Her nose wrinkled sweetly. “Oh, they all notice you. That’s how I know you’re the new guy. Welcome to Papillon. I came over to give you fair warning. I think single people need to stick together in an effort to stay single despite the societal pressure to give in to the patriarchy. If my mother tries to convince you to let me show you around, she’s really trying to find me a husband.”
Oh, but he might not mind her showing him the town. She was gorgeous, and he liked the sass she was throwing his way. He was self-aware enough to admit that women had come easy to him. He wasn’t hard on the eyes, but finding one who got him was a different story. “That seems to be a theme. The church secretary already tried to have her granddaughter show me around.”
A single brow rose over those heavenly eyes of hers. “Debra? Yeah, you have to be careful with her.”
“I’ve heard she’s handsy.” He nodded. “And she talks a lot.”
“Yeah, she also drinks a lot more than Helena will admit, and she’s started a couple of spectacular bar fights. She likes to pit her suitors against each other and make them fight for her.”
“Good to know.” He glanced around, and sure enough, every eye was on him. “Well, I don’t suppose you would show me around. Maybe if you showed me around, people would stop offering up their daughters. I noticed no one has asked me if their sons could show me the town. Do the men of Papillon not know their way around?”
“Well, you could say that about a lot of them. But no, it’s because there aren’t many available men, and when a new one comes to town, it’s like a medieval parade of who has the best dowry. You need to remember that whatever my momma tells you, I’ve got no dowry whatsoever. I come with a lot of baggage. Tons of baggage.” She gasped as though she’d just had a thought. “Unless you would rather have a nice man show you around our town. I hadn’t considered that and it was awfully backward thinking of me. I know a great guy. His name is Michael Hendricks and he’s such a doll. You would get along so well.”
Whoa. That had taken a turn. She was smiling, and that smile took her from beautiful to gorgeous. That smile kind of lit up his world, but she was working under a big misconception. “I’m comfortable with women showing me the sights. Did you get excited about setting me up with your friend?”
A hand cupped her hip, and the sass factor went sky high. “Is there a reason you wouldn’t like my friend?”
He had to chuckle. This one was obviously a fierce warrior. “I’m sure I would like him but I would only like him, not like like him because I like women. Like like them.”
The cutest frown came over her face. “You’re a confusing man.”
“So I’ve been told.” Oh, he liked her. A lot. She would be a ton of fun, and not in the way Cal meant it. He would very much enjoy getting to know this woman. “How about tomorrow? It’s Sunday. I can take the afternoon off.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you hitting on me at my great-aunt’s funeral?”
He had probably gone a nice shade of red. He hadn’t thought this through, and he definitely hadn’t realized she was related to the deceased. He thought she was one of those people who’d come for the gumbo. “Well, that would be rude of me so no, I am not.”
She looked him up and down. “It would be rude, and I was only coming over to warn you that my mom will likely try to trick you into dating me. Don’t fall for it.”
She turned on her heel and started to walk away.
“Hey, you didn’t even tell me your name. How will I know who to avoid if you don’t tell me your name?”
She glanced back, that blond hair swaying. “Seraphina Guidry. Remember it so we don’t have to go through all of this again. Welcome to Papillon, Mr. Jefferys. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
He stared at her as she joined a group of women around her age. They all started talking, and that conversation was absolutely about him. No question about it. But her eyes came back up and found his before turning away again.
Seraphina Guidry. The one woman his aunt had told him expressly to stay away from.
She’s already ruined one member of my family. I won’t let that gold digger take another one from me.
The good news was he didn’t have any gold for her to dig. If she went out with him, she would have to take him as he was.
He should stay away. He walked over and got himself a glass of that lemonade and promised he would make good choices.