“He was.”
“So were Matthias and Jackson!”
“They were.” I scrubbed at a stubborn spot. “But every single one was the one thing I told you I’m not interested in dating.”
“Oh, come on!” Madison sat in the middle of my desk, right on the clipboard I’d been trying to find. “Jessie, you live in Jacksonville, Arkansas. You teach at the school just off Little RockAir Force Base. Who around hereisn’ton active duty? You never know who might turn out to be that Prince Charming you’re always dreaming about.”
“Prince Charming had a horse, not a cargo plane.”
“You’re right. Because a huge flying machine capable of killing bad guys is such a turn-off when compared to a horse.”
I stuck my tongue out. “You’re not changing my mind.”
“What’s not to like?” Madison began counting on her fingers. “They’ve got steady jobs. They have health insurance.” She paused. “Hey, those are two of the items on your rule list.” She began to count on her fingers. “They’ve all had some sort of background check. Clean-shaven. Have basic practical life skills. Girl, if you could kick that first rule, your dating sea would besomuch wider.”
“We have health insurance through the school district.”
“They work out for a living, and they wear uniforms. Very attractive ones at that.” Madison put her hands on her hips. “I dare you to find something not ideal about at least dating an airman.”
“Um, two things.” I heaved a stack of books into a box. “Called deployment and moving.”
Madison groaned dramatically. “Going on one date with an airman doesn’t mean you’re tied to him for the rest of your life.”
I gave my friend a knowing smile. “You also forget that I don’t date for fun.”
“Don’t you want a man of some sort eventually?”
“Of course I do. But I want to find someone to settle down with. Down being the keyword. Not up and moving every two or three years.” I held up a hand as Madison began to protest. “And as much as I love you, these one-time dates at the karaoke bar aren’t showing much potential.”
“What about Sam?” Madison jerked her chin back at the door then grinned. “He digs you.”
“He does not!” I hissed, but I was laughing, too. “And keep your voice down! I don’t want things to get weird next year if I have to teach next to him again! Besides, I’m hopefully not going to have time for lots of dating in the near future.”
“Oh, come on. He stops over here all the time.”
“He needed a stapler.”
“And tape. And a ruler. The guy’s been teaching for four years. There’s no way he’sthatforgetful.”
I paused. Unfortunately, Madison was making sense. I hadn’t thought much about it before, but Sam did stop by my room a lot. Still, I shook my head.
“If he wants to ask me out, he’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.”
“What? By bringing your father a goat?”
I gave her a look, and she snickered.
“He’s going to have to actually ask me out. None of this hinting business. Besides, I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” I stopped packing and pulled an envelope out of my desk drawer. Handing it to my friend, I tried to keep the triumphant smile off my face.
Madison took the letter out and scanned its contents, her face lighting up. “You got into grad school?”
I nodded happily. “Now all I have to do is save a little more, and I’ll be ready to go!”
“This is awesome!” Madison paused. “But you’re sure you want to do more school? Aren’t you still paying off your first round?”
I took a deep breath. “I paid off my degree a month ago, actually. And I’ve given it a lot of thought. I want to study speech therapy. Here, want some?” I grabbed a bag of goldfish crackers off my filing cabinet and held it out. After Madison had taken some, I went over to the little girl playing on the computer and set a napkin down beside her. “Do you want some goldfish, Jade?”
Jade immediately shook her head, her eyes glued to the matching game on the screen. But then she seemed to reconsider and glanced at the bag again.
