Free Trouble Me: A Rosewood Novel by Laura Moore

giving her a chance to explain told her a lot about his sense of fairness, an important quality in a principal.
    Still, this was hardly her favorite topic of conversation. Taking heart that he’d broached the topic of her previous misdemeanors
after
she’d signed the contract—a pretty sure indication that whatever he’d heard wasn’t bad enough to prevent him from hiring her—she said, “When my parents died, I went through a dark period. I was really angry and scared and made a lot of stupid and reckless decisions.”
    He’d probably heard the rumors surrounding her mother’s infidelity too, but there was no way she was going to address them. Instead, she said, “Luckily, my sisters, Margot and Jordan, were there for me, and with their help I was able to straighten myself out. Getting introuble with the Warburg police was a darned good wake-up call too,” she added wryly. “Mr. Guerra, I promise that since my last run-in with them at age seventeen, I haven’t had so much as a parking ticket.”
    Ted Guerra nodded. “When the stories about you came to my attention, I looked again at your file. Your academic record and your letters of recommendation are outstanding.” Noting the blush that warmed her face, he said, “Really,
outstanding
is the only way to describe someone with a double major in anthropology and education whose thesis received highest honors and who graduated at the top of her class. I’m impressed by the fact that you overcame your difficult adolescence. Not everyone manages to do so—or to do it as successfully. Moreover, I think your past experiences will serve you well as a teacher.”
    It was a good thing he didn’t appear to expect a response, as she would have contradicted all the glowing things he’d said about her by sounding like a total twit, babbling her gratitude.
    Instead, he continued, all brisk and businesslike, “Now, I’ve drafted a letter to the second-grade parents, explaining that you’ll be taking over for Sandy until she can come back after winter break. I’ll of course highlight your credentials and experience as a student teacher, but I thought it might be nice if, along with my letter, you could write one to the children telling them a little bit about yourself. Nothing too involved, just enough to make them know how pleased you are to be teaching them.”
    “Sure. That’s no problem.”
    “I called Sandy Riley to let her know you’ll be subbing for her. She’s delighted—she knows your sister Jordan. She said she’d be happy to lend you her lesson plans from last year if you think they’d be helpful.”
    “I’d love to look them over, perhaps use them as a springboard for my own plans,” she replied.
    “Good,” he said with a nod. “I’m going to drop by and see how she’s doing. I’ll collect the materials then. Let’s see, what else do we need to cover?” He paused to consult a handwritten list. “Oh, yes, your classroom. I’ll take you to see it so that you can figure out what you want on the walls. We’ve got some visuals in the supply room you can use. There are also some math manipulatives, puzzles, and flash cards. Most everything else you’ll have to buy on your own. You’ve got a three-hundred-dollar budget. After that, expenses and supplies come out of your pocket. A lot of the teachers write a letter to the parents to send in basic supplies like Kleenex. You can draw up a list and put it in your letter or save it until parents’ night—that’s scheduled two weeks after school opens.”
    “Okay. And what’s your policy on animals in the classroom? Can I buy some fish for the class? It’s a good way to get the kids observing nature.”
    “Sure. Tricia Creighton, who’s teaching the other second-grade class, has a terrarium with turtles and lizards. Your room has a southern exposure, so you can have plants in there too.”
    “Sounds good.” Great, in fact. Anything that could turn a blah, ho-hum institutional space into