Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Revving Up The Holidays
    Revving Up The Holidays
    Revving Up The Holidays
    Ebook112 pages2 hours

    Revving Up The Holidays

    By A.S. Fenichel

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Workaholic Isaac hasn’t been back to his hometown since his father’s funeral two years earlier, pushing his family away because of a painful secret. Hanukkah and a forced vacation lure him back to Atlanta, where he’s reunited with his two lost loves— an old motorcycle and his sister’s best friend Giada. While rediscovering his passion for both the bike and the woman, Isaac rebuilds his heart.

    Giada has lost her Christmas spirit since returning home to care for her dying parents. Left alone, she struggles to return to her successful teaching career, choosing instead to stay in her hometown. Only the unexpected return of her high school crush Isaac brings any joy to the season.

    The transitive nature of Isaac’s visit and Giada’s fear of abandonment keep them from sharing their whole hearts, but certainly not their bodies. Their desire for each other is hotter than the flames of a menorah and they take advantage of their limited time together by burning up the sheets. But once their secrets are revealed, their hearts will do all the thinking.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherA.S. Fenichel
    Release dateNov 25, 2015
    ISBN9781519921901
    Revving Up The Holidays
    Author

    A.S. Fenichel

    A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful IT career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back. A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic, and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story. The author of The Forever Brides series, the Everton Domestic Society series, and more, A.S. adores strong, empowered heroines no matter the era, and that’s what you’ll find in all her books. A Jersey Girl at heart, she now makes her home in Southern Missouri with her real-life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, travel, history, puttering in her garden and spoiling her fussy cat. Be sure to visit her website at asfenichel.com, find her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

    Read more from A.S. Fenichel

    Related to Revving Up The Holidays

    Related ebooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Mar 1, 2019

      It’s 1 AM on the east coast and midnight in Iowawhen the Russian lawyer with a house in Newarkand an office in the city sends me an e-mail:“Your writing is so emotional yet so detached.It’s wonderful.” I respond without delay:“Dear Oleg, I don’t know

      3 min read

    • Article

      Suffering In Silence

      Jun 25, 2020

      Suffering In Silence
      3 min read

    • Article

      Who’s The Daddy?

      Oct 23, 2020

      Who’s The Daddy?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Valentine Angels

      Dec 31, 2023

      Valentine Angels
      4 min read

    • Article

      The heartbeat OF PARIS

      Apr 24, 2024

      The heartbeat OF PARIS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Plan of ACTION

      Oct 3, 2023

      Plan of ACTION
      6 min read

    • Article

      Just Passing

      Aug 17, 2020

      Zoe cracks the curtain in the bay window and watches as he bounces from one foot to another in the cold. Tap, tap, tap, he goes at the letterbox. But she shouldn’t even let him in. He’s trouble. He throws his arms out and shouts through the glass: “S

      5 min read

    • Article

      Happy Families

      Aug 5, 2021

      Happy Families
      7 min read

    • Article

      LOVE Is The Word

      Jan 3, 2023

      LOVE Is The Word
      6 min read

    • Article

      Planof Action

      Oct 5, 2021

      Planof Action
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Strange REQUEST

      Sep 30, 2020

      A Strange REQUEST
      6 min read

    • Article

      Seeing the LIGHT

      Mar 2, 2021

      Seeing the LIGHT
      5 min read

    • Article

      More

      May 10, 2023

      Jacob was finishing his cup of coffee, which he didn’t really need with his nerves already shaking him, when his wife, Dina, walked over with the coffee pot. “More?” She inquired sweetly, but he shook his head. He had enough coffee. He had enough in

      11 min read

    • Article

      Coming HOME

      Jun 3, 2021

      Coming HOME
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lost for WORDS

      Sep 23, 2020

      Lost for WORDS
      6 min read

    • Article

      EZRA’S Stories

      Apr 6, 2022

      EZRA’S Stories
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Christmas ROBIN

