With the Headmaster's Approval (3 page)

Lisa put a herbal tea bag into a cup and was pour
ing water on it when Barbara Crook asked, “When did you start drinking herbal tea?” Before Lisa could reply Adam, who was standing behind them, said, “I think you’ll find that’s for me.” Barbara Crook spun round, surprise on her face.

“You don’t look like someone who would drink herbal tea.
”

“Looks can be deceiving,” he replied, and taking the cup from Lisa
he sat on the couch, spreading his long legs under the coffee table.

The staff exchanged
sidelong glances. They’d expected him to sit in Miss Edwards’ empty chair at the end of the table. He was obviously unaware of the hierarchy of the staffroom and that each teacher had their ‘own’ chair in which they always sat, an unwritten rule that no one dared breach. But he was sitting in Annette Woolf’s place, and in some confusion she was left to sit beside him in Jenna Murray’s usual place. He was not sitting demurely as Jenna did, but with his legs spread apart and taking up far more space. She had to sit sideways to avoid the horror of their legs touching. She would not dare sit in Miss Edwards’ chair.

Lisa felt pressured to intervene and explain to Adam about the rule of the chairs, but didn’t know how to do it diplomatically. Barbara Crook, however, had no such scruples.  “Miss Edwards usually
sat here,” she said, patting the chair next to hers.

“
Oh. Why?” asked Adam.

They all
at first seemed stumped for a reply. Until Eleanor Stannard eventually offered, “I expect it was because it was head of the table.”

“I don’t think we need to be that formal in here, do we, ladies?” he replied, smiling round at them. “Becoming possessive about a chair is something older people
tend to do. Perhaps we should make it a habit to sit in different chairs.”

Lisa s
uppressed a grin, but worried that this was yet another change that might quietly rankle the staff. 

Now, as she looked round the assembly hall as Adam introduced himself to the students, she’d already noticed a subtle change in some of the staff. They had taken more care with their choice of clothes, and make-up had been more diligently applied. Only Jenna Murray and Dee Taylor appeared unchanged by Adam’s presence.

“As you can tell from my accent
, I’m from the US,” Adam was saying as he paced slowly back and forth across the stage, one hand in his pocket. “Hawaii, actually.” Girls were exchanging wide-eyed glances. He was becoming even more romantic. “And yes, I do know that a car has a boot and a bonnet, and not a trunk and a hood. And that colour is spelt with a U. And I don’t much like the rain and cold here, and yes, I do go home to Hawaii for the holidays.” He paused while the laughter subsided before continuing. “My father was in the US navy and I followed him into the service. I left the navy after he died and pursued my passion to become a teacher. That’s how I met my wife.” A few groans of disappointment.

He hesitated
and looked down, and they waited expectantly. Looking up again he said in a quieter voice, “Five years ago she, and our eight-year-old daughter, Kirsty, and four-year-old son, Sean were killed in a motor accident by a driver high on drugs. Kirsty would have been your age now and probably at this school, following in her mother’s footsteps.” He glanced across at the large wooden plaques adorning the walls of the hall. “She was head girl. You can see her name, Michelle Roberts. Her younger sister, Nicole was also here. I think you’ll find her name on the honour roll.”

The effect
of his words was electric.
Oh, Adam,
thought Lisa.
Don’t you know you’ve just made all the girls fall in love with you? You’re a lamb to the slaughter.

His voice stronger
now, he continued. “If anyone in this school is found with drugs it will mean instant suspension. There will be zero tolerance. If I have the slightest suspicion of drug-taking or dealing I won’t hesitate to bring in sniffer dogs. I will be sending letters to your parents informing them.  Do I make myself clear?”

This time there was
an immediate chorus of, “Yes, Sir.”

It seemed
to Lisa that her Google search had unearthed some things that he wasn’t going to mention, like medals he’d been awarded when in the navy, and martial arts trophies. He’d also failed to tell them that most of the large payout he’d received on the death of his family had been put into a drug rehabilitation programme, and together with a large donation from his mother’s wealthy family they had opened a centre for addicts in Hawaii.

He
dealt smoothly with the rest of the assembly, but it was during the closing hymn when his powerful male voice rang out that Lisa knew he’d made his presence well and truly felt.

