Read Online A Christmas Howl by Laurien Berenson - Free Book Online

months, I’d been juggling part-time work at Howard Academy with my family life at home. In fact, the transition had gone so smoothly that I’d agreed to step up to a full-time position when the new semester began in January.
    Bertie reached around for a back paw. The Beardie lifted its leg obligingly. “So what’s the problem?”
    â€œThe Howard Academy Christmas Bazaar.” I snorted with annoyance. “That’s what.”
    â€œIf you want me to bitch and moan convincingly on your behalf,” Bertie said, “I’m going to need more information than that.”
    â€œHow much do you know about Howard Academy?”
    â€œPretty much just the basics.” She paused, then added, “Considering that my child goes to public school.” Bertie and Frank’s four-year-old daughter, Maggie, was in her first year of preschool and enjoying every minute of it. “Exclusive private school in Greenwich, Connecticut. The kids that go there are all like Richie Rich, trust-fund babies getting started on the educational path that will take them straight to the Ivy League. Am I close?”
    â€œYes, and no,” I told her. “That may be the school’s history and its reputation but it’s no longer entirely correct. Actually, Mr. Hanover would be very disappointed to hear his beloved institution characterized in that way.”
    â€œHe’s the Big Cheese, right?”
    â€œHe is indeed. Not that anyone would ever dare call him that. Our headmaster is quite dignified, and very much aware of the significance of his position.”
    â€œIn other words,” said Bertie, “a prig.”
    I wished I could tell her she was wrong, but Russell Hanover II didn’t just govern Howard Academy, he also shared the school’s conservative ideology and its firm belief in its own importance. Fortunately, however, that was only one side of my boss. He was also a man who worked hard, played fair, and stood up for his teachers when they needed his support. All of which made me feel compelled to defend him.
    â€œHe may be a bit of a prig,” I said. “But it’s not on purpose.”
    Bertie shot me a look. “Is there any other way?”
    I thought about my answer as I moved around the grooming table to work on the puppy’s offside legs. “Mr. Hanover honestly wants what’s best for his school and for his students,” I said after a minute. “He’s aware that both he and Howard Academy are in a position to influence the next generation of this country’s political and financial leaders. And he doesn’t take that responsibility lightly.”
    â€œ Oh my God .” Bertie swept the Beardie off his table and led him across the room to an empty run. “I can’t believe you just said that. This Hanover guy must be turning you into a prig, too.”
    â€œHardly.”
    Bertie cocked a brow. “Are you sure? ”
    â€œBe quiet,” I said with a laugh. “And listen to what I’m trying to tell you. At one time, what you said about HA’s student body would have been true. But things have changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. Now the byword in education is diversity, and that includes extending a helping hand to those less fortunate. In the current school year, nearly one third of Howard Academy’s students receive either full scholarships or financial aid.”
    â€œSo what? That place has the money.”
    â€œThat’s just it,” I told her. “It doesn’t. The endowment funded by the Howard family a hundred years ago when they donated their property and founded the school is pretty much gone. So every dollar that’s given away in scholarships has to be raised, primarily through alumni donations and school benefits.”
    Bertie fastened the latch on the Beardie’s pen, then straightened and stared at me across the room. “I thought we were going to