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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

I didn’t mean to come across as so hot and cold. I know that I’ve done that and it’s embarrassing. I’m not playing games with you or anything like that. I just have a hard time bridging the gap between what I want, what I need, and what I need to want.

Me:

I appreciate that. But you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You aren’t the only one that feels that way about things in their life.

Palmer:

Thank you. It’s just so frustrating.

Me:

Believe it or not, your frustration came through in your above text. imageImage

Palmer:

Very funny. imageImage

Me:

What’s going on? Boil it down for me.

Palmer:

Okay. It’s simple. I’m attracted to you. But I need to stay focused on what’s best for me. Long-term. For Ethan too. I need to want what’s best for me, which has always been my Achilles Heel.

Me:

I feel like my best bet here is for me to focus on the you being attracted to me part.

Palmer:

That’s the part that I’m having a hard time not paying the most attention to.

My shoulders ease as I relish the simpleness of the exchange. The banter. This amusing, intriguing woman. Even though she’s rejected me—a few times—this is the only easy thing in my life at the moment.

It occurs to me as I stand beside the picnic table that this is precisely why I can’t shrug this woman off.

She’s the only thing that feels right to me right now.

Me:

So, about the pizza—what kind of pizza do you like?

I asked not because I care about what pizza toppings she prefers but because ending this conversation feels lonely. And besides, she reached out to me. Maybe she’s lonely too.

Palmer:

Anything but olives. You?

Me:

I’ve never met a pizza that I didn’t like.

Palmer:

I was afraid you were going to pull some California pizza thing on me with cauliflower crust and a broccoli Rabe topping. imageImage

Me:

I mean, to each their own but that description does not equal a pizza to me in any way, shape, or form.

Palmer:

Thank God. Also, now is a good time to tell you that Val set aside her frustration that you chose to have dinner with me and not her after her overt picture-liking and said she’d be happy to watch Ethan on Friday.

Me:

That’s the second-best thing to happen to me this week. imageImage imageImage

I watch with bated breath for another message to pop up on my screen. Just when I’m scrambling to put together a message to keep the banter flowing, my phone dings.

Palmer: