Let's at least get out the door!

I opened the door for Charlotte, who rolled her eyes at my gallantry.

"Oh, NOW you wanna be a gentleman... I know what you're thinking." She looked back at the other two women in the cabin. "And I know what YOU two are thinking as well."

She stepped out onto the porch with a rapid pace, and I had to scramble to keep up. As the door closed behind me I could hear the start of a few peals of laughter.

Charlotte took three extremely rapid steps before stopping stark still. She inhaled deeply, then turned around and looked at me with a smile.

"Ok, let's try that again..." She spoke softly, punctuating it with a soft exhale. "I'm sorrah about tha van."

"No worries." I smiled, "Look, I actually have been wanting to talk to you, about things, because, well..."

My phone buzzed again, and I looked at Charlotte with a apologetic sigh.

"Go ahead..." She said, "Ah'll... It. It can wait. Let's just get this over with. I don't feel like talking right now." The last words came out without the slightest hint of an accent and for a second I was confused.

I glanced at my phone and noticed the message light blinking.

"Hey, uhm, " I looked up at Charlotte, who was walking away from me faster than I expected. "Look, Charlotte I'm sorry."

"For What?" She asked, halting abruptly and letting me catch up to her. "I... Ah... Aaaaargh... fuck..."

"What, what?" I mumbled, not understanding why she was cursing.

"By freaking Zuh... dammit... You... Kaila got me so fucking worked up this morning." She grumbled, reducing her pace somewhat. "She... ok, now you're wondering about my accent."

"Yeah, that did come to mind, but I didn't want to be a dick about it."

"Well, I do it because Helen loves it." She admitted, turning to take another step along the uneven concrete. "I was doing it for my ball, and she got hot, and the first time I talked normally she thought I sounded wrong."

"So you're not A Southern Belle." I commented, joining her as we set a slow pace.

"No. No I'm not. I do enjoyah... tahkin lahk this because I know it just draaaves you men cuhrazy to heah it..." She hammed her accent up to the maximum of Hollywood Cheesiness. "But... that's why I like your wife. I can just be Charlie with her. You know?"

My phone buzzed again, softly.