Free Third Time's the Bride! by Merline Lovelace Page B

Faust.”
    At his blank look, she gave a small smile.
    “The current—and first—female president of Harvard.”
    He didn’t know much about Bryn Mawr aside from the fact that it was one of the Seven Sisters, the prestigious female counterparts to the formerly all-male Ivy League colleges. Ms. Davidson’s condescending little smile rubbed him the wrong way, however.
    “You also spent some years in academia yourself,” he commented, his tone a shade cooler.
    “Almost a decade. Unfortunately, it took me that long to admit the dismal failure of our secondary education system. Since then I’ve worked only with young children. I prefer to discipline their minds and shape their study habits before our public school system warps both.”
    Brian couldn’t help contrasting her grim assessment with Tommy’s eagerness to dive headfirst into that same system.
    “In that regard,” she continued, adjusting the drape of her cashmere scarf, “I’m fully qualified to homeschool your son. Not only is it a safer environment given today’s drug and violence infected society, but studies show that home-educated students typically score fifteen to thirty percentile points above public school students on standardized academic achievement tests.”
    “I appreciate the benefits of homeschooling, but I believe acquiring social skills are as important as acing achievement tests.”
    “I don’t disagree. That’s why I encourage participation in extracurricular activities like a youth orchestra or sports team. Within carefully selected parameters, of course.”
    Parameters, Brian guessed, that would exclude the ethnically diverse environment he and Caroline had wanted their children to experience. Rising, he offered Ms. Davidson his hand.
    “I appreciate you agreeing to fly up to Washington on such short notice. As I’m sure you’ll appreciate that I have several other candidates to interview. I’ll let you know my decision by the end of the week.”
    Surprised, she got to her feet. “Don’t you want me to meet Thomas? Give you my assessment of how well we’d interact before you decide?”
    “I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ll have Mrs. Jones call down for a car to take you back to your hotel.”
    With the tact that made her worth her weight in gold, LauraBeth accompanied Ms. Davidson to the elevator and made sure she was on her way down to street level before she retrieved the next applicant from the elegant, wood-paneled visitors’ lounge.
    Patricia Gallagher was younger, friendlier and every bit as qualified. She was also an easy conversationalist, with an up-to-date grasp of current world affairs. Brian was impressed until she raised the issue of medical insurance.
    “I have basic health coverage,” she assured him, “but I would expect you to provide supplemental coverage for co-pays and prescription costs.”
    “Yes, of course.”
    It was a reasonable request. Brian had provided both basic and supplemental insurance for Lottie Wells and would continue to do so until she transitioned to Medicare in a few years. The fact that medical coverage seemed of particular concern to Ms. Gallagher raised a red flag, though.
    “Tommy’s a very active child,” he told her, taking care not to cross the fine line between what an employer could and couldn’t ask a prospective employee. “You’ll need a lot of energy to keep up with him.”
    “That won’t be a problem. I’m pretty active myself. But...well... I hope you’re not one of those parents who doesn’t believe in vaccinations. Your son’s had all his shots, hasn’t he?”
    “I wouldn’t have bought him home from the kennel otherwise,” Brian assured her solemnly.
    She laughed, then volunteered the reason behind her concern. “I’m healthy as a horse most of the time, but I do seem to be susceptible to viral infections. That’s why I had to terminate my previous position,” she explained with genuine regret. “The kids were great. I really loved