Reagan led the way into her classroom, managing to put the jigsaws down on the table before they toppled over. I put my pile next to hers and had a quick scan around the room.
“I heard you watched the rugby together and Clover Carew caught you groping each other on the beach yesterday. Good taste, Sir. Romy’s gorgeous, and she’s one of our nicest parents too.” Reagan folded her arms, eyeing me as if I was about to pour more details that she could add on the gossip train. “So, is it true?”
I knew the cheesiest grin in existence was plastered over my face. No point denying it. “I like her. I think she likes me, so we’re just hanging out.”
“That’s how all the best romance stories start. Me and my girlfriend started off by just hanging out. Now we’re literally hanging out in the middle of the sky.” She headed to her desk, fishing around in her drawer and produced her phone. “Here, have a look at these photos we took mid-air. It was such a rush.”
I looked at them, happy that she was sharing stuff with me that wasn’t to do with school and work. At my past schools, we’d had a staff team that got along, we worked well together, and part of that was knowing more about a person than just the role they were paid to fulfil.
“I wouldn’t mind having a go at that myself. Where did you do it?”
Reagan explained where it was, and what had been involved. I already knew she was something of an extreme sports junkie,but thankfully her girlfriend was a paramedic and they’d met when she’d treated Reagan for an injury.
“You could do it with Romy.” Her tone was full of mischief.
“I’m not sure Romy’s a skydiving person, and I think we’re working towards the going out for a meal stage.”
“From what Clover said, you were eating her. As in kiss, not something else – Jesus, I need to put my filters on before school starts, don’t I?”
I was laughing, but I did nod. “Probably a good idea. I’d best unlock the gates.”
“And go and see your girlfriend.” More teasing.
“I don’t think I can call her that yet.”
“Yet.” Reagan gave me a wink and proceeded to knock the jigsaws off the table as she turned round.
Romy was at the gates with Mia and Heidi, playing the clapping game that most girls and some of the boys liked at that age. Occasionally I saw the older kids playing it too, telling me it was forold time’s sakebecause they didn’t think it was cool enough for them now they were practically grown up.
I said good morning to a few of the other parents, stopping for a conversation with one about her son’s eczema, and how he might be tired because he’d been up all night feeling scratchy. Having seen a couple of the spots, I could tell it wasn’t eczema as they looked suspiciously like chicken pox. She took him back home, which everyone was relieved about, apart from it was likely we’d now have an outbreak.
“If either of the girls don’t feel well, we’ve got chicken pox going around,” I said to Romy once most of the other parents had moved on. “Be warned.”
“Heidi’s had them. I’m not sure about Mia. I’ll contact the social worker – I think Mia’s due a medical this week anyway somaybe I can find out about her inoculations and all that jazz.” She shook her head. “There’s still no sign of Cara. Liv phoned me this morning – I was still asleep – to tell me the CCTV trail had gone cold. They’re looking at it being related to Mia’s dad – at least that’s their strongest lead.”
There was shade over her face.
“They’re more worried about Mia?”
Romy nodded. “Liv was basically giving me the head’s up. There’ve been some issues in the prison where Stan’s being held – there are inmates in there from two different groups, so what’s going on outside is spilling inside. Liv’s concerned snatching Mia could be a next step, especially if Mia does know something.”
“Shit. That’s not good.”
“It really isn’t. She’s got her first session with a child psychologist today, pre-therapeutic work. Maybe she’ll disclose something that’ll help.” Romy looked away into the distance, probably feeling frustrated.
“We’ll keep a close eye on her in school. We always do.”
She nodded. “I know. You have a good team. Have the jungle drums started with the rumours? I had three parents ask me within about two minutes this morning if we were seeing each other.” She brightened, smiling now.
“One of the teachers, Reagan, asked me outright. I’ve had a lot of other staff smiling at me this morning. It’s not a bad thing.”
She nodded, looking at my expression as if she was trying to read it. “Good. I don’t want to be a bad thing.”
It was my gut that spoke. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s ever going to be the case.”
Everything went okay up until morning breaktime. I managed to do a learning walk, checking out what was happening inclassrooms; I spoke to the chair of governors about meeting him tonight with the builder at the schoolhouse. He was a nice enough man, somewhere in the region of a hundred and ten years old and pretending he was sixty – I figured he was actually around seventy-five – and he had no malice in him at all. He was stepping down as chair at Christmas, which meant I’d have a new boss, who’d be voted on by the parents and board of governors.
It was breaktime when I heard a little knock at my door, definitely from a child. I got up from my desk, my watching telling me it was time to stand, and opened it to find Mia standing there, Reagan behind her.
