Read Online With the Headmaster's Approval by Jan Hurst-Nicholson - Free Book Online Page B

perfectionist. It’s not often you find this quality these days.”
    “Yes. I’m lucky to have it.”
    The phone shrilled and she went to answer it. It was the garage. Her car wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow, late morning.  She sighed. “I’ll have to ask Charlie to take Erica to school in the morning. ”
    “Don’t worry. I’m going past. I’ll give her a lift – if she’s not too mortified to accept. But tell her she’ll have to be ready early. I get there at eight fifteen.”
     
    The following morning Lisa was walking into school when she saw Adam’s Jeep already in the car park. She was surprised to see him go round to the passenger side and open the door, and even more surprised when he helped Erica Rawlings down. She stumbled and he caught her in his arms. He handed her schoolbag to her and she limped into the building.
    “What was all that about?”
    Adam told her the story and she smiled to herself. Faye was single and he seemed to like her. She wondered whether he’d had girlfriends in the five years since his wife died. It was hard to believe there had been no one since Michelle. But he’d seemed to drift from job to job doing relief teaching, and one year as a deputy head. He probably hadn’t stayed long enough to form a relationship, and he was still in love with Michelle. He’d told Neil he wanted to return to Hawaii, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Michelle and the children, whose graves were in a local cemetery. He’d just about made his mind up to leave when he’d been offered the head’s job, and with it being Michelle’s old school and the governing body wanting to instil some discipline, he’d felt sure he was meant to take it.
    Shortly after assembly Lisa’s phone rang. She answered it and then tapped on Adam’s door before walking into his office. He was studying the computer screen. “Barbara Crook has been trying to get hold of you,” she said. Lisa fielded all his landline calls, but most of the staff now had his mobile number.
    “I know,” he said, glancing at the phone on his desk , which he’d switched off. “What does she want this time?”
    “It’s the printer. She says it’s not working. She wants to print recipes for the girls to take home. She wants to know if you can look at it.”
    “Tell her to email the recipes to the girls.”
    “I tried that, but she claims that some of the girls say they never receive them if she emails.”
    “Take a memory stick and load whatever she wants onto it and bring it here to print – and make sure to tell her that you’ll do the printing.”
    He’d obviously got the measure of Barbara Crook.
     
     
     
     

C HAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    L isa was unpacking the groceries in their kitchen while Neil stacked them in the cupboard when she came across a small brown packet with the pharmacy’s name on it. What had Neil bought? She opened it and was shocked to see a packet of condoms. Her stomach lurched. Why was he buying condoms if they were trying for a baby? She found she was gripping the counter as a myriad of sordid scenarios flashed though her mind.
    He was asking her why she’d bought a different type of cat food, but she wasn’t listening.
    “I said, why have you changed the cat’s food?”
    He turned and saw the shocked and fearful expression on her face. “What’s wrong, Lisa?”
    She held up the packet of condoms. He burst out laughing. “Did you think they were for me?
    “Well, who are they for?” she demanded.
    “Adam.”
    “Adam ?”
    “Yes, Adam.”
    “But why on earth are you buying condoms for Adam?”
    He chuckled. It’s quite funny really. He told me that one of the girl’s mother works at the supermarket and she’s been telling everyone what he buys. He doesn’t know which supermarket, let alone which mother, so he asked me to get some.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I promised him I wouldn’t mention it to you.”
    She sighed with relief, guilty that she’d even suspected him