Page 15 of Country Road Romance

Jared snorted. “Yeah, I would say that’s a bit of an understatement.”

Somehow, they managed to get out of the Stonewall without causing any more difficulties or scenes, and even though the hotel was close enough to walk, he still decided to drive Charlie there.

Better safe than sorry,he thought wryly.

When they got to the hotel, Charlie turned to Jared.

“Do you…do you want to come up for a little bit?” he asked, voice quivering with vulnerability.

In for a penny, in for a pound,Jared thought, and nodded. “Sure, why not?”

They walked slowly through the lobby, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible.The young woman working at the front desk gave them both a knowing–and, unless Jared was mistaken, slightly disapproving look–as they made their way to the elevator.

“I think she thinks that I’m your trick,” Jared whispered.

“That’s not such a bad thing, is it?” Charlie asked with a very obvious wink.

Jared didn’t have anything smart to say, so he didn’t say anything.

The elevator ride up to Charlie’s floor was uneventful, and neither of them looked at each other.

I feel like I’m trapped in one of those awful movies that Charlie’s always starring in,Jared thought.It’s like a meet cute, except we’ve already met, and this isn’t cute.

“It almost feels like we’re in the middle ofTrapped in LoveCharlie said, seeming to read his mind. “Though I don’t suppose a sophisticated cinephile like you would have seen it.”

In fact, hehadseen it, though he would never admit to Charlie that he’d deliberately sought it out. He did have to admit that Charlie…wasn’t bad, though the movie itself was so trite and saccharine that he had trouble sitting through it.

“I’ve…I’ve actually watched it. Once.”

Charlie turned to look at him then, his trademark smile more of a smirk now. “I thought you’d already decided that none of my movies were worth watching?”

Jared felt trapped, but there was nothing for it.

“You were good, by the way,” he said. “Better than you had a right to be given how…predictable…the rest of the movie ended up being.”

“It is a romantic comedy, you know that, right? One of the things that people like about the genre is that it follows a certain set of rules that everyone knows and adheres to. That way, viewers don’t have to contend with any unfortunate surprises.”

“And don’t you think that your viewers deserve something a little bit better than that?”

Jared regretted the words as soon as he’d said them, but Charlie just took them in stride, shrugging nonchalantly.

“You’re probably right, but in the TV business you have to go where the people are. And people want certain things from romance, and it’s my job to give it to them.”

Jared was going to say something to that, but at just that moment the elevator doors dinged and they stepped out into the hallway and walked toward his room. Of course, the organizers of the festival had put out a lot of money to make sure that the famous Charlie Garrett was put up in the finest room that the hotel had to offer, and Jared tried not to be jealous about that. After all, for all that he had lived in Huntington for years–and stayed at the hotel for a few helpings of afternoon delight–he’d certainly never had enough money, and never hooked up with anyone with enough money, to be able to come to this part of it.

The furnishings were simple but elegant, and with every step he took Jared began to feel more and more out of place.

Charlie, with that instinct he seemed to have for sensing when other people were uncomfortable, reached out and put an arm around Jared, who had to fight the urge to pull away.

“I know you’re probably a little nervous being in a hotel like this one, but trust me, you get used to the fancy stuff pretty quickly. At least, I did.”

“And what makes you think that I haven’t been in a fancy hotel like this one before?”

Charlie sighed but didn’t take his arm away, and Jared wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “Do you have to be so prickly about everything?”

“I think I do, when people make assumptions about me that they have no business making.”

“You got me there,” Charlie said. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have assumed that.” He paused. “But I’m also right, aren’t I?”

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