Page 31 of Country Road Romance

“I know you don’t really believe that, Jared.”

“And how do you know what I believe?”

“Because I know you better than almost anyone else, either inside this family or outside of it. The two of us have always been more similar than anyone else, which means I can tell when starting to fall for someone and when you don’t want to admit it to anyone, including and especially yourself.”

“I’ve only known him for twenty four hours. That’s not nearly enough time to really get to know someone, let alone to fall in love.”

“Who said anything about falling in love? I implied that you had feelings for him. See the difference? It’s like in those movies, where the hero or the heroine starts to realize their feelings for the other person.”

“Life isn’t a movie,” he deflected.

“I know it’s not, but there’s always a grain of truth in even the most ridiculous rom-com. I’d think that as a writer you’d know that.”

“I’m not really a writer, you know.”

Hannah gave him the look that said he was being a pedantic idiot and missing the forest for the trees.

“We both know that you love writing. That’s why I don’t really understand why you waste so much time in that job with the Huntington City Council. I’m sure it’s nice to be involved in the arts in some way, but wouldn’t you rather spend your time actually writing something that makes you feel fulfilled?”

As always, Hannah had a way of cutting right to the heart of the matter, but that didn’t mean that he liked what she had to say.

“Can we change the subject, please?”

In typical Hannah fashion, however, she shook her head. “I’m not going to let you off that easily. The truth is that the same thing that keeps you from being the writer that you truly want to be is the same thing that’s going to get in the way of you making anything lasting with Charlie.”

“Hannah,” he said, trying to give her a warning about this without being an asshole. “Please.”

Hannah shook her head at him. “Fine. Then will you answer me a very simple question?”

“Sure.”

“Why are you always so determined to not let yourself just…be happy?”

That question hit him like a ton of bricks, mostly because he’d avoided addressing this question in the privacy of his own thoughts, let alone talked about it with anyone else. And, because he was Jared Russell and hated to feel vulnerable, his first response was anger.

“I find that a bit rich coming from you, considering that you’ve never liked one of the guys that I’ve brought home before now.”

“Jared, you know that’s not true. I’ve just been honest with you when I thought that you could do better.”

“I see. And better according to whom? Has it ever occurred to you that I’m an adult and can make my own decisions about things without constant interference from my family?”

He didn’t know why he was acting this way, particularly not with Hannah, one of the few members of his extended family who hadn’t ever been an asshole to him.

“Jared, knock it off,” she said. “You’re just being defensive because you know I’m right, and it’s not a good look.”

Well, now he just felt sheepish.

“Damn it, Hannah, do you have to know me so well?”

She just smirked. “It’s kind of my job, cuz. You’ve always been the runt, and I’ve always had to take care of you. That’s not going to stop just because you’re pushing forty.”

“Now you’re just being mean and rude.”

“Just returning the favor.”

This was the kind of banter and repartee that he missed when he wasn’t home. Sure, he had a nice bond with Rebecca, and the two of them were able to give each other a hard time, but it was different when it was with someone who’d known you your whole life and who knew you better than you knew yourself and wasn’t afraid to be honest about your own shortcomings.

“So, uh, what am I going to do about this whole situation?”

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