      Nov 29, 2022

      The Christmas ROBIN
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Joke

      Sep 1, 2020

      Although best known for his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury was also a prolific writer of short stories, having published his first while still a teenager. This previously unpublished story likely dates to 1950, the year The Martian Chronicle

      5 min read

    • Article

      I Fell In Love With My PRISONER PENPAL

      Jul 12, 2023

      Flying back home from my job as an admin FIFO worker, I was excited to meet up with a guy I’d been dating. But after just a couple of weeks, our connection fizzled out. My job had me away from home for up to a month at times, and it made relationship

      3 min read

    • Article

      This Winter, A Flurry Of 5 New Chicago Writers And Their Fiction Debuts

      Feb 19, 2020

      CHICAGO - This month, next month - and probably long into the future - if you pay any attention at all to the Chicago literary landscape, you're going to need to acquaint yourself with a handful of fresh names. No fewer than five debut novels by Chic

      9 min read

    • Article

      Wedding Flowers

      Feb 4, 2021

      Wedding Flowers
      4 min read

    • Article

      Where Was He?

      May 19, 2022

      Where Was He?
      7 min read

    • Article

      The channel OF LOVE

      Sep 7, 2022

      The channel OF LOVE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Inheritance

      Nov 4, 2021

      The Inheritance
      6 min read

    • Article

      MAKE or BREAK

      Nov 28, 2019

      MAKE or BREAK
      8 min read

    • Article

      Avuncular Irregularities

      Sep 1, 2019

      Avuncular Irregularities
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Revving Up The Holidays

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Revving Up The Holidays - A.S. Fenichel

      Chapter One

      I don’t need a vacation, Ben.

      You do and so do I. Ben Silverman raked his fingers through his thinning hair. Fine. You take a vacation and I’ll take care of things here.0

      No. You will take some time off. No one can work as hard as you do nonstop and not burn out eventually. Go visit your sister. I’ll bet Sadie would love to see you and you can spend some time with your niece and nephew. It’s Hanukkah, Isaac. Go home.

      I don’t need the time off and we just got that new sporting goods account. There’s a lot of work to be done. His boss was the same age as him but he felt like a child whining about the forced time off.

      Ben’s lanky form folded into his large leather chair. He leaned forward and steepled his fingers. Isaac, you are going to take two weeks off, paid. Most of the people in those cubicles would kill to have me say that.

      So give Jody some time off, or Sal.

      Ben shook his head. Look, we grew up together. I know you. You need some time to regroup.

      Isaac’s heart beat faster. Are you saying my work’s not good?

      Your work is excellent. Just take some time, recharge. When was the last time you had a vacation?

      He started to think about it and couldn’t come up with an answer. It’s been a while.

      See, you don’t even know. I looked it up. Isaac’s eyes widened.

      Yes, as your boss, I have the power to look those kinds of things up. You haven’t taken your vacation days in two and a half years. In fact, you’ve only taken two personal days in all that time and not a single sick day. What’s wrong with you? Don’t you like to have fun?

      Defeated, he stared at his shoes. I have fun.

      You used to. When we were kids no one was more fun than you. Now all you do is work. Go home, Isaac, two weeks at least. We’ll manage and you’ll be surprised how refreshed you’ll feel when you come back.

      Isaac got up and headed for the door. He stopped and turned back. Is it really Hanukkah?

      Ben nodded and smiled. The first night is tonight.

      Isaac walked out of the office with his briefcase stuffed full of marketing ideas to go over. He’d had no idea that the holiday had already come. Amazing that a tradition he’d grown up with and cherished could come and he’d not even noticed. And it was eight days long. Maybe Ben was right. Maybe Isaac did need a vacation. But returning to Atlanta, was that really what he wanted? The last time he’d gone home had been to attend his father’s funeral.

      He ignored the woman in the elevator who stared at him. Normally the attractive brunette would be just his type, but he only gave her what he hoped was a polite grin. He was lost in the memories of his father’s death and his heart clenched. The bell of the doors opening snapped him back to the present.

