Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
C harlie hadn’t known that he was going to kiss Jared before he did it, but he had most definitely known that he wanted to. There was something about the other man– the way that he was the right combination of sensitive and tough, nerd and country boy, masculine and feminine–that continued to draw him in. He was also unlike anyone else he’d met in either West Virginia or California, which made him that much more appealing, even if he remained something of a tough nut to crack.
He was thus more than a little surprised when Jared actually started kissing him back.
He reached up and put his hand behind Jared’s head, running his fingers through his hair, loving the way that the strands passed through his fingers. Jared’s breath was coming faster and faster, and Charlie dared to run his other hand up and down his body, savoring the way that his muscles rippled with every move he made. Charlie suddenly wanted to pull off the other man’s clothes, but he resisted the urge, mostly because he wasn’t sure that Jared was ready to go that far.
Then Jared’s hand crept down south and started stroking Charlie through his jeans, and he knew that this was going to get very intense very quickly if he didn’t do something to stop it. The trouble was that he didn’t want to stop it. In fact, he wanted it to keep going for as long as Jared was willing to let it do so.
Unfortunately, Jared made a little whimpering noise and pulled back, leaving Charlie standing feeling very aroused and a little embarrassed as it dawned on him that they were still within sight of the house.
“Um…,” he started fumbling for words, trying to find something to say that would diffuse the awkwardness that was quickly gelling around them. “You’re a really good kisser?” He hadn’t meant for that last bit to come out like a question.
Good going, Charlie.
“You know, when you give someone a compliment like that, you really shouldn’t make it sound like you’re asking rather than telling.”
Charlie chuckled. He should have known that Jared would pick up on that right away.
“You’re a very good kisser,” he tried again, this time the words coming out declarative.
Jared nodded.
“I don’t disagree with your declaration, but I think we’re going to need some more experience to make sure that we both know what we’re talking about.”
Before Charlie could say anything to that Jared’s lips were on his again.
This time the kissing was even more intense. It was as if they both wanted to drink the other one up, to erase the boundaries between them, and soon their hands were roaming all over each other. It was intoxicating. It was exciting. It was terrifying.
This time it was Charlie who drew back, though he couldn’t have quite said why.
“For the record,” Jared said, that elusive little smile flickering on his lips. “You’re a pretty good kisser, too. Did they teach you that in Hollywood?”
“They taught me a lot of things in Hollywood,” Charlie said.
He wasn't sure just how far things might have gone, because they were interrupted by Jared’s mother calling from the house.
“Charlie! Jared!” Joyce’s voice came wafting out to them from the house. “Dinner’s ready! And don’t dally!”
“She does know that she could have just called you, right?” Charlie asked.
“Welcome to my parents’ house,” he said with a sigh.
They got themselves presentable–or as presentable as they could, anyway–and started walking back. Just before they got to the house, however, Charlie noticed a stray leaf that had somehow found its way onto Jared’s shirt. Without saying anything, he reached out and plucked it out, which earned him a startled yelp from Jared.
“What was that for?”
Charlie grinned sheepishly and held it up, as if that was all the explanation necessary. To his relief, Jared just smiled.
He opened his mouth to say something, but just then his mother was at the door to the house, a worried look on her face.
She didn’t even wait until they were at the door before she started speaking.
“So, I don’t want you to both be mad at me, but I have something to tell you.”
Charlie tried not to flinch at that. Jared, however, didn’t even try to hide his dismay.
“Who did you call?” he demanded, hands on his hips.
Joyce at least had the good grace to look embarrassed. “I…I might have divulged to your grandmother that Charlie was here and she…well, she might have said she’s coming over right away and she might have told a bunch of her friends. I don’t think they’re going to be coming with her, but with your grandmother who can say?”
Jared groaned. “Mom, what part of Charlie’s presence here being a secret did you misunderstand? We’re trying to keep people from knowing where he is so we don’t have to answer all sorts of unpleasant and very troubling questions.”
“Now don’t take that tone with me,” she said. “I didn’t really mean for it to get out of hand. It’s just that your grandmother was so excited, and she decided to start calling everyone. I hope you’re not going to make a big deal out of it when she gets here.”
Charlie could tell from the look on Jared’s face that he was going to have to intervene before it got any worse. He put a steadying hand on Jared’s arm, ignoring the stern look he got in response, and turned on the charm.
“It’s okay, Joyce. Really. I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. And besides, I’m really looking forward to meeting more of Jared’s family and friends.” He turned up the wattage on the smile. “I’ve always thought you can tell a lot about a guy from how he is around his family.”
“You always think that, do you?” Jared asked with his eyebrow skeptically raised.
“I do, in fact.”
“I really don’t know why you two can’t just start dating,” Joyce said. “It would really make everything so much simpler. Charlie, you’re just the kind of man that I’ve always been looking for for Jared. Are you sure you don’t want him?”
This was very uncomfortable territory, not least because Charlie did very much want to put Jared in his back pocket and take him away. Since he knew that wasn’t at all what Jared wanted, however, he decided to be as coy as possible, without turning Jared off. He wasn’t sure he could pull off that particular juggling act, but damn if he wasn’t going to try.
“Well,” he began, but Jared interrupted him.
“Mom, Charlie is a guest in our house. Maybe we could save the matchmaking for later?”
Joyce looked like she wanted to keep pressing–and Jared looked like he wanted to melt into the ground–but they were saved from all of that by the arrival of a stately dowager that Charlie could only assume was Jared’s grandmother.
“Well, well, well,” she said as she approached, “what’s this, the welcoming party?”
Marla Grayson–Jared took a moment to properly introduce his grandmother–was one of those formidable dowagers that were a dime a dozen in West Virginia. Though she was probably in her eighties, Charlie thought that she didn’t look a day over sixty, with her white hair that had been swept up in a bun at the back of her head, her floral-print blouse, and her polyester slacks. One of her gnarled hands gripped a cane as she came up to the door, but Charlie got the distinct impression she wasn’t as feeble as she looked.
“Grandma!” Jared said, stepping forward. “It’s so good to see you.”
Marla gave him a look, and then her face broke into a smile of undeniable joy and she swept him into her arms. Charlie tried very hard not to be jealous.
“It’s good to see you too, sweetie,” he said, patting Jared’s arm as she pulled away. “And this must be the Charlie Garrett. I’m just so happy to meet you!” she exclaimed as they all stepped into the house. “You know, when Joyce said that Jared had managed to bring home someone from the Romance Network, I almost couldn’t believe it. It just seemed too good to be true, and yet here you are!”
She looked Charlie up and down for a good few minutes, and he got the distinct impression that she was acting as trial, judge, and jury all at once. He wasn’t at all sure that she liked what she saw, but then she nodded her head.
“Well, I gotta say that it’s nice that Jared finally brought someone decent around for a change. I never did like a lot of those other fellas that he brought here.”
Charlie was familiar enough with the older generation’s way of referring to gay relationships to know exactly what he meant, and he felt a little flutter at the idea that people were starting to assume that he was Jared’s boyfriend.
Easy, Charlie. Let’s not put the cart before the horse.
In any case he didn’t have much time to really dwell too much on just what he was to Jared, because Joyce swept Marla into the dining room, where the rest of the family had already gathered around the table. There was the usual hustle and bustle and greetings as everyone made Marla welcome and, a short time later, there was an entire spread ready for eating, all laid out with precision on the dining room table.
For the life of him, Charlie couldn’t figure out how Joyce had managed to get an entire dinner together in such a short time but, there it was, as pristine and ordered as if she’d been working in the kitchen all day. There was a delicious, succulent roast in pride of place in the center of the table on a gorgeous red serving platter–Fiestaware, of course–while it was surrounded by everything from green beans to baked potatoes, corn on the cob to macaroni and cheese.
It was the sort of home cooked meal that he almost never had when he was in California.
“You’d better take a seat if you don’t want to get shut out,” Jared said, gently taking his hand and guiding him over to the table, and Charlie thought of the kiss they’d shared such a short time ago. Was that just a fluke, or did it actually mean something? And, just as importantly, was it going to lead to anything else?
They sat down, and just being this close to Jared was more than a little intoxicating. Charlie flicked his eyes to where Marla sat across from him and saw that she had her eyes on him. He gave her a smile, and she returned it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was weighing him in her own private set of scales. She might not know that Jared was gay, but she certainly knew that something was up.
For a few minutes Marla was content to let the conversation ebb and flow around her, but it wasn’t long until she got right to the heart of the matter. Like grandmothers everywhere, she was old enough to feel entitled to say whatever she wanted, even if it happened to make other people feel a bit uncomfortable.
“I know that everyone else in this family thinks that I’m some simple-minded old lady,” she said, “but I do watch the news. And you, young man, were on there.” At this she wagged his finger at him.
Is this really happening? He thought.
“Now, I know that it’s not my place to say this, but I really don’t like to see young men fighting, no matter what their reasons are. Violence never gets you anywhere, Charlie Garrett. Remember that.”
Charlie wasn’t about to disagree with her, particularly since he knew she was right. He almost told her that he’d done it to protect Jared, but decided against it.
I’m not sure she would approve even if she knew.
“You know what? You’re absolutely right,” he said instead. I’m definitely going to be minding my Ps and Qs from now on.”
He was vaguely conscious of Jared giving him an incredulous look and mouth and mouthing the letters “Ps” and “Qs” with a very perplexed look on his face.
“See that you do,” Marla said, and took a healthy bite of roast and then washed it down with some iced tea. “I don’t want to tune into the news and see your name there again, unless it’s to hear about you getting some kind of award. I’m sure you’re going to be going places, young man, so be sure not to mess it up!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said again. “I’ll be extra careful, and when I do get that award, I’ll be dedicating it to you.”
She scoffed at that. “Don’t be ridiculous. There are better people for that. Like my grandson over there. I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve watched one of your movies together.”
“I didn’t realize that Jared was such a big fan of mine,” he said with a smile. Jared at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.
“Oh yes, he talks about you all the time,” Marla went on, heedless of the discomfort she was clearly causing Jared.
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” he said. He bumped Jared’s knee with his own under the table, smirking as his face turned several shades of pink.
The rest of the dinner passed companionably, and at last Marla made it clear that it was time for her to go.
“This has been a truly fantastic meal, my dear,” she said, beaming at Joyce.
Joyce looked so taken aback to be praised by her mother that she didn’t say anything.
“Don’t look so surprised,” Marla said. “I know I don’t dish out the compliments as often as I should, but we both know that you’re the best cook in the family.”
As she made her way out the door, Grandma Marla gestured to Charlie to lean down.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone that I said this, but I want you to know two things. One, I think that you did the right thing there in Huntington. That man got what was coming to him. Just don’t do it again. Two, you’re a good match for my grandson. You wouldn’t believe the type of people that he’s brought up here before. Just don’t break his heart like they did, or I will come and find you. I might be old, but I still know how to throw a punch or two myself.”
And with that she was gone, sweeping out the door.
Charlie wasn’t quite sure how he felt about Marla. He liked her, obviously, but he knew she’d meant what she’d said about defending her grandson. She wasn’t going to stand by and let anyone hurt his feelings.
“So, now you’ve met my grandmother,” Jared said as he came back inside. “She’s quite the force of nature.”
“You could say that. She definitely wasn’t quite what I expected, and not at all like my grandparents, or what I remember of them, anyway.”
“Did they die when you were young?”
Charlie shifted a bit uncomfortably. “Neither of my parents were very close to their parents, and so they didn’t really want me to be, either. I think I might have met them a handful of times before they died.”
He hadn’t been aware until he said it just how much he’d missed out on that sort of relationship, and once again he found himself being a little envious of the life that Jared led.
“Are you absolutely sure that she doesn’t know you’re gay?” he asked.
He thought that she must, given what she’d said to him.
Jared made a very complicated face. “Well, it’s a little messy, actually. I think the best way to put it is that she ‘knows’ but she doesn’t really ‘know,’ if you know what I mean.”
Charlie laughed at that. “Yeah, I think I have a good idea of what you’re talking about. It’s one of those things that older people do that allows them to keep pretending that you’re the same person that you were when you were growing up. I guess that we all have some sort of fiction that we use to keep ourselves sane.”
“What are you two boys whispering about?” asked Joyce, who’d managed to sneak up on them without either of them being able to hear her. “I hope that you haven’t been saying anything mean about your grandmother. You know that she thinks the world of you.”
“Of course not, mom. We were just talking about how funny older people can be.”
“Don’t make fun of your grandmother,” she said sternly. “That’s not nice.”
“We weren’t making fun of her, mother,” Jared said. “We were just commenting on how she can still pretend like my…guy friends are nothing more than just roommates. She still talks about Paul that way, even though we were together for five years and lived in a house with just one master bedroom.”
“She’s from a different generation,” she said.
Charlie wanted to point out that neither Charlie nor Jared were exactly “young” anymore, but he figured that in this case discretion was the better part of valor.
“I know that, mom,” Jared said. “But don’t you think that sometimes it would be nice if gay people like me were able to just be themselves openly and without fear of judgment from the members of their own family?”
This was quickly becoming something more than just a spirited disagreement about the nature of the closet, and Charlie knew that he had to do something before it got really out of control. It was clear that Joyce and Jared could really get into it when they both had their feelings hurt.
“Look, I think we can all admit that sometimes older people would be better off just admitting the truth rather than hiding from it, but sometimes we also have to take people where they are rather than continuing to demand something that they’re not able to give…right?”
Surprisingly enough, his interjection worked. Joyce and Jared suddenly backed off of one another, though there was still that bit of crackling tension in the air. Charlie found himself silently begging Jared to just let this one go and to let his mother work through this in her own time.
Jared nodded a tad reluctantly. “I guess you’re right, Charlie.”
Joyce gave him a smile and a little pat on the cheek.
“Now see, Jared, this is the kind of boy we’ve been waiting for you to bring home, someone with a good head on his shoulders. He’s a keeper.”
Now that that little bit of unpleasantness was over, they retired to the family room, where the rest of the family was still gathered. Somehow Charlie found himself seated next to Doug, who leaned over to whisper confidentially in his ear.
“I have to give you credit, Charlie. You’re able to defuse tense situations pretty well,” he said. “Usually when these two start going at one another I find somewhere else to be and hunker down until the whole thing has blown over.”
Joyce, sitting nearby, blew out a very theatrical sigh. “Really, Doug, do you have to be so dramatic about it? It’s not like we’ve ever thrown anything at one another. I mean, except for that one time.”
“I just hope you know that just because you’ve won this round doesn’t mean that I’m not going to go at it again,” said Jared, and Charlie almost rolled his eyes at his obvious need to have the last word.
Joyce looked like she was going to give her son a good smack for that bit of impertinence, but then seemed to decide against it. “What I wouldn’t give for a son who is nice and obedient.”
“Ah, but then you wouldn’t have me, would you? And think how boring your life would be if we didn’t have these little sparring matches. Besides, it keeps you sharp.”
And just like that, the tension that had been building up like a bad thunderstorm was gone.
What I wouldn’t give to have a family like this one, Charlie thought, and then immediately felt guilty.
“Charlie,” Jared said abruptly. “Would you like to go for a walk, maybe somewhere a bit further away this time. I’m dying for some fresh air and, well, to get away from these yahoos for a bit.”
Every eye was suddenly on them, and Charlie had no idea what he was supposed to say. If he said yes, then might make the rest of the family feel like he wanted to get away from them. If he said no, then he would probably hurt Jared’s feelings.
“I think that’s a very good idea,” Joyce said. “You two could use a little bit of alone time, and I promise I won’t interrupt this time.” She gave them both a very knowing look, and this time it was Charlie’s turn to blush.
“Thanks for that, mom,” Jared said, his own face also starting to flush. “Well, Charlie? What about it?”
This was the chance he’d been waiting for, and Charlie would be a fool not to take it.
He flashed his most camera-ready grin. “I’d love to.”