A Skeleton in the Family Read Online Free Page B

off the bat.
    I pulled out the whole bundle, and tried to hand it to her, but she wouldn’t take it.
    â€œDo we have to do this now?” she snapped. “I’m busy!”
    â€œNo problem. Do you want them on top of your desk or on the floor?”
    She gave me an evil look, flung open her own file drawer, and pulled out her purse, of all things. Once that was gone, there was plenty of room for the files. “Just put them in here!”
    I was tempted to put them in backward, but in the interest of our new friendship, I put them in properly, even straightening a folder that had become misaligned in transit. She was still glaring at me, so I don’t think she appreciated my forbearance.
    I went back to my desk and pulled out my laptop to check e-mail and found that Mrs. Speed had already sent me class times and locations, lesson plans, and student records for the classes I was going to teach. Dr. Parker had wanted me to start that very day, but I’d pointed out that I didn’t know what the classes were working on, so I’d need a couple of days to get up to speed. Since it was Monday, I would start first thing on Wednesday.
    First thing meant eight thirty in the morning—adjuncts get all the early morning classes. I’d be teaching classes at eight thirty, two o’clock, and four o’clock on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and at eight thirty and ten thirty on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So much for sleeping in.
    Fortunately for my class planning, my predecessor hadn’t done anything particularly tricky in her lesson plans—she’d been sticking with the vanilla synopses in the textbook. That would make it easy for me, if not particularly interesting, and I was making notes about upcoming assignments when Sara said, “Thackery . . . Aren’t there some other Thackerys teaching here?”
    â€œMy parents are in the English Department, too, but they’re on sabbatical this year.”
    â€œTenured, of course,” she said, which was obvious. Adjuncts don’t get sabbaticals. When we take time off from work, it’s without benefit of pay or the knowledge that our jobs will be waiting for us. “I’m surprised they didn’t pull strings to get you on full-time.”
    It wasn’t really a question, so I didn’t feel the need to answer. The fact was I’d never asked Mom and Phil to pull strings. Some days I wasn’t sure if I was principled or just an idiot.
    â€œAnd don’t they have an office you could use so you wouldn’t have to be in here?” Sara pressed.
    â€œWhat, and miss the fun of being with you guys?” I said. I probably would end up using Mom and Phil’s adjoining offices at some point, but I knew it was important to maintain ties with my fellow adjuncts. Besides which, I knew Sara just wanted my file drawer back, and I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction.
    â€œWhy are my comp books out in the hall?” a voice suddenly boomed.
    Sara smirked and pretended to go back to what she’d been doing.
    A man much less dapper than Charles stomped in, carrying the detritus I’d left by the mailboxes. He was around my age, with black hair and dark eyes, and would have been cute if he hadn’t been scowling. Actually, he was pretty cute with the scowl, though I doubted he’d appreciate being told that.
    â€œOh, are those yours?” I asked as he made his way to the desk next to mine, which was nearly covered with books and papers. “I asked, but nobody seemed to know.”
    He shot a look at Sara, whose smirk melted. “I was told the space was available,” he said.
    â€œI was told the same thing, which is why I put my name on the desk grid and moved in.” I stuck out my hand. “Georgia Thackery, English.”
    He looked at his desk, then put the books onto his chair to offer his hand in return. “Fletcher Wildman,