Page 34 of Country Road Romance

“I’m your mother, Charlie. This might come as a surprise to you, but I do know you pretty well, and I know how it goes with the boys that you get with. If you think there’s something with this young man, then you should tell him.” She paused a minute,as if choosing her next words with care. “Don’t be afraid of your feelings, Charlie. And don’t be afraid to express them.”

Don’t be like your father.That was what she meant even if she didn’t say it.

“Thank you, mom. I’ll consider it.”

She sighed. “Please do, Charlie. I mean it. I know that you and I don’t always agree, but I do want what’s best for you. And, well, if this guy Jared ends up being the best, you should let yourself be happy.”

Let yourself be happy.That was something he hadn’t thought about in a while.

“Okay,” he said noncommittally.

“So?” she said. “What are you doing just talking to me? Go out there and get him.”

“Fine, I’ll do it. For you,” he said. “I…I love you, mom.”

“I love you, too, sweetie,” and then the line went dead.

For several minutes Charlie just sat there trying to sort through his feelings about the conversation. It had gone remarkably well. Perhapstoowell.

He shook his head. What was he thinking? He needed to stop getting in his own way and just enjoy the good things when they came his way. Like…well, like Jared.

Okay, are you just going to sit here in this room or are you going to go out there and spend some time with the guy you have a crush on?

That settled it.

He got up slowly and walked toward the door. He had no idea how the rest of this weekend was going to go but, one way or another, he was going to seize his own happiness.

CHAPTER 11

When Charlie came out of the bedroom, Jared could tell at once that something serious had happened, though he couldn’t quite tell whether it was good or bad.

His mother, however, wasn’t one to stand on ceremony. The minute she saw that someone looked like they might be hurting, she swooped in.

“Charlie, dear, is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. Or, well, I think I will be, eventually. I just had a rather difficult conversation with my mother.” He laughed nervously. “But it went better than I thought. Things haven’t always been easy between the two of us.”

“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry to hear that,” Joyce said, sweeping in for a hug. Jared tried not to feel jealous, reminding himself not to be ridiculous.

“Thank you,” Charlie said as Joyce drew away from him, reaching up to flick a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. “I really appreciate that.”

“You’ll always have a home here,” she went on, “and not just because no one has made Jared smile like you have in a long time.”

“Mother,” he said warningly, but she just kept talking.

“Sometimes mothers, well, they don’t always want to accept that their children are their own people with their own minds and hearts and desires. Give her time. She’ll come around.”

And there was that folksy country wisdom his mother was so very happy to dish out.

“Thank you for that…Joyce,” Charlie said. “I think my mother and I finally understand one another a bit better. Perhaps better than we have in a long time.”

As Charlie spoke, it seemed like a weight lifted off his shoulders, and Jared found himself grinning like a fool at seeing it. When Charlie’s eyes met his, he started grinning, too, and Jared felt that familiar flush start creeping up his neck.

His mother, instincts sharp as always, sensed the brewing tension between the two of them.

“Now then,” she said, “I hope that the two of you aren’t going to just loiter around the house all day. Since everyone is here already, I decided to throw a little dinner for the family. Might as well make the most of it, right?”

“Mom, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he began, but Charlie interrupted him.

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