The girls filed out noisily discussing this new development in their school life, and she followed Adam back to his office wondering what impact he would have on the rest of them. 

He sat
down at his desk and tilted his chair back. “So, how do you think they took to having a new headmaster instead of a headmistress?”

“I think they got the message that discipline will be stepped up,” she replied.

“I’d better get a quote for that glass door,” he said.

“
And also get the sign changed to Head Teacher instead of Headmistress,” said Lisa, grinning. “Fred Smith should be able to organise it. He’s been caretaker for years and knows all the building suppliers. I think he’s past retirement age, but he loves his job.”

“And I
’d better meet the kitchen staff and nutritionist,” said Adam. He glanced at his watch. “Now would probably be a good time. Let’s go.”

Lisa re-directed incoming landline calls to her phone and followed Adam out of the office.

CHAPTER THREE

Fred Smith’s workshop was at the end of one of the T sections of the building. Lisa took Adam along the main corridor past the cloakrooms and junior and senior girls’ toilets, the craft and art rooms, out of a side door and across a yard.  Double wooden doors boasted a sign proclaiming ‘workshop’. Lisa tapped on the door, but the sound of an electric saw starting up drowned her knock and she turned the door handle and put her head round the door.

Fred was on the far side of the workshop guiding a
chair leg through a band saw. He was wearing goggles and engrossed in his work. Lisa and Adam picked their way through the various bits of equipment neatly lined up awaiting his attention and stood back until he had switched off the machine before approaching him.

“Mr Smith,” said Lis
a, “this is Adam Wild, the new Head Teacher.”

A tall
, lean man, Fred took off his goggles and placed them carefully on his work bench before offering his strong workman’s hand to Adam.  “I heard there was another chap joining the team. Pleased to meet you, Mr Wild.”

“News travels fast, Mr Smith.”

“Fred’s wife works in the kitchen,” Lisa explained.

“There’s not much gossip passes them by in the kitchen,” said Fred.
“So, you’re not from around here then.”

Adam laughed and Lis
a explained, “He’s from Hawaii.”

“Is that so? The wife’s always wanted to go to Hawaii ever since we saw that film in our teens.
Blue Hawaii
I think it was, with Elvis. Been her dream.”

“If you ever get there you can look up my family. We have a home in Honolulu,” said Adam.
“So, your wife keeps her eye on you, does she?” he added, smiling.

“
Aye, that she does,” said Fred, his eyes twinkling.

“I’ll have to rely on a glass door for that,” said Adam.

Fred Smith raised a knowing eyebrow. “The young lasses these days get up to all sorts,” he said, shaking his head.

“Mr Smith, Lisa tells me you know all the shop fitters and builders in the area. Would you get some quotes
for a glass door for my office, preferably with a bar in the middle so no one can accidently walk into it?”

Fred Smith took a notebook and pencil out of his overall pocket and
carefully jotted it all down.

“And could you put some priority into changing the sign outside my office from Headmistress to Head Teacher?”

“That I can do,” said Fred.

“Now that I know where you are, I’ll come back later and we can have a longer chat,” said Adam.

“I’ll look forward to that,” said Fred Smith. “Make a change having a man to talk to.”

Adam and Lisa retraced their steps across the yard and headed down the corridor towards the kitchen. They first had to pass through the girls’ dining room. It was set out with rectangular tables and benches that seated eight girls per table. There were plastic tablecloths and coloured plastic beakers on each table and a jug for water.
The food was served through a hatch from the kitchen. In the corner of the room, set slightly apart, was a larger table for the teaching staff. It had a white cotton tablecloth and water glasses. There were comfortable chairs instead of benches, with one chair at the head of the table.

Adam indicated the table. “Am I expected to sit at the head of the dining table?” he asked Lisa.

“It might be advisable. There’s more room for you,” she said.
And less chance of being pressed up against Barbara Crook,
she thought.

Lunch preparation was underway, which was evident from t
he sounds coming from the kitchen, accompanied by laughter and shouted instructions. Adam opened the door for Lisa and as they walked in whirring machines, banging metal bowls, and chopping knives were momentarily silenced as the kitchen staff became aware of Adam’s presence. They were mostly women in their fifties and early sixties who enjoyed working part-time and having the benefit of school holidays to be with their children and grandchildren.

Lisa knew most of them by name and as she
began introducing them to Adam they quickly wiped their hands on their aprons before shaking his hand.

He focused the spotlight of his attention on each of them in turn
, enquiring about their jobs and what they were preparing for lunch, his disarming smile making them feel as if they were organising a reception for the Queen.

Winnie
Jones was mixing the chocolate pudding. “That smells good,” said Adam, “What do I have to do to get seconds?”

Winnie
reddened and dissolved into schoolgirl giggles, unable to reply. But one of the other ladies whispered loudly to her colleague, “He could put his shoes under my bed any day – or night.” Her friend laughed and replied, “And I wouldn’t chuck him out of bed for eating crackers, either.”

Lisa saw
Adam’s mouth twitch into an amused smile.

The kitchen staff w
as headed by the nutritionist, Sue Lawrence, whose office was in the centre of the kitchen with windows either side so she could keep an eye on both the girls’ and boys’ dining rooms. She was in earnest conversation with Brenda Smith, Fred’s wife, who had been at the school the longest and was considered second in charge and would have been manager if she’d had any formal qualifications and nutrition had still been called nourishing food. 

Lisa introduced them
to Adam. “So, you’re Fred’s wife,” he said, addressing Brenda Smith as she got up to leave. “The lady who wants to go to Hawaii.”

“Did he tell you that?” she said tut-tutting. “I think we’ve left it a bit late now.”

“It’s never too late to follow your dreams,” Adam replied with an encouraging smile.

He shook hands with Sue Lawrence and then sat in the chair that Brenda Smith had vacated.

“Mr Wild, I think I’d better get back to the office,” Lisa said. “Do you think you can find your own way back, or will you need a GPS?”

“If I get lost I’m sure someone will show me the way,” he said
with a grin.

Sue Lawrence wore a white coat and
resembled a lab technician rather than a chef or cook. Cookery books were stacked like a protective wall on both sides of her desk, and sample bottles and packets of various ingredients left by hopeful reps were lined up neatly in the front giving the impression of a mini fort. Her efforts to bring more variety into the school meals were thwarted by budget constraints, and her attempts to offer healthier options were met with resistance from the pupils, especially the boys who preferred a basic diet of carbohydrates and sugar. However, she had developed devious methods of incorporating vegetables into the food by mixing lentils with mince in the cottage pies, and carrots into the chocolate pudding. She was busy on the computer planning the menu for the following week.

“Would you like to see the menu?” she asked, turning the screen so
Adam could see it.

“I see you have vegetarian options,”
he said.

“Do you prefer vegetarian?”

“I’ve almost been converted. Nicole, my sister-in-law, is studying veterinary science. She won’t eat anything with a face and her frowning disapproval forced her parents and me to make changes. But since she’s been away we’ve sneaked in a few non-vegetarian dishes, so I’m willing to be tempted.”

“
You’ll be staying for lunch then? You can have it in the dining room. The senior girls take it in turn to wait on the staff. It teaches them several skills, and gives them greater appreciation of the thankless job of a waitress. Or we can take it to the staff room for you,” she said. “Or you could have your lunch with the staff from the boys’ school,” she added as a balding man in a faded suit tapped on the door and entered.

“Mr
Shaw, this is Mr Wild, the new Head of the girls’ school,” she said on his approach.

“
Don Shaw, Head of boys’,” he said, shaking Adam’s hand. “Mrs Ryan said you’d be here. Pleased to meet you. You’ve got quite a challenge ahead of you.”

“I hope I’m up to it
,” replied Adam.”

“
If you find yourself in need of a bit of male company you’re welcome to join us for lunch at any time.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

But Sue Lawrence got the distinct impression that Adam Wild was very much at home in female company.

When
Adam returned to his office he called Lisa in. “I need you to schedule a weekly staff meeting. I see that school closes half an hour early on a Friday and I think that would be a good time. We’ll make the meeting an hour long. I’m sure the staff won’t mind.” It was a statement, not a question. Lisa wasn’t sure how they would take it; especially those who appreciated the extra half hour to avoid the peak Friday traffic, and those who liked to do their weekly shopping on a Friday after school. You couldn’t expect a man to understand about shopping.