Jake groaned inwardly as Patrick decided now was the perfect time to jump into the conversation.

“Yup, that’s her,” Patrick said. “When she needed a date, Jake heroically stepped into the breach and offered his services.”

“Well that’s wonderful,” his mom said, beaming at him. “I liked her a lot. Do you think you might end up making it more than a friend date?”

“You liked her a lot?” Jake repeated, a little surprised. Granted, Sharon had been on her best behavior, but he had heard her curse more than once and make more than one inappropriate joke. And he didn’t even know everything she’d said to his mom.

“Yes, she’s very friendly.” The enthusiastic smile on his mom’s face surprised him even more. “Very funny, too. You should spend more time with her. I think someone like her would be good for you.”

“What do you mean someone like her?” Jake asked. He couldn’t help but feel a little defensive. Exactly how did his mom think Sharon could improve him? “What’s wrong with my usual kind of girlfriend?”

It was obvious his mom saw the difference between Sharon and his usual type as well.

“Nothing’s wrong with them… They just aren’t quite as friendly as her. They tend to be hard to get to know and even quieter than you are. You need someone to help you come out of your shell, the way Patrick does for you. Someone to liven up your life a little bit.”

Jake tried not to feel insulted, but it was a little hard. “My life is perfectly fine.”

“Of course, it is sweetie.” His mom gave him a look. “That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be better. Someone like Sharon would push you. Just think about it, okay? You are taking her to a wedding after all. That can be very romantic.”

“You know she curses a lot, right? And makes inappropriate jokes? And she’s probably the loudest out of our group of friends - which is really saying something. She doesn’t seem like the kind of girlfriend you would approve of me bringing home.” It wasn’t that he wanted to run Sharon down, but now he was feeling pretty defensive from his mom turning his assumptions on their head.

He really hadn’t thought his mom would like Sharon. At the very least, he hadn’t thought his mom would like Sharon for him. Hearing his mom say she thought someone with all the character traits he’d assumed she would disapprove of would be good for him… well it made him question exactly what his mom thought about him.

“So?” The expression on his mom’s face made it clear she thought he was talking crazy talk. “Why would any of that mean that I wouldn’t want you to have a girlfriend like her?”