Almost in Love by Kylie Gilmore Read Free Book Online Page B

drive back to their apartment building. She tried to get him talking about their favorite show, but his one-word answers told her he was still upset about his costume getting ruined.
    He walked her to her door. “Can I kiss you goodbye?”
    It was sweet he asked, but…she just didn’t think this was going to work out between them. “I think maybe we’re better off as friends.”
    His shoulders slumped. “Oh. Yeah.” He took a step back. “Sure, I understand.”
    She blew out a breath of relief. “You do? Great. Because I would hate to not be friends.”
    “Yeah, me too.”
    She smiled and was glad to see he smiled back. “All right. I’ll see you later.”
    She unlocked the door to her apartment. He turned and went into his apartment. That went better than she’d hoped. Good. They’d tried, it didn’t work out, no permanent damage done.

Chapter Two
    Amber went back to her normal routine of teaching rowdy kids art by day and painting with watercolors nights and weekends. Bare hadn’t stopped by for a chat or takeout like he usually did. It had been a week since their date, and she was starting to worry she wasn’t going to see him again. It had been so nice having a friend right across the hall who stopped by almost every night. She’d gone into the date expecting boring and safe and came out embarrassed, but also at peace with her decision that they were better off as friends.
    She missed him a lot.
    And what about that kiss? Slutty Amber asked. It had been a really amazing kiss.
    She confided in her friend Steph Moore, a fifth grade teacher, over lunch in the Clover Park Elementary School teachers’ lounge. “Do you think Bare’s upset? He said friends was okay with him, but I haven’t seen him at all since then. Usually he’d stop by, like, almost every night if he wasn’t working the late shift at his shop.”
    Steph considered this while chomping on a baby carrot. “Maybe he just needs a little time. He took you on a date, and you rejected him.”
    Amber thought about when he’d asked if he could kiss her goodbye. Maybe she should’ve said yes. Maybe it wasn’t the spin cycle that made their previous kiss so great. Just because they had nothing in common didn’t mean they couldn’t have a physical relationship. No, she didn’t want to be like that with Bare. He deserved better than a fling. She hoped he found someone that really appreciated what a great guy he was. Someone that really enjoyed birds and dancing cows.
    Liz O’Hare, a third grade teacher, waddled over and eased herself into a chair. Her friend looked about to pop, nearly eight months pregnant with twin girls. “Are you going to eat that?” she asked Amber, eyeing her small wheel of Babybel cheese.
    Amber handed it over. The woman was eating for three.
    “Thanks.” Liz emptied her lunch onto the table—chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, salad with chopped egg whites on top, strawberries, thermos of milk, and Amber’s cheese.
    “What’d I miss?” Liz asked around a mouthful of sandwich.
    “Amber’s hung up on the guy she claims she’s not interested in,” Steph said.
    “Barry?” Liz asked. “He’s nice.”
    “Exactly,” Amber said. “He deserves someone nice that will appreciate him.”
    “You’re nice enough,” Steph said.
    “Gee, thanks,” Amber replied.
    “I don’t see the problem,” Steph said. “He’s nice, you get along, so what if he likes birds and cows.” She pressed her lips together and added with the voice of hard experience, “That’s better than what some guys are into.”
    Liz dabbed at her milk mustache daintily with a napkin. “I kinda know what Amber means about someone special appreciating him. You haven’t met Barry, Steph, but he’s a little…unusual.”
    “Exactly!” Amber said.
    “He means well,” Liz went on. “But he’s definitely not who you might dream of as a boyfriend.” She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed. “Not the kind of guy you might