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Dependable, serious-minded Cadence. That’s who she was going to be.
So why did she ever agree to go with Porter to this waterfall? He’d promised that he’d keep quiet about her being pregnant, and she really believed him. He hadn’t broken once on calling her Angel. But, the part of her that couldn’t trust a living soul felt like she had to keep an eye on him to make sure that continued to be the case. And that other part of herself? That part of her wanted to go wherever this fascinating man led her.
Uh oh.
She stared at the box of mint cookies and the bag of gummy worms that she’d found in her search for the vase. She’d snacked on them with as little thought as she’d put into warding off Porter’s charm when he was around. Cadence shoved the cookies back in the cupboard. It was time to be more mindful.
Cadence had never been the type to go from one man to the next. Her boss had been her first serious boyfriend after being a hermit in college. It was probably why she’d been so flatteredandso easy to manipulate. Cadence was this nerd who spent her days and nights in the library and studied to get that top grade. She would’ve done the same at work, except Lacy had taken such an interest in her.
Her biggest problem was that it had been so amazing to finally find someone who cared about her. She’d grown used to being special, maybe too much. And now Porter? Was she just using his attention to fill that emptiness that Lacy had left inside of her?
Cadence found a vase under the sink with a sigh of relief and put it under the faucet. Putting the cheery little rose inside the water, she stared at its smooth petals. How could something so tender, so sweet be bad in the end?
She’d thought Porter was just being nice, but that was until he’d invited her to the waterfall. Now an explosion of confusion poured over her like confetti. Her eyes ran over the thorns of the rose he’d given her.
Porter knew that she was pregnant, so why was he playing with her? His mother would be appalled! So was Cadence. After the realization of what she’d agreed to do began to sink in, she was a little scared to go to the waterfall alone with Porter, too.
If he’d tried to kiss her tonight, he’d definitely try again there.
Doubts assailed her as she picked up the watering can to feed Emily’s plants. What if Porter was exactly like Lacy? Porter had been at his party; he’d fit in quite easily. She’d already seen him hanging over all those women. The guy had a silver tongue on him, and a magnetic charm that she was having a hard time resisting.
Horrible man!
Why couldn’t she see that when Porter was with her? Red flags were waving all over the place like the star spangled banner in a Fourth of July parade.
Relax! This isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself… I’ll just bring my pepper spray.
Cadence settled into the soft white couch, trying to catch her breath. Porter was probably being neighborly anyway. He was just showing her a good time because he felt bad for what he’d done to her at that party.
There! See, that was a much more comforting thought.
Rummaging through her purse, she found her phone, and saw that she had another text from Sarah. Her coworker was beside herself with worry. “Oh no, I really hope you’re doing okay. Where are you? I hope you’re okay.”
Cadence quickly wrote back, hoping to put her coworker’s mind at ease. “Don’t worry. I’m safe. I’m staying at a friend’s place from college. The people here are super friendly, and they’re taking good care of me, but…” How to word this? “I’m going to be gone longer than I thought. In fact… I’m not sure I’ll be back.”
Did she really mean to say that? It would mean the end of her job. Did she care?
Cadence pressed send.
This was almost more stress than she could take in a day. Eventually, she’d have to face Lacy to terminate her employment, but not yet. She still wasn’t sure if Porter was the kind of guy to tattle on her to Lacy.
She texted Emily next, hoping against hope that she’d get back a response. “Hey girl! Don’t leave me hanging… but I’m guessing you lost your phone or you would’ve answered me back by now. Good thing you’re such a sweetheart because you’ve seriously got Goldilocks living at your house right now. Thanks for the invite. I can’t thank you enough. Look, when you get this, I want every detail on Porter. He’s… interesting, and not ‘science project’ interesting, but uh… well, I’m not sure if I should be hanging out with him though. Are the two of you dating? If so, I have a few things I need to tell you. If not… well, maybe you have a few things you need to tell me.”
Cadence had become more reckless with her texts lately. They almost felt like journal entries with her friend’s continued silence. She chuckled darkly, wondering if these texts would all appear after Emily fixed her phone or if they were just going out into the big texting heaven somewhere.
She leaned back against the soft couch with a sigh. How bad could Saturday possibly be? Lily raised Porter. He had to have some decent bone in that body that he’d inherited from his momma. Cadence had caught him at church, for goodness’ sake, and he had been so adorably cute with his nephews. Surely, there was a God-fearing man hiding somewhere in that six-foot-four frame hunk of a man.
Oh brother! Thiswasbad.
Cadence glanced down at her hands, realizing that she was pushing mint cookies into her mouth. Her nose wrinkled and she laughed at herself. Since when did cookie monster become such a player magnet?
No, she definitely had nothing to worry about.
Chapter Thirteen
Porter finally had Angel in his truck again. He’d forgotten to get her number last time in all the excitement, but luckily his momma was on the ball. She’d squealed when Porter had admitted that he was taking Angel out to the waterfall, and she demanded that he give her every last detail.
Not a chance.
