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Back The Sweet Spot Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. CHAPTER ONE PALMER
  6. CHAPTER TWO PALMER
  7. CHAPTER THREE COLE
  8. CHAPTER FOUR PALMER
  9. CHAPTER FIVE PALMER
  10. CHAPTER SIX PALMER
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN COLE
  12. CHAPTER EIGHT PALMER
  13. CHAPTER NINE PALMER
  14. CHAPTER TEN PALMER
  15. CHAPTER ELEVEN COLE
  16. CHAPTER TWELVE PALMER
  17. CHAPTER THIRTEEN PALMER
  18. CHAPTER FOURTEEN COLE
  19. CHAPTER FIFTEEN COLE
  20. CHAPTER SIXTEEN PALMER
  21. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN COLE
  22. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN PALMER
  23. CHAPTER NINETEEN PALMER
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY COLE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE PALMER
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO PALMER
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE PALMER
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR COLE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE PALMER
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX COLE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN PALMER
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT PALMER
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE COLE
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY PALMER
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE PALMER
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO COLE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE PALMER
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR COLE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE PALMER
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX COLE
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN PALMER
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT COLE
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE PALMER
  44. CHAPTER FORTY COLE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE PALMER
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO COLE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE PALMER
  48. EPILOGUE PALMER
  49. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  50. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Does this mean we’re friends?” I ask.

He shakes his head and grins.

“I need a friend, Burt.”

“You need something, that’s for sure.”

I smile at him for the first time and head back to my office.

CHAPTER FORTY COLE

CHAPTER FORTY

COLE

Just pick one.

My computer screen glows in a level that’s too bright for my hungover eyes. I don’t know how some people drink all the time. I feel like complete shit.

I scroll through the flights from Cincinnati to San Diego, opting to avoid Los Angeles, and Scott, after all. There are various options to choose from, and I’ve perused them all day. I just haven’t taken the plunge.

I’m operating in some weird state of limbo—unable to move forward, but I can’t go backward either. I’m stuck in Fish’s nice-ass apartment with nothing to do but field texts from my mother inquiring about my health and stability.

I lie to her. I tell her I’m fine. I tell her I’m out with friends and working on projects and making doctor’s appointments when, in reality, I’m just lying around and trying to distract myself.

But everything—everything—reminds me of Palmer. Movies all apparently center around a love interest, which I find annoying. Music lyrics are downright disrespectful. Even rap lyrics touch on a woman they want to be with, and it’s infuriating.

Can’t a man just get a song without a woman?

I get up and stretch out. I’ve put off booking a flight for the last four days. Why rush it now? What’s waiting for me in San Diego but a different, sunnier version of this?

My phone rings. I drop a hand and grab it, knowing it’s Mom with another angle to try to check in without being obvious about it.

“Hello?” I say with a note of sarcasm.

“Cole?”

I drop my arm to my side and perk up. “Ethan?”

“Yeah.”

His voice is rough. He sounds distant and hesitant, not at all like the boy I know him to be.

“What’s up, buddy?” I ask, my stomach in my throat. “Is everything okay?”

My mind races with a million thoughts. Is he hurt? Is Palmer all right? Did something happen? I glance at the clock. Who is with him?

“I just went for a walk outside,” he says, uncertainty riding in every syllable.

“Oh. Okay.” I scratch my head. “How’s baseball coming along?”

“It’s okay. We had a practice Saturday and another yesterday. Ted says we’ll probably lose a lot of games this year, but we can learn a lot.”

He said what?

My head steams as I think of the asshole who just took over the team—my team. Even though it’s not. How dare he say that to them?