"I guess I should get going," Mom said after dinner. Jared wasn"t about to stop her. He wanted Ashley to stay again, and he couldn"t, or more accurately, wouldn"t ask her with his mom here.
"Are you sure you want to make the drive tonight?" Ashley asked, saving him from having to.
"Oh, yes. It"s still early. I can make it home before dark, and I didn"t come up planning to spend the night anyway. I spent the whole drive mentally preparing myself to drag Jared home." His mother smiled at Ashley. "I"m glad things aren"t what I feared. Anyway, I"ve done what I came to do. Jared is fine, so I"ll leave you two to do your thing." Amy picked up her purse, hugged Jared, and reached for Ashley. "It"s been so nice to meet you. I"m glad you were here for him to meet."
Jared watched helplessly as hi