      In the building’s lobby he waved to Jake at the security desk and walked out into the chill of the New York City street. Instead of hailing a cab, he walked ten blocks to the ferry that would take him across the Hudson River and home to Jersey City. Wind whipped down the avenues and he barely noticed.

      The ride was quick, but he continued to muse over how he could have missed the coming of a popular Jewish holiday. He pulled his phone out, found his sister in his contacts and pressed the call button.

      Hi there, stranger. How are you? Sadie asked.

      Sadie was younger by fifteen months. They had always been close, but in recent years they spoke less and less. My fault. The sound of her voice made him smile. I’m fine. In fact, I have some time off and I was wondering if I might come for a visit. I can get a hotel room in the area.

      You will do no such thing!

      I won’t? His heart jumped into his throat. Ben was right. He’d spent so much time working that his own family didn’t want him anymore.

      You aren’t going to stay in a hotel. You get down here and we’ll make up the guest room. I’m so excited I could cry. And for Hanukkah too. When will you arrive?

      Relief and embarrassment flooded him. Late tomorrow. I’m driving.

      * * * *

      He tried to work on the reports and ideas he’d stuffed into his briefcase. Finally he gave up, packed a suitcase and went to bed early. At two in the morning when he woke and couldn’t get back to sleep he got up, showered and started the drive south.

      Halfway down the New Jersey Turnpike rain splattered his windshield. The wipers’ serpentine path lulled him into thoughts he preferred left in the darker corners of his mind. Unfortunately, those memories rarely stayed locked away. Work was the only thing that kept his demons at bay. An idle mind was his worst enemy. Bad weather, a woman’s laugh, even her favorite ice-cream flavor could bring it all back in a rush of unwanted emotion.

      It had been rainy and cold the night he lost Leslie. Three years later, it was as if the November night had happened yesterday. Every muscle in his body tightened with those memories. Leslie’s smiling face filled his vision. Then he saw her long blonde hair matted with blood on a cold metal table.

      The loud screaming horn of an eighteen-wheeler and screeching tires rocketed him back to the present. He swerved to get out of the path of the fast-moving truck. His own speed had slowed to the point where he was a danger on the highway.

      Shit. Don’t end up a statistic, man. He pulled into the next rest stop and got himself a cup of coffee.

      * * * *

      Driving into Atlanta was as if he were driving into the past. It had been two years since his dad’s stroke and the unexpected death had rocked Isaac’s world. Why hadn’t he come home more often? His father had never even met Leslie and now they were both gone.

      His chest clenched at the thought that he hadn’t given his family the chance to meet the woman he had planned to marry. Would his parents have liked her? How could they not? She was bright, charming and everything they could have wanted in a daughter-in-law.

      He pressed the brake when he saw the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. A fender-bender, but the image of twisted metal flashed in Isaac’s mind. His knuckles stood out white on the steering wheel. Turning left away from the accident, he had to wipe the beads of sweat from his brow.

      He brushed the horrible thoughts aside as he approached the house his sister and brother-in-law shared with their two young children.

      Mark Haber’s blond hair stuck straight up on his head as he struggled in the fading light to put blue and white lights around the picture window on the front of the house. Two small faces stared out the window, watching their father’s every move.

      Isaac pulled into the driveway. He got out of the car and crossed the yard. Do you need a hand?

      I do, but your sister will never allow you to stay out here with me. She’s going to batter you with questions about your personal life and drive you nuts.

      Laughing, Isaac put his hand out. Good to see you, Mark.

      His brother-in-law shook his hand, smiling. You too. Go on in. The kids will have already told Sadie you’re here. I’ll be in shortly.

      The little faces had disappeared from the window. I’ll see you in a bit.

      He didn’t bother to knock. As Mark had said, his sister would already know he was there. The typical middle-class home hadn’t changed much since his father’s funeral. It was comfortable, lived in and neat. Two sets of running feet sounded on the wood floors as soon as the door closed.

      Uncle Isaac, they screamed in unison. At five, Abigail was older than her brother Daniel by two years. Even though they couldn’t possibly remember the last time they had seen him, they rushed him, clinging to his legs as if they

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1