Heat rushed up his neck. The fact that she talked like a hick didn't mean she wasn't educated. He softened his tone.
"I'm sorry. I was being a jerk. It's just that…well, you're talking about getting a job. If your resume is full of…hill talk, you're going to come across as…"
"Stupid?" Her tone was acidic.
"No…I was thinking unprofessional."
She looked him in the eye. "Actually, you were thinking uneducated."
He wished he had been professional enough to keep his mouth shut before he offended her. Unprofessional was the word he meant to say, but uneducated was obviously what he was thinking. He certainly didn't think she was stupid. Far from it.
When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Well, for your information, I can write just fine. What you're making fun of is called colloquialism."
He hadn't thought of it that way - that he was making fun of her or that her way of talking was a colloquialism. He stared at her, not sure what to say that would make her feel better. Maybe he was looking for something that would make him feel better.
Without another word, she lunged from her chair, spun on one heal and headed for her room. She pushed the door open and slammed it shut after she entered.
He stared at the door as he set his coffee cup on the table. He was sure making a mess of this. He wanted to go after her and apologize - tell her how right she was, but he was afraid of bungling it up worse. He was sitting there wondering if he should leave when she opened the door and came out with a pile of papers in her arms and a determined look on her face. She marched up to him and slammed the papers on the table.
"Here. Read some of this. Then maybe you'll believe me."
He glanced at the papers and returned his gaze to her face. Her voice was calm now, but the look on her face was intimidating. He was half afraid not to read them.
"Now?" He asked, unsure if she meant for him to leave and take them with him.
She took a deep breath, obviously trying to control her temper. Her voice was crisp when she answered.
"You don't have to read the whole thing right now. It shouldn't take long for an educated person like you to read a few pages. I'm willing to wait. Watching you read has got to be more enjoyable than listening to you talk."