Fox

As chair of the hiring committee, Cady wants a new English teacher hired on the basis of merit, although she’d prefer to hire a woman of color. She is initially not influenced by her niece Katy’s recommendation of Fox, whom she knew in graduate school as Frank Farrell. Fox wins over the committee and the students by excelling at the teaching demonstration. Cady acknowledges Fox’s charisma and experience but remains unsure; he seems performative. During a second, private interview, she wonders why Fox has been employed at four different schools in the last decade, but she feels reassured by his excellent letters of recommendation.

Fox assures her that if hired, he will stay at Langhorne since he is not married, his parents are retired in Florida, and he does not have children. She personally identifies with this and softens toward Fox. They bond over art, particularly Luminism (examples of which Cady owns), birdwatching (which Cady is enthusiastic about), and music. At the end of the interview, Fox apologizes for not being at his best. He’s been mourning the death of his beloved dog. Cady transfers this to her own love of Princess Di. After Fox leaves, she quickly arranges a luncheon so that the important people at Langhorne can make him an offer.