Page 39 of Small Town CEO Grump

I smiled, as she answered after two rings, like she always did.

“Hey Girly Girl,” she said, using the nickname she had given me when I was only two years old. Aside from the brief time I was in middle school, I had always loved it. I always listened for her voice when I was playing softball, and there was always something so comforting about hearing the familiar name.

“Hey mom,” I said, trying to make my voice sound casual. “What are you up to?”

“I was just sitting here reading,” she said. “I started a new book this morning and I haven’t really been able to put it down. I even had your dad pick up some takeout for lunch because I didn’t want to cook.”

I laughed, imagining her sitting in her chair and refusing to do anything other than read. She had always been an avid reader, and I knew that I got my love of books, writing, and reading from her. Every room in her house had at least two bookshelves, stocked full of every imaginable genre and title. She never left the house without a book in her bag, which is a habit that she passed along to me.

“What about you?” she asked. “What are you doing on this fine afternoon?”

“Well,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I am trying to read, but I can’t focus. I can’t stop thinking about my date with Ryan.”

“What do you mean?” my mom asked. “You sound worried. Why does thinking about your date with Ryan make you worried?”

I smiled as I felt a surge of gratitude that my mom could read me so well.

“I don’t exactly know,” I admitted. “I don’t know if I am worried, or nervous, or what. I’m just not sure. The date is in four days, but I have been nervous ever since he asked me out.”

“I thought you would be excited that you guys are finally going out,” she said.

“Finally?” I said, teasing my mom. “You make it sound like I had the opportunity to go on a date with him before but I just wasn’t taking advantage of it.”

She laughed. “Okay, yeah. I can see how it sounded that way, but that’s not what I meant. I just meant that it seems obvious that you two should be dating.”

“You really think that?” I asked.

“Of course I do,” she answered. “Why? Are you doubting that? Are you wondering whether or not you should have agreed to the date?”

“No,” I said, honestly. “It makes sense to me why we would go out. I think the only thing I’m doubting is what this might mean for Tyler.”

“What do you mean what it might mean for Tyler?” my mom asked. “Tyler adores Ryan. He’s made that perfectly clear.”

“I know. But he knows Ryan as his coach. I don’t think he’s ever thought of him as somebody that I would be dating. I don’t know if he’s ever even thought of me dating anyone. So I am just concerned that it might be weird for him, and weird for me to bring a man into his life, since he’s never really had a man around, other than his grandpa.”

My mom sighed and I could tell that she was considering whether or not she should say what was on her mind.

“What are you thinking?” I asked. I knew that I might not like what she had to say, but I also knew that I wanted to hear it. I respected my mom’s opinion, and I knew that she only wanted the very best for me.

“Okay,” my mom said, speaking slowly and carefully choosing her words. “I am wondering if you are overly concerned about this. It seems to me that you might be making things a lot more complicated than they need to be.”

I thought for a minute, letting my mom’s words sink in.

“You might be right,” I finally said. “I might be making this more dramatic than it needs to be. Tyler really does like Ryan. Ryan really likes Tyler as well. They work together a lot, and really seem to get along.”

“Exactly,” my mom said. “So, now that you can’t put it on your son, why exactly do you think you are nervous about going out with him?”

Her tone was gentle, but I knew that she was asking me the tough question because I needed to consider it. I needed to get this worked out if I was going to start dating Ryan.

“You’re right, Mom,” I said, feeling my eyes fill up with tears. “I am nervous. I haven’t dated anyone since Tyler’s dad left me. I haven’t even thought about dating anyone at all during this time.”

“I know, Honey,” my mom said. “And why is that?”

“A few reasons. I mean, I haven’t really met anyone who I would want to go out with, but I also haven’t really been open to it. I am so afraid of getting hurt again.”

My mom didn’t say anything, I knew she was waiting until I was ready to keep talking. I blinked back the tears and willed myself not to cry. I wasn’t going to shed any more tears over that man.

“I was so disappointed,” I said. “That wasn’t at all what I thought was going to happen. I never even imagined it was a possibility. When we got married, I thought it was going to last the rest of our lives. When I first realized I was pregnant, I knew that it was a shock. We hadn’t planned on having kids so soon, but we had always talked about the fact that we wanted to have at least two, if not three or four, children, and so I didn’t think he would react the way he did.”

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