Desi Stewart and her fellow strikers didn’t know who owned the butterscotch labradoodle.
Each day, the big, sweet dog loped out of the trees across the street from the picket line in front of the high school and bounded over to join them. He got plenty of scratches from the members of the Great Hills School District teachers’ union but lingered the longest with Desi before trotting away again.
“Got yourself a new boyfriend there?” quipped Gail McKenzie, the snarky, sixtysomething librarian.
“I just wish I knew his name and who owns him.” Desi — slender, cute, and 33 years old — pushed her shoulder-length blonde hair behind her ears. “Who lets their dog run around loose without a collar and tag?”
The answer came after the bargaining team rep told them the latest bad news. Talks with the school board weren’t going well, and the bargaining team thought the teachers should picket through the Labor Day weekend.
Just as the news was sinking in, the labradoodle loped out of the trees and made a beeline for Desi.
Suddenly, someone whistled, and the dog whipped his head around.
A familiar figure emerged from the trees — a tall man with dark hair and an athletic build.
“I can’t believe he’s walking over here,” muttered Gail.
Desi had her own thoughts about Assistant Principal Matt Gauge. Before he’d gotten his principal papers and promotion, the two of them had taught English in adjacent classrooms. They’d hit it off and seemed destined to date until his move to management shut down any chance of a relationship.
Now here he was, looking good in a black polo shirt and tan khaki shorts.
“Hey, Dez.” He stopped in front of her. “I see you’ve met Cassidy.”
“So that’s his name!” Desi laughed. “All this time, we never knew.”
“How long has he been running over here anyway?”
“About a week. Without a tag, we didn’t know who owned him until now.”
Matt nodded. “I leave it off him when I go to work. I didn’t realize he’d figured out how to unlock the back door and get out on his own!”
“Smart dog!”
“Thanks for taking care of him.”
“It was more like he took care of us. He really livened up the picket line.”
“I guess he’s just a union sympathizer at heart.” Matt chuckled.
Gail strolled over and poked Matt in the ribs. “Sort of like his owner, right?”
“Well…”
“As a matter of fact…” Gail lowered her voice conspiratorially. “…I’ll bet an insider like you could get this strike settled in no time if you put your mind to it.”
“I don’t have that kind of pull.”
“What if there was a reward in it for you?” asked Gail.
“No bribes for me, thanks.”
“Is a friendly date considered a bribe?” Gail hiked a thumb at Desi. “A date with her?”
Desi was shocked. “Hey!”
“Everybody knows you two have a thing for each other,” said Gail.
Matt’s eyes met Desi’s then, and she glimpsed a depth of feeling she didn’t expect to see there. She lingered, sensing the electricity sparking between them.
Then Matt turned away. “Gotta go.” As he headed off across the street, Cassidy followed.
Gail cackled. “What a goof.”
“You shouldn’t have been so rude,” said Desi.
“I was kidding. Librarians are famous for their senses of humor.”
***
It was Labor Day Monday when the good news came in from the bargaining team.
“We have a contract!” shouted Gail when she got the call.
Everyone cheered, but Desi couldn’t help wondering how it had happened. “I thought the district wasn’t budging.”
“Well, they did,” said Gail, “and you’ll never guess who made it possible!”
Suddenly, a familiar bark rang out. Cassidy galloped out of the woods… and he wasn’t alone.
Matt jogged after him.
“I hear congratulations are in order!” he said.
“All thanks to you!” said Gail.
“You all did the hard work on the picket line,” said Matt. “I just brought some common sense to the table.”
“Common sense?” asked Desi.
“That and the cost savings from cutting the assistant principal’s job,” said Gail.
“What?” Desi gaped at Matt. “You quit your job to settle the strike?”
Matt joined her in scratching Cassidy’s head. “I was leaving anyway. Already had an offer for a principal job at West Carthage.
“Though I must admit, I was motivated to take the job sooner than originally planned.” He moved closer. “Now that I’m no longer an administrator in your district, is that reward still on the table?”
Desi’s hand brushed his. Her heart beat faster, and her whole body warmed and tingled. “Yes,” she said, gazing into his deep, dark eyes. “Yes, it is.”
Robert Jeschonek is an envelope-pushing, USA Today bestselling author whose fiction and comics have been published around the world. His stories have appeared in Heart’s Kiss, Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, WMG Books’ Holiday Spectacular, and many other publications. His young adult fantasy novel, My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, was named one of Booklist’s Top Ten First Novels for Youth. He won an International Book Award, a Scribe Award for Best Original Novel, and the grand prize in Simon and Schuster’s Strange New Worlds contest.
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