She glanced back to me. “Okay, you win. I’ll change into something more appropriate.”
I mentally patted myself on the back for getting her to understand, yet she was barely out the front door before I heard Linc’s loud voice. “Damn, bruh, you peeped how she emphasized the word involved?”
“Or in-depth,” Wade added.
“And let’s not ignore the fact that our boy Caden couldn’t stop staring at her.” Houston slapped my shoulder. “I guess those feelings you used to have back in college haven’t worn off, huh?”
“It’s not like that,” I retaliated. “It’s just hard for me to believe how small the world is and that I’m seeing her after all this time.”
“Well, even though we just met, she seems like the type of woman to shit on a dude just for staring at her,” Linc said. “Sure, I can sort of tell that shorty is beautiful, but you gotta be careful because some of these women out here spreading mess if you look at them the wrong way.” I gave him a questioning look, prompting him to add, “Don’t you remember what my girl Shelia told the town about me?”
I laughed, already knowing how this conversation was going to go. Sheila had been Linc’s on-again-off-again girlfriend since they were in the sandbox.
“Are you talking about that time she said you had a small dick?” I asked.
Linc smacked his teeth. “Which she retracted once word got out that my dick is big as hell.”
I shook my head. “Meaning you went into the town’s library and made copies of your dick and posted them around town. Then blamed that shit on Shelia.”
“A brotha had to do what a brotha had to do. It worked, didn’t it? But, nah, not that.”
“Then you must be referring to the time she told some folks that you piss the bed when you sleep,” Houston noted.
“Which was only a half-truth,” Linc explained. “I’d just turned twenty-one and since most of my friends were away at college, Shelia took me out and we got drunk as hell. My ass was too drunk to make it to the bathroom. But I’m not talking about that either.”
I racked my brain, trying to think of what else he could be referring to, when I remembered, “She told the town that you wanted to have a threesome with her and that other dude, when really, you’d only agreed to a threesome with another woman. But she lied about it before it was supposed to happen, and had you not turned on the light when you walked into the bedroom, your first threesome would have been completely fucked up.”
“Darnell. Dude’s name was Darnell and I still have nightmares.” Linc shuddered. “Damn, that woman really has put me through some bullshit.” He glanced up to my ceiling like he was remembering every single thing he’d ever been through with his ex.
“Okay, forget I brought up Shelia,” he finally said, waving his hand in dismissal. “My point is, it’s always the pampered princesses that get you in trouble.”
“She’s not like that,” I defended.
“Not exactly true,” Houston interjected. “Cordelia’s always been the spoiled type, but if memory serves me right, she’s also down-to-earth when you warm up to her.”
“In other words, don’t listen to Linc,” Wade added, looking my way. “His advice will have you ending a relationship before it even begins.”
“You ain’t right,” Linc countered. “My experiences with Shelia has helped y’all asses avoid a lot of heartache.”
Houston crossed his arms over his chest. “Man, name one damn time your advice has ever helped us out?”
Linc focused his eyes on me. “How about right now? Caden has that deep-thinking face going, so I bet he’s thinking twice about getting into a relationship with her after my warning.”
“Relationship? He may just want to sleep with her,” Wade supplied.
Linc shook his head. “Nah, Caden always finds himself in these kinds of situations. Plus, the way he was looking at her was different. I got a sixth sense about these things.”
“Just like you had a feeling Sheila was going to propose to you?” Houston asked.
“And you were going to let her,” Wade added.
