Dave Lassiter was surprised at the excitement he felt during his orientation. He had served a tour in the Middle East while in the Army. He had even seen some combat, but reporting to Evanston High for teacher orientation had made him nervous.
After serving as an MP in the Army, Dave had pursued a degree from a state school near his parents' home. Upon graduation, he had been offered employment as a history teacher in Evanston and was grateful for the opportunity. He had taken some courses while in the Army and had been able to get his degree just three years after being discharged from the service.
While it hadn't been very long since he had graduated high school, it felt like a lifetime. His tour in the service had somewhat isolated him from the more current trends among young people. He had never been one of the cool kids when he was in high school, so he held no expectations of being considered a cool history teacher.
The school administration had introduced the new faculty members to the rest of the staff first thing in the morning. Dave was one of five new teachers, and the only one with no prior teaching experience. The others had experience ranging from 15 years, as in Mrs. Glenn's case, to five years for Candace Lane, the attractive new blonde English teacher.
Candace, as well as the new science teacher, Jeff Nelson, had actually graduated from Evanston High. Candace had taught for several years in a school district in Kansas before returning to Evanston. Jeff had started teaching a few years before Candace and was also quite pleased to have finally found a position with his alma mater. They both expressed their pleasure at returning to Evanston as teachers.
Dave had been surprised to learn all teachers were expected to volunteer as advisors for the various clubs and events held at the school. Those teachers with previous experience had already claimed the more desirable gigs. The newcomers would have to fill in for the activities which did not yet have advisors. When he was in high school, Dave had never given a thought as to how the school managed to find sponsors and/or advisors for the many extracurricular activities. Now he knew.
Candace unexpectedly sought Dave's attention once the orientation wound down. "We didn't have time to chat during the day, but I'm Candace. How about going for a ride with me in my new car? I love showing it off."
"I'm Dave. Let me drop my material off in my truck and I'll be happy to check out your new ride," Dave replied as he surreptitiously looked Candace over.
He had to admit she was the kind of woman most men found very desirable. She was about six inches less than his six foot. Her blonde hair made her blue eyes seem to sparkle. While slim, her breasts were slightly large for her frame, which Dave did not consider a negative factor.
He whistled when he saw the new Corvette convertible Candace was approaching. It was sitting off by itself in the back of the parking lot and it was a beautiful machine.
"I always try to park it away from other vehicles so it doesn't get any dings," Candace stated as she opened her door and slid behind the wheel. By the time Dave was seated and buckled in, Candace was carefully pulling out of the parking lot and cautiously traveling down the street.
Dave felt some relief that she apparently had no intention of impressing him with the speed the car was capable of reaching. He had been in a couple of near accidents during his stint in the service when friends had tried to demonstrate how fast a car could go. Dave had no desire to experience an accident, or near accident. Then Candace laughed as she depressed the accelerator.
Dave's head was pushed back against the rest as the car felt like it had suddenly been launched. He immediately checked his seatbelt before glancing at the speedometer. It appeared to be a lightly traveled road, but as their speed exceeded 100mph, Dave decided to ask Candace to slow down.
Before he could voice his concerns a police siren sounded close behind them. Glancing back, Dave was surprised to see a police car keeping pace with them as it signaled for Candace to pull over. It required almost a mile for her to slow the car down enough to pull off the highway and park in a grassy area. The officer's Dodge Charger stopped a short distance behind her.
Candace was cursing a blue streak as she reached over to open the glove box and dig out the insurance and registration papers she knew would be required. While she was digging around, Dave saw the officer approach cautiously. It was a policewoman and she was keeping her hand near her holstered gun.
That was when he realized two things. Not only was the lady officer quite attractive, she was also very concerned about Candace searching around in her glove box!
"Ma'am, she's just retrieving her papers," Dave stated as he carefully placed his hands in plain sight on the top of the convertible's windshield. "Candace, pull your papers out slowly so the officer can see what you're doing."
Nodding her understanding, Candace carefully held her hands out so it was apparent she held paperwork and no weapon. She sat back in her seat and turned to the policewoman who was now standing next to her door.
"License, registration and insurance."
"I may have been going too fast, but I was just showing off a little. There wasn't any traffic and I knew it was safe," Candace quickly asserted.
"Ma'am, driving over 100 miles per hour in a 55 zone is never safe," the officer replied as she glanced at Candace's license. "Candace? Candace Lane? I didn't recognize you."
Candace realized her tormenter appeared to either know her, or at least know of her, so she removed her sunglasses and studied the policewoman's face. "Kate Daniels? We graduated together!
"I'm doing my hair differently than when we were in school, but I don't think I've changed that much, but look at you!" Candace exclaimed. "You're a deputy now and you look even more fit than you were in high school."
"I've managed to drop a few pounds and tone up," Kate admitted. "The Academy was quite an eye opener for me. I thought I was in good shape until I started their training."
"You look great in that uniform, Kate. Are you going to give me a ticket? I know I was a little over the speed limit," Candace grudgingly admitted.
"Candace, you were 48 over the speed limit. That's a lot more than 'a little', even for the math challenged," Kate replied with a shake of her head. "I have to give you a ticket, but I'll knock it down to 90 in a 55 mph zone. That'll cost you a lot less and give you fewer points against your license. It's the best I can do."
"That's better than I could have hoped for," Candace acknowledged. "Thanks, Kate."
As she spoke, Candace noticed Kate was looking at Dave. That caused a smile to cross her lips. Dave was handsome in a rugged way. He had a small scar on his left cheek and it appeared his nose may have been broken a time or two. He was obviously in excellent physical condition. Somehow it all worked for him.
Kate had been trained that it was important to keep an eye on the passenger as well as the driver when making a traffic stop. She had momentarily neglected to do that when she recognized the driver, but quickly realized her attention had been focused solely on Candace so she turned her gaze to the male passenger.
Dave wore a large grin as he watched and listened to the two women. He appreciated how Candace accepted the generous offer from Kate without whining or complaining. He also admired Kate for not being a hard ass to her former classmate, yet still giving her a well deserved ticket.
