So why does that logic, that common sense, fail to make me not want to see Palmer again?

“I’m not going to try to convince you to do something that you don’t want to do,” I say. “And I’m not going to lie to you and paint a picture that isn’t real.”

But as I lay the words on top of the fence between us, she recoils.

“But I will say this . . .” I take off my hat and run my fingers through my hair. “I think honesty cures a lot of miscommunications and problems in life.”

“True.”

I plop my hat back down on my head. “You don’t want a relationship with me any more than I want one with you.”

Her face falls, and it causes an uncomfortable blip in my chest.

“But two adults can be friends and have fun together and know that it’s not going anywhere. Right?” I ask.

She nods slowly, like she’s unsure.

“I have a helluva lot of fun when you’re around,” I say. “You make me smile and laugh, and you’re so fucking beautiful.”

Her whole face lights up.

“I don’t want to cause you any problems,” I say. “I just like being around you, Palmer. So if you change your mind and decide you want to hang out—”

“I picked them all up!” Ethan hits the fence like a train. The entire fence line shakes as he climbs it like a tree. “They’re in the bucket.”

“You got all the balls picked up?” I ask.

He hops off the top of the fence and lands on his feet. Then he spins around and grins from ear to ear. “Yup!”

“Thank you, buddy. That’s super helpful.”

“Sure!” He tosses a ball up in the air and catches it in his bare hands. “I’ll be in the car, Mom.”

“Okay. I’ll just be a second.”

Palmer turns to face me. She takes a long, deep breath. As she exhales, the shakiness is evident.

“You make me nervous,” she says quietly. “Like, I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t know if I can be that much of an adult and remember . . .”

“Remember what?”

She grins. “I don’t know if I can see the stop sign that we just plunked down at the end of baseball season. That’s when you’re leaving, right?”

I nod.

“So this is just . . .” Her voice trails off.

“It’s whatever you want it to be. It’s fun. It’s friendly. It’s killing some time until I go to Cali and you find your Prince Charming.”

She levels her gaze with mine. The intensity, the soberness, buried in her eyes lights a fire in my core.

Fucking hell.

“If Val will watch Ethan for me Friday night—and that’s a big if—maybe you could come over and we could order a pizza.”

I grin. “Can’t wait.”