Sarah was helping with the cleanup when she asked Irene if she’d be interested in performing her stealth charitable activities in an ongoing capacity. Her stepmother made a noise that Sarah was fairly certain could only be heard by dogs.
On learning that she’d be in charge of everything but her name wouldn’t be on the door, she looked confused until Sarah explained that as the gatekeeper she would have the opportunity to vet applicants from a perceived powerless position.
“I imagine being in charge would attract some attention.” Irene tapped her finger against her chin.
Sarah chuckled fondly. “It’s not like you haven’t been on the receiving end of Jareth’s charm.”
“Jareth is a darling and anyone with eyes can see he thinks you hang the moon, dear.” Irene waved the idea away. “I was thinking more of Harry Blair, an odious little man who was always wheedling your father into dinner invitations.”
“I don’t remember him.” Her father’s clients were occasional dinner guests throughout her childhood.
“For good reason.” Irene shuddered. “He is one of the most polite people I have ever met, yet he always made my skin crawl. Whenever he was here, you and Toby were at your grandmother’s. There is no way I was letting that man in the house with my children present.”
Sarah blinked at the levels of stabbiness coming from her stepmother.
“And then he just vanished as a client around your last year of school.”
“It could be a coincidence, but there was a student transferred from out of state that year.” Sarah frowned as she dredged up old school drama she hadn’t thought about in years. “She was very vocal about an incident at her previous school. A man who wasn’t a child’s parent started doing the school run. Maybe he gave the soccer moms the same willies, because they called the police on him and it turns out he was a paedophile. The police tackled him in full view of half the student body.” Sarah looked up from her recollection. “She made sure we knew his name was Harold Blair.”
Irene’s eyes widened in shock. “I know he felt like a creep, but it couldn’t be the same man.” She grabbed her phone and ran a search, before sitting down hard on one of the kitchen chairs. “Oh my god! That’s him.” She turned the screen to Sarah.
“Your mothering skills are on point.” Irene looked up in shock as Sarah handed her a brandy that she downed in one gulp. “Those instincts will put you in fine stead for spotting sleazes in your new venture.” She sat beside the woman. “You’ll also have the contacts and full support of our other businesses to help you and, if things get in any way confrontational, Gan and Eero have volunteered to assist you.”
Irene gave a strangled giggle. “Don’t let your father know about that or he’ll concoct an incident just to have someone to watch televised golf events with.”
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ninetydegrees
Bothersome
2022-12-06 09:26 (UTC)Drabble:
Sarah was helping with the cleanup when she asked Irene if she’d be interested in performing her stealth charitable activities in an ongoing capacity. Her stepmother made a noise that Sarah was fairly certain could only be heard by dogs.
On learning that she’d be in charge of everything but her name wouldn’t be on the door, she looked confused until Sarah explained that as the gatekeeper she would have the opportunity to vet applicants from a perceived powerless position.
“I imagine being in charge would attract some attention.” Irene tapped her finger against her chin.
Sarah chuckled fondly. “It’s not like you haven’t been on the receiving end of Jareth’s charm.”
“Jareth is a darling and anyone with eyes can see he thinks you hang the moon, dear.” Irene waved the idea away. “I was thinking more of Harry Blair, an odious little man who was always wheedling your father into dinner invitations.”
“I don’t remember him.” Her father’s clients were occasional dinner guests throughout her childhood.
“For good reason.” Irene shuddered. “He is one of the most polite people I have ever met, yet he always made my skin crawl. Whenever he was here, you and Toby were at your grandmother’s. There is no way I was letting that man in the house with my children present.”
Sarah blinked at the levels of stabbiness coming from her stepmother.
“And then he just vanished as a client around your last year of school.”
“It could be a coincidence, but there was a student transferred from out of state that year.” Sarah frowned as she dredged up old school drama she hadn’t thought about in years. “She was very vocal about an incident at her previous school. A man who wasn’t a child’s parent started doing the school run. Maybe he gave the soccer moms the same willies, because they called the police on him and it turns out he was a paedophile. The police tackled him in full view of half the student body.” Sarah looked up from her recollection. “She made sure we knew his name was Harold Blair.”
Irene’s eyes widened in shock. “I know he felt like a creep, but it couldn’t be the same man.” She grabbed her phone and ran a search, before sitting down hard on one of the kitchen chairs. “Oh my god! That’s him.” She turned the screen to Sarah.
“Your mothering skills are on point.” Irene looked up in shock as Sarah handed her a brandy that she downed in one gulp. “Those instincts will put you in fine stead for spotting sleazes in your new venture.” She sat beside the woman. “You’ll also have the contacts and full support of our other businesses to help you and, if things get in any way confrontational, Gan and Eero have volunteered to assist you.”
Irene gave a strangled giggle. “Don’t let your father know about that or he’ll concoct an incident just to have someone to watch televised golf events with.”