Home For the Challah Days by Jennifer Wilck

Turning the bitterness of the past...

Into a sweet future!

Home For the Challah Days

Holidays, Heart and Chutzpah Book 1

by Jennifer Wilck

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Turning the bitterness of the past...

Into a sweet future!

When big-city advocate Sarah Abrams returns home for the High Holy Days, she’s got a lot on her mind—especially whether to marry her perfect-on-paper boyfriend. The last person she wants to encounter is Aaron Isaacson, her first love and the one who broke her heart. But after Aaron and Sarah join forces to fight an act of hate, it’s clear that their deep connection never abated. If only they could forgive one another for the past...in time for a sweet new start!

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

Excerpt:

Aaron wiped the counter with a rag, scrubbing so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if he wore a hole in the old

Formica. Easing the rag away from the superclean area, he placed a piece of wax paper on the counter and

grabbed two slices of rye bread. The din of the packed deli faded into the background.

Sarah Abrams.

His stomach clenched. Of all the people to walk into his deli, he’d never expected her. He’d hoped at one

time that she’d change her mind and decide this is where she belonged. Dreamed about her for longer than

he’d like to admit—how her long, dark hair brushed his chest when she leaned over and kissed him, how her

soft lips teased his, how her olive skin slid smoothly beneath his hands. He’d even broken an engagement with

another woman because he couldn’t get Sarah out of his head. But expected? It had been ten years.

“I asked for pumpernickel,” the wizened old man complained across the counter.

Aaron looked at the sandwich, swore under his breath and threw the rye slathered in mustard in the trash.

“Gloria!” He shouted down the line toward an older woman with a brown apron covering her T-shirt and

jeans. She patted the shoulder of the woman she was speaking to and strode over.

“Yeah?”

His six-foot frame towered over her, and she craned her neck to meet his gaze.

“Can you take over for me? He wants…” He turned to the customer. Age and disappointment conspired to

make the old man resemble a shar-pei. Aaron shook his head and ushered Gloria forward. “Sorry, she’ll make

your sandwich. And it’s on the house.”

Wiping his hands on his apron, he weaved through the staff behind the counter. When he reached his tiny

office tucked in the back, he shut the door and sank into the rickety-wheeled desk chair. He ground his teeth

until his jaw ached. Other parts of his body used to ache when he was around Sarah in high school and college.

They’d been inseparable. Her smile, with the one tooth a little crooked in the front, brightened any bad day.

Her husky voice soothed him. Now, though?

Disappointment simmered. She’d promised him forever and broken his heart, walking away from

this town—from him—without a thought for the people she’d left behind.

“Hungry?” he asked as he pulled out of the temple parking lot.

“No.”

He smirked. “Right.”

She was not letting him goad her into anything. All she had to do was get through one quick car ride. “I

don’t care whether or not you believe me.”

“Good, because you’re a terrible liar,” he said. “At least in my presence.”

What was that supposed to mean? “Take me home, please.”

How many times had they been in this van together? Memories of kissing across the console, fooling around

in the back and staring at the moon and stars while wrapped in each other’s arms filled Sarah’s mind during the

silent, ten-minute drive to her house. Out of the corner of her eye, she stared at his hands gripping the steering

wheel. Large, square and strong with a light dusting of hair and freckles across the backs. She remembered

how she’d counted those freckles with kisses, and her cheeks burned. He’d always been a careful driver, and

today was no exception. But despite the calm maneuvering of his van, his fingers were clasped tight around the

wheel. She risked a peek at his profile. His jaw was clenched. Did he remember their past as well?

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

“Were you watching me?” One side of her mouth quirked in a self-satisfied smile.

His shoulders tightened. “You were performing for the crowd, not hiding under the table.”

She looked away. His hand itched to draw her to him, but he made a fist and ignored the pull.

“Why did you come after me?” she asked.

“Why did you leave?”

“I’m not in the mood to play games.” She flicked her hair off her shoulder, anger sharpening her

movements.

“That’s not what your song choice said.”

Shit.

Aaron’s vision tunneled as if observing himself from far away. In the middle of the sidewalk was the last

place to let out his feelings—feelings he’d thought were long ago laid to rest. Hell, he’d proposed to Melissa.

True, he’d been unable to go through with the wedding, but he’d thought he was long over Sarah.

“It’s karaoke. You’re really going to read into what I sang?” she asked.

“Considering what you were singing, I don’t think reading into them is far-fetched.”

“So, I should read into your songs?” She arched an eyebrow. “Okay. You were trying to send me a

message.”

“And if I was? What would you do then?”

“I’d say you were an idiot.” She spun around and began walking away again.

“Wait a minute.” He moved in front of her, grasping her arm. “You don’t get to call me names and walk

away.”

“Why not? You get to glare at me, when you bother to acknowledge my presence, and then escape. At least

I’m talking to you.”

“You call this talking?” He knew he should let go of her arm, but her warmth penetrated through the fabric

of her light coat and her scent tantalized him. Though he couldn’t stand her, he also couldn’t