Free Passionate Pleasures by Bertrice Small

Blair put me quite firmly in my place.” She smiled. “Then he came in this morning to apologize, so I apologized too, and we got to talking about the summer reading program.”
    “Mavis has high hopes,” Rina teased as she stood up, preparing to leave.
    “Mavis should stop trying to get me married off. I’m too young to get married,” Kathryn said with a grin.
    Rina chortled.
    “Do you know how he ended up here in Egret Pointe?” Kathryn was curious.
    “I think Joe Pietro d’Angelo had something to do with it. Ask him,” Rina said. “I gotta run. I promised Emily I’d babysit Sean Michael while she runs to the obstetrician. Sam will be tickled you like the idea. Later!”
    When Rina had left, Kathryn picked up the phone and dialed the law offices of Johnson and Pietro d’Angelo. “Tell me about Timothy Blair,” she said to Joe Pietro d’Angelo when he came on the line.
    “What do you want to know?”
    “How did he end up in Egret Pointe?” Kathryn said.
    “My cousin, Ray, in the city suggested him. They play squash together, and Ray knew he wasn’t happy where he was.”
    “Why not?”
    “No chance for advancement. The guy is forty-three, Kathy. He was the assistant headmaster. The head was your age, and he was going to hang in for a long time. So when Ray and Rose were here over the Memorial Day weekend, and Mrs. Riley dropped her bombshell, I knew we were going to need a new guy. Ray said his squash partner might be just the person for us. I asked Ray to have his friend get in touch with us if he was interested. He was. He came out and interviewed with the board just before the end of June. He’s got degrees up the wazoo, including one in administration and management. He had the experience. We liked him, so we offered him the job.”
    “You offered him a job before you did a thorough background check?” Kathryn asked. “Was that wise, Joe?” She was surprised. Joe Pietro d’Angelo was usually a lot more careful than that. “I know the school board was hesitant to pick someone already in their employ for a lot of reasons, but to just hire a stranger seems chancy.”
    “We did our background check before he even interviewed,” Joe told her. “We figured if we liked the guy and everything checked out, we had better hire him while we could get him. Timothy Blair is clean as a whistle. Never been arrested, not even for speeding. Never been married, but not gay. He was engaged once but she was killed in a hit-and-run accident. When his mother died, he came home to look after his father. That was his life for the last couple of years. Taking care of his old man, and working. Adopted the dog he has as a puppy from friends right after his dad died.”
    “What did his parents do?” Kathryn couldn’t help herself. She wanted to know all she could about Timothy Blair, although she didn’t really understand why she was so interested in the man.
    “His father was the senior partner in Ray’s firm until he retired. His mother remained at home. Did a lot of charity work. The family was very social,” Joe said. His eyes twinkled. “How come you’re so interested, Kathy?” He wished he could see her face right now.
    “No particular reason,” she lied, and knew he knew it.
    “Well, that’s all I can tell you, but I’ll ask Ray for more details if you want,” he teased her, grinning to himself as he imagined her pale cheeks coloring with a blush. Red-heads really glowed when they blushed.
    “No, I was just curious. He seemed very nice, and liked my summer reading program,” Kathryn said. “Thanks for filling me in on Mr. Blair, Joe. Say hi to Tiffany for me.” Then without waiting for him to reply she hung up the phone. From what Joe had told her she suspected the Middle School was very fortunate in their new principal, but of course only time would tell.
    The afternoon wore on. There was a library board meeting at six. Kathryn ate a sandwich, some salad, and iced tea before returning to