An (Almost) Perfect Love Story (Love Story Book Three) Read Free

does a ten year old even learn something like that?”
    “TV,” I said, grinning at her. “Don’t you know it’s full of garbage these days?” Sometimes I envied Susan, working with the older kids. She certainly got to spend more of her time teaching and less of it making sure her students had gotten the hang of sitting still. But I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep a straight face if I heard a kid say something like that.
    “How were your kids?” she asked, brushing her red hair away from her face. “Tell me they were crazy, too. I’ll be depressed if mine were the only ones acting like hellions.”
    “They’re not hellions,” I told her, laughing again. Susan had a flair for the dramatic, and she tended to be sarcastic. But I had seen her in action as a teacher, and I knew she loved it, regardless of how much she complained. “My kids were a little crazy, but nothing out of the ordinary. It’s winter, they’re cooped up.”
    “Yeah, just wait until next week,” she grumbled. “Valentine’s Day. Kill me now.”
    “Oh, come on,” I said. “Valentine’s Day is fun! The kids have a blast!”
    “The kids have too much fun,” she said darkly. “They get all hopped up on candy and the party atmosphere. It’s impossible to get any work done. And it’s worse when they’re older, ’cause then you have all the boyfriend, girlfriend drama.” She gave a mock shudder. “I hate Valentine’s Day.”
    “You’re turning into a cynic,” I warned. “Come on! Don’t you love making the mailboxes for their cards? And decorating the room? It’s fun!”
    Susan just rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Ashley. Valentine’s Day at school is no better than Valentine’s Day in my personal life. Both are disappointing and frustrating.”
    “Susan!” I laughed. “You’re married.”
    “All the more reason to hate Valentine’s Day,” she muttered. “Romance dies the second that ring goes on your finger, Ash.”
    I made a face at her. “I hope I never end up so jaded.”
    Susan just laughed. “Oh, you will,” she said, pointing a finger at me. “I know you think you have it made with your cutie pie boyfriend, but just you wait. Once they know they have you, they completely give up on trying to impress you.”
    “Chris isn’t like that,” I said staunchly. Friend or not, I wasn’t going to let her talk crap about Chris.
    “Okay,” she said, clearly unconvinced. “So what does Mr. Romantic have planned for Valentine’s Day, anyhow?”
    I made a face at her moniker but decided to let it go. Not that I was complaining, but Chris wasn’t Mr. Romantic. Far from it. Of the two of us, I was certainly the one who’d gotten the romance gene. But Chris still made an effort to let me know how much I meant to him. What else could I ask for?
    “I’m not sure,” I told Susan. “He says it’s a secret.”
    “I think that’s code for he hasn’t come up with anything yet.” I stuck my tongue out at her and she grinned. “Joking. I hope he really has something nice planned for you. Whenever Ted tells me something is a secret, it usually means he forgot to make plans.”
    I laughed along with her. Susan had been married for nearly ten years now. As much as she complained about her husband, Ted, I knew she really loved him, and their two sons. At least, I was pretty sure she did…
    “Anyhow,” Susan said, standing. “A couple of us are gonna go for burgers and beer. You wanna come?”
    I gestured at my desk. “Maybe next time? I want to get these lesson plans done before I leave.”
    “Big plans this weekend?”
    “Just some friends coming over.” My voice was casual, but I felt a little rush of excitement. I had made plans to spend the evening with most of my favorite people—Chris, Ryan, and Emily. Ryan had been traveling a lot for work lately, and Emily and I had both been spending too much time with our respective boyfriends and not enough time together. The four of us had been inseparable since