Page 56 of Perfect Enough
He cleared his throat. “I enjoy it very much.”
“And you work on your family’s farm as well?”
If I didn’t think I’d fall, I would have closed my eyes and moaned.
“It’s a cattle ranch, and yes, I love that work as well.”
“What do you do on the ranch?”
“Mom, maybe now isn’t the time to grill Josh about his jobs.”
“I was just making polite conversation, Sophia Grace.”
Stopping at the bottom of the steps, I faced my mother. “I’m sorry, it just feels like maybe we should save that for another time.”
Her face lit up—and I instantly knew I’d made a mistake.
“That’s a wonderful idea! Josh, when’s your next evening off? We can have dinner at my house.”
Josh looked from me to my mother, then back at me. All I could do was give him a look that said I was so sorry for walking right into that set-up.
When he focused back on my mother, he wore a killer smile. “I’m off Wednesday, but I’ll have to check with my mom. We usually have a family dinner.”
“Well then, you should invite your parents as well.”
“What?” Josh and I said in unison.
My mother looked between us. “Theydoknow you’re dating, don’t they?”
Apparently, Josh was much smarter than I was, because my first instinct was to lie and sayof courseI’ve met them, thereby digging myself into an even bigger shame hole. But Josh spoke first.
“No, I haven’t told them I was dating anyone. Sophia and I have kept things rather…casual this past month.”
“Oh, I see, I see,” my mother replied, looking at me as if I’d done something wrong. “I wasn’t aware that things were…casual.”
“Mom,” I warned.
Grinning now, she ignored me. “I’ll let you be off on your date. If you decide to do dinner, just have Sophia let me know. And the invite for your parents still stands.”
“Thank you so much, Gloria.”
I swore my mother blushed as she pulled her gaze from Josh and started for her car. “Enjoy the day, kids!”
Josh put his hand on my lower back and guided me to his truck. Once my mother was pulling away in her car, I said, “I’m so sorry—again.”
“It’s okay. She just asked about my jobs, is all.”
Climbing up into the truck, I laughed. “If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have gotten to your blood type.”
He laughed. “I don’t think it would have gone that far.”
“You don’t know my mother.”
Once he got into the truck and started it, he glanced at me and said, “She wouldn’treallyask my blood type, would she?”
I raised one brow and whispered, “Give her time.”
Chapter Thirteen