Charley Manley may be catching feelings for Craig Conover on Southern Charm, but, after spotting a major red flag, she is proceeding with caution.
Charley, who works as a gallery associate and art consultant, mixed a little business with pleasure when she stopped by Craig’s home with some new wall art for him to check out during Season 11, Episode 4. Despite their admitted flirtations thus far, she noted her confusion about him not making an actual move.
“Yes, I like Craig, and I definitely think he’s interested in me too,” Charley explained to a producer. “But my thing is I don’t feel like I should have to interpret anything. I feel like a guy should be like, ‘I like you. Let’s hang out.'”
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Plus, the Season 11 newbie couldn’t quite shake the explosive drama she had just witnessed between Craig and Austen Kroll at Whitner Slagsvol’s literary-themed backyard birthday bash. “Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it,” Charley shared. “You’ve got 37-year-old men yelling at each other about a hot tub. Like, calm down. That’s crazy.”
Charley Manley gave Craig Conover advice after his Austen Kroll drama
Once they’d tested out the placement of his potential art buys, Craig and Charley sat down and unpacked what happened between him and Austen at Whitner’s party.
The conflict initially sparked when Craig overheard Austen making comments about him flirting with both Charley and Salley Carson. As their argument escalated, Craig eventually referenced a bombshell piece of information that two strangers had approached Shep Rose with a rumor that Austen was talking to their friend behind then-girlfriend Audrey Pratt’s back.
After Craig updated Charley that Austen hadn’t spoken to him or Shep since the party, he admitted that his “delivery was terrible” and he “felt bad” about going in on Austen and Audrey’s relationship.
RELATED:Â Craig Conover Makes a Damning Declaration on Austen Kroll’s Relationship With Audrey
“Yeah, I mean, you yelled at him,” Charley responded, adding that Craig’s behavior was “awful” and that she was glad he wasn’t proud of how he acted toward Austen. Though Craig said that he’d apologized to him, she encouraged him to maybe “try again.”
“I mean, I don’t know. I shouldn’t have reacted,” Craig replied. “But I just am like, ‘Why does me hanging out with Charley and Salley bother you? Like, how is it any of your business?’ And, like, last year, the whole f–kin’ year, he had a problem with me, like, staying in.”
So, Charley offered Craig some friendly advice: If Austen says something that “bothers” him, he has to “find a way to respond” more calmly.
Craig, meanwhile, agreed, acknowledging, “If I’m gonna continue to be friends with him, I can’t just go f–king nuclear on him because he said something I don’t like.”
Craig Conover explained his approach to romancing Charley Manley
As it turns out, Craig may have had some ulterior motives for enlisting Charley to help update his home decor.
“When I’m interested in a girl, I definitely play a long game,” Craig explained in a confessional from Southern Charm‘s Dec. 10 episode. “Go be interested in what she’s interested in.”
Also on the subject of his slow-burn tactic, Craig previously shared that he loves being a boyfriend but was taking a more casual approach to dating after his breakup from Paige DeSorbo.
“I will say that I tried the lover version of myself, and now I’m back to the party version of myself,” Craig explained to Austen in Episode 3, referencing his “chemistry” with both Charley and Salley. “I’m having fun being able to kiss someone if I wanted, guilt-free.”
As his potential connection with Charley heats up, find out what else Craig spilled about his dating life on Southern Charm Season 11.
