Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Copying my move, Palmer fell back and lay next to me as we both stared up at the ceiling of my childhood bedroom. My parents hadn’t touched a thing in here. Mom clearly came in once a week and dusted, but everything was the same as it was when I’d left at eighteen.
“First thing,” Palmer said, “you’ve got to move out of Mom and Dad’s house. This is weird.”
I laughed. “Me living at home at thirty-one?”
“Yes.”
Sitting up, she turned and looked down at me. “I have an extra room. Why don’t you move in with me until you find a place of your own?”
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?” I asked, sitting up as well.
“Of course not! It’d be fun. We could do a movie night and a spa night…”
My grin faded a bit. “You’d have to let me help with rent and bills.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“And what about dating? Are you not seeing anyone?” I asked.
She sighed. “I’m giving up on men for the foreseeable future. I think I might get a cat. Would you have issues if I got a cat?”
“Oh gosh, I don’t care.” I giggled, bumping her shoulder with mine. “Though you’ll be known as that crazy cat lady.”
“Better that than dealing with lying, cheating men.”
Okay, I expected this from Sutton. But that was a pretty strong statement for my baby sister. What in the world had happened while I was in Boston? “Ouch. Where’s all this coming from?”
After a deep breath in, Palmer exhaled. “I’m so tired of guys not being who they advertise themselves to be.”
I pulled my brows down in confusion. “Okay, what does that mean?”
“You know. The guy who starts off seeming like he’s perfect in every single way. He’s kind, polite, cares about your feelings. He’s nice to your parents and brings your mother flowers. He opens the car door for you. Then, after he’s pulled you in, the truth comes out and he’s nothing like that. Sometimes I think guys fill our heads with things we want to hear so they can get in our pants.”
I blinked a few times as I let my sister’s anger-filled words settle in. “Sounds like you’ve had some bad luck with guys lately.”
She scoffed. “You could say that. Not all of them are bad, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, I haven’t found the prince. Only a lot of frogs.”
I smiled softly and took her hand. “You say that now, but sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet your prince. Trust me. I met my prince, then had to kiss a lot of toads before I realized I needed to get back to him. You’re only twenty-seven, Palmer. That’s too young to give up on men.”
“I know, I know. But what would you have done if Gannon was dating someone?” Palmer asked.
I thought about her question for a few moments. “I guess I would have had to deal with it.”
“You know every girl he’s dated didn’t last very long. They’ve all been your polar opposite. I mean, it hasn’t been a lot of women. He only dated two of them past a few months.”
I wasn’t going to lie—I was glad Gannon hadn’t dated anyone seriously. I’d dated Joey for a while off and on, but it wasn’t anything like what I’d had with Gannon. Joey and I had fun together, the sex was okay, though nothing to brag about, and I’d liked having a travel partner. I’d liked him, but I’d never been in love with him.
“The other night when Gannon stayed with me and I was so sick…it felt so right being in his arms. Like no time had passed between us at all.”
“Do you still love him?”
I felt my cheeks heat up once more. “I do. I never stopped loving him, and truth be told, I always knew I’d come back home to him. I never expected him to wait for me, just as he never expected me to wait for him. I think we were meant to be apart for a bit. To grow in our own ways and learn to live a life without one another. Does that make sense?”
Palmer nodded. “Makes total sense. It’s hard living in a small town. I’ve known most of the guys around here since kindergarten. Half of them are either married or eventually left town. The other half are…jerks. The last guy I dated told me he couldn’t be with someone who didn’t have their life together. What in the hell does that mean? I like my life. I like that I don’t have a typical day job I go to and hate. What’s wrong with that?”
I took her hand in mine. “Nothing is wrong with that, Palmer. If you’re happy then that’s all that matters. And if a guy can’t see what an amazing woman you are, then to hell with them.”