“Oh, I like the sound of that. May I ask what provoked this quiet epiphany?”

I purposefully ignore her question and skirt around it. “I made a decision this morning.”

This is enough to redirect her attention. Her brows shoot to the ceiling.

“Don’t do this to me, Cole. Don’t make me suffer.”

“A little dramatic, don’t you think?”

She fires me a look. I laugh.

“Fine,” I say, shaking my head. “What would you think about me sticking around Bloomfield?”

Her eyes light up, and she nearly squeals. She dances in her seat like a spring has popped beneath her and propelled her up. The whole scene is hilarious.

“Cole,” she says, trying to contain herself. “I think that would be the greatest thing that you’ve ever said to me.”

“I thought you might like that.”

“So, what are your plans? What are you going to do here?”

I shrug. “I thought maybe I could spend some time with you and Dad. Help you out. Relax a little bit. I wanted to do that anyway, but then all of these offers hit the table.” I nibble on my lip as a wash of nerves bubbles in my stomach. “But is that a bad thing? I mean, if I turn them down, that doesn’t mean other offers will never come, right?”

Mom blows out a breath. “You’re in your thirties. That’s the third inning of your life.”

I smile at the reference.

“You have over half of your life left, God willing, and just because you say no to a project now doesn’t mean that others won’t come along. Besides, you have to think about it from the other side of the coin.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what if you say yes to one of those projects now, even though your heart isn’t in it? Because it’s not, Cole. I can tell.”

I frown.

“And then what if something amazing comes along in six months, and you’re already committed in this other thing?”

“That’s true.”

She smiles at me. “You should never make a decision because you’re scared.”

I sit across from her and think about that. She’s right. I know it immediately. If I’d taken one of the offers Scott got for me, I would’ve been doing it because I was fearful. What if I never get another one? It certainly wouldn’t be because it was the perfect fit.

The only thing that seems to fit is Palmer Clark. Well, not even just Palmer. Ethan too.

I wasn’t kidding about what I said last night about the atmosphere in her home. It felt like home there. It’s somewhere I want to fit, somewhere I want to belong because of the two of them.