Read Online Trouble Me: A Rosewood Novel by Laura Moore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laura Moore
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time to come.
“And stuff? As in good hot stuff?” She elbowed Jade in the ribs playfully.
“Shh! Pipe down!” Jade stole a glance at her sisters. Luckily, they were fielding questions from Max and Georgie about whether an ice cream trip to the Shake Shack was in the foreseeable future. “This wasn’t just good. It was superlative hot stuff.”
“Nice. Did you get his number?”
“No, why should I? I’ve got way better things to do with my time than call guys up—unless they happen to be balding, adorable men of the cloth.”
Miriam gave a laugh. “I guess the Rev will do in a pinch.”
“Stuart’s been bragging he can match my four-bagger.”
“Wait. What’s that one mean again?”
It was Jade’s turn to elbow her friend. “Miriam, please, you’ve got to keep bowling terms straight. A four-bagger—aka a clover, and sometimes referred to as a hambone—is when you bowl four strikes in a row. A strike is when your bowling ball hits all the pins. Don’t you dare ask what a pin is or I’ll break down and cry.”
“And Stuart thinks he can throw a four-bagger-clover-hambone whatever?”
“So he claims. I know he’s God’s BF, Miriam, but I’m going to have to take the good Reverend Stuart Wilde down a couple pegs.”
“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. But, Jade, I’mworried that bowling is a poor substitute for getting superlative hot stuff. You sure you don’t want to check out what some of the available men in Warburg have to offer?” Miriam teased.
“Thanks, but no, thanks.”
O N M ONDAY afternoon Jade was seated in the office of Ted Guerra, the Warburg Elementary School principal. She’d been in her fair share of principals’ offices before—usually for disciplinary reasons—and Guerra’s office was a nice departure from the usual ho-hum decorating scheme. It had lots of books, puzzles, and student art. Paintings and drawings covered the walls, and there were even some clay sculptures adorning the bookshelves. On his desk were photographs of his wife and children, the youngest of which looked to be in his late teens.
“Here you go, Jade.” Ted Guerra handed her a stapled sheaf of papers. “Just sign the last page of the contract and we’ll be set.” He lifted a ceramic coffee mug that read
Teachers are heroes
and offered her one of the ballpoint pens that filled it.
Taking the contract and pen, she flipped to the last page, signed her name where he’d indicated, wrote in the date, and capped the pen. “It’s that easy? Nothing more to it?”
“Not a thing,” he replied with a shake of his head. “As soon as Sandy Riley called me with the news that she wouldn’t be able to teach this fall, I made immediate arrangements to offer you the temporary appointment. Nothing is more confusing to students than opening the school year without a head teacher. Luckily, we had all your relevant documentation, since you’d applied for ateaching position. In addition, I’d already run a criminal background check on you. Happily, you don’t have a record.”
Jade answered his smile with a weak one, while inside, her stomach knotted in anxiety. Ted Guerra had moved to Warburg only recently; he wouldn’t have necessarily learned about her delinquent past and that the reason she didn’t have a rap sheet was because her brushes with the law had all occurred when she was a minor.
But Warburg had more than its fair share of tongue-waggers, so she was more resigned than surprised when he cleared his throat. “I have, however, heard some stories about your high school years. Is there anything you’d like to clarify?”
She liked Ted Guerra. Liked his open, freckled face and the intelligent hazel eyes, liked that his receding hairline made him seem boyish rather than old. Above all, she liked that his expression hadn’t gone sour with self-righteous disapproval simply because he’d heard about her unhappy and out-of-control teenage past. The fact that he was
“And stuff? As in good hot stuff?” She elbowed Jade in the ribs playfully.
“Shh! Pipe down!” Jade stole a glance at her sisters. Luckily, they were fielding questions from Max and Georgie about whether an ice cream trip to the Shake Shack was in the foreseeable future. “This wasn’t just good. It was superlative hot stuff.”
“Nice. Did you get his number?”
“No, why should I? I’ve got way better things to do with my time than call guys up—unless they happen to be balding, adorable men of the cloth.”
Miriam gave a laugh. “I guess the Rev will do in a pinch.”
“Stuart’s been bragging he can match my four-bagger.”
“Wait. What’s that one mean again?”
It was Jade’s turn to elbow her friend. “Miriam, please, you’ve got to keep bowling terms straight. A four-bagger—aka a clover, and sometimes referred to as a hambone—is when you bowl four strikes in a row. A strike is when your bowling ball hits all the pins. Don’t you dare ask what a pin is or I’ll break down and cry.”
“And Stuart thinks he can throw a four-bagger-clover-hambone whatever?”
“So he claims. I know he’s God’s BF, Miriam, but I’m going to have to take the good Reverend Stuart Wilde down a couple pegs.”
“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. But, Jade, I’mworried that bowling is a poor substitute for getting superlative hot stuff. You sure you don’t want to check out what some of the available men in Warburg have to offer?” Miriam teased.
“Thanks, but no, thanks.”
O N M ONDAY afternoon Jade was seated in the office of Ted Guerra, the Warburg Elementary School principal. She’d been in her fair share of principals’ offices before—usually for disciplinary reasons—and Guerra’s office was a nice departure from the usual ho-hum decorating scheme. It had lots of books, puzzles, and student art. Paintings and drawings covered the walls, and there were even some clay sculptures adorning the bookshelves. On his desk were photographs of his wife and children, the youngest of which looked to be in his late teens.
“Here you go, Jade.” Ted Guerra handed her a stapled sheaf of papers. “Just sign the last page of the contract and we’ll be set.” He lifted a ceramic coffee mug that read
Teachers are heroes
and offered her one of the ballpoint pens that filled it.
Taking the contract and pen, she flipped to the last page, signed her name where he’d indicated, wrote in the date, and capped the pen. “It’s that easy? Nothing more to it?”
“Not a thing,” he replied with a shake of his head. “As soon as Sandy Riley called me with the news that she wouldn’t be able to teach this fall, I made immediate arrangements to offer you the temporary appointment. Nothing is more confusing to students than opening the school year without a head teacher. Luckily, we had all your relevant documentation, since you’d applied for ateaching position. In addition, I’d already run a criminal background check on you. Happily, you don’t have a record.”
Jade answered his smile with a weak one, while inside, her stomach knotted in anxiety. Ted Guerra had moved to Warburg only recently; he wouldn’t have necessarily learned about her delinquent past and that the reason she didn’t have a rap sheet was because her brushes with the law had all occurred when she was a minor.
But Warburg had more than its fair share of tongue-waggers, so she was more resigned than surprised when he cleared his throat. “I have, however, heard some stories about your high school years. Is there anything you’d like to clarify?”
She liked Ted Guerra. Liked his open, freckled face and the intelligent hazel eyes, liked that his receding hairline made him seem boyish rather than old. Above all, she liked that his expression hadn’t gone sour with self-righteous disapproval simply because he’d heard about her unhappy and out-of-control teenage past. The fact that he was
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