Read Online Ace Jones: Mad Fat Adventures in Therapy by Stephanie McAfee - Free Book Online

says. “It’s okay that they hired someone to replace you. All of that is just fine. It took a lot of courage for you to pursue your dream. Most people never get that chance or never take it, but you did. And that’s a wonderful thing. Now you’re free from that nagging uncertainty. That’s more of a blessing than a curse.”
    â€œI guess,” I say.
    â€œWell, I know,” she says. “And you can trust me because I’m a professional.” Molly just made a joke. All of that niceness, intelligence, plus a sense of humor? I’m impressed. So impressed that when my session is five minutes from being over, I don’t want to leave. I feel like I’ve found a safe haven in Molly.
    â€œAce, when it comes to truly being happy, the most important thing is not whom you marry or where you live or if it snows ten feet or two inches. It’s about loving yourself, being kind to yourself, you taking good care of
you
.” She pauses to let me process that. “Do some soul-searching. We don’t love the same things in our thirties that we did in our twenties.”
    â€œThank goodness,” I say.
    â€œThank goodness,” she says. I look at the clock and see that it’s time for me to get up off the lovely red sofa. “Be kind to yourself,” she says. “Find that place where you can always go and be happy.” She puts her right hand over her heart and says, “This is where you start.”
    When I get home, the sun is shining and the sky is clear. I find Buster Loo sitting next to the front door looking up at his leash.
    â€œYou wanna go for a walk?” I ask him. “Buster Loo wanna go for a walk?” He goes nuts, which means yes, so I bundle us both up and we take off for the park. After a nice walk, we go back to the house and Buster Loo disappears behind the love seat.
    I go out onto my back porch and notice some snow on the ledge that’s shaded from the sun. I walk over and try to make a little snow ball, but it’s so light and powdery, it just melts away. “And that’s okay,” I tell myself. I go back in the house, start a pot of coffee, and flip open my laptop. I go to Bugtussle School District’s employment page, intent on putting in an application. When I get there, I notice a new job opportunity has been posted. I click on the link and read the job title: Permanent Substitute Teacher. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but maybe that’s okay, too. I click the button to apply.

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
    Thanks to Molly Reese and Danielle Perez for making this little project possible.

A BOUT THE A UTHOR
    Stephanie McAfee was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and now lives in Milton, Florida, with her husband, young son, and chiweenie dog.
    CONNECT ONLINE
    www.stephanie-mcafee.com
    www.facebook.com/BooksByStephanie
    www.twitter.com/StephanieMcAfee

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF STEPHANIE McAFEE
    Happily Ever Madder
    â€œA funny story about a woman who can’t seem to keep it together and her madcap friends. Fans of Bridget Jones should like this one.”
    â€”
News and Sentinel
(Parkersburg, WV)
    â€œMcAfee’s novel is filled with delicate Southern charm as well as backbiting Southern snark, and her characters alternate between inducing laughter to prompting eye rolling. Fans of [her first book] will certainly clamor for this one.”
    â€”
Booklist
    â€œFun and clever, and Ace is still a firecracker.”
    â€”
Publishers Weekly
    â€œOne of the funniest stories that I can remember reading. . . .I just can’t sing the praises of McAfee’s books enough! . . . In fact, her style reminds me a bit of Jennifer Weiner’s. . . .Graciela ‘Ace’ Jones . . . is my current favorite literary character.”
    â€”BookPleasures.com
    â€œThis book is written with humor but still a lot of feeling, and I have to give this sequel a big 5