Page 25 of Country Road Romance

“Jared, calm down. I know you didn’t mean anything like that. And I don’t know what kinds of guys you’ve been bringing back to meet your folks, but where I come from you always act polite and interested in whatever your potential in-laws have to say. It’s the one way that you can show your significant other that you really care about them and the people who helped them to become the way that they are.”

“That’s…an amazingly enlightened thing to say. Where have you been all my life?”

“Becoming a bigshot movie star and being too busy and too good to come back to West Virginia, according to some.”

“Ouch. Did you have to go below the belt?”

“I don’t know. Did you?”

“Would it help if I said I’m sorry again?”

“Yeah, I think it would.”

“Fine. I’m sorry for being a jerk. Are you going to continue reminding me of my transgressions for the rest of the weekend?”

Charlie shrugged, somehow managing to make even that gesture look elegant and charismatic. “I might, and then again I might not. I guess it just depends on my mood.” And then he flashed that megawatt smile, and Jared suddenly knew that he would be able to forgive him anything if it meant that he was going to get to see it again.

Easy there, Jared. You’re not Julia Roberts in a ‘90s romantic comedy. There’s no need to get all swept off your feet.

“So,” he said, suddenly desperate to change the subject. “Tell me a little something about what it’s like to actually be on the set of a movie for the Romance Network.”

Even though he couldn’t quite see the look on Charlie’s face, he thought he could sense the skepticism.

“Are you actually interested, or are you just trying to change the subject?”

“I guess it’s probably a little bit of both.”

“Well, it’s not as exciting as you might think. There’s often a lot of standing around and waiting. Then you have to do at least a few takes to get things just right. It all depends on which director you happen to get for a particular project. Then you have to wait around some more. And then get a few more takes, and then wait around some more.”

“You’re right. That’s not nearly as exciting as I would have expected.”

Charlie shrugged. “I told you. That’s the secret about the Romance Network, though. They have things set up so that the whole production goes pretty smoothly, and there are times when you feel a bit like you’re a cog in some kind of machine. It’s not always very glamorous or exciting, but it pays the bills.”

Jared had a ton of questions, but some of them would have to wait. After all, they had an entire weekend together, and he didn’t want to run out of things to talk about.

They were now passing through Sistersville, one of his favorite places along the route back home. As they passed by the huge mansions on the side of the road, he decided to share a little bit of himself with Charlie.

Or at least try to.

“You see those really nice houses there?” he asked, gesturing toward a trio of opulent mansions on the left side of the road. Charlie nodded.

“Well, they were apparently built back in the days when Sistersville was in the middle of an oil and gas boom. Every time I drive by them, I think about the kinds of mansions that you see in those old movies, somehow both very grand and also a little dilapidated.”

“Yeah, I can see what you mean,” Charlie said. He gestured at the very last one as they passed. “I think that that one reminds me of Norma Desmond’s house inSunset Boulevard.And yes, before you ask, I’ve seenSunset Boulevard.Several times, in fact. It was actually the movie that made me want to get into acting.”

“Did you think that you were going to end up like Norma Desmond someday, holed up in your old mansion and trying to seduce young screenwriters so that you could make your way back to the spotlight?”

“If only I were that lucky,” Charlie said with a little laugh. Jared felt some butterflies in his stomach at the sound.

They continued talking about inconsequential things as they finished the last miles of the drive: their favorite books and some of their memories, but then another silence settled down between them. Then Jared’s worst nightmare came true: they ran out of things to say.

Well, that was nice while it lasted,he thought.I guess that we just don’t have that much to talk about.

He was saved from having to say or do anything else by their arrival at his parents’ house.

“Well,” he said, “here we are. Welcome to Chateau Russell. So, just so you know, my parents’ names are Joyce and Doug. They don’t really like formality, so don’t call them Mr. and Mrs. Russell or anything like that.”

“You’ve got it, captain!” Charlie said and gave a mock salute.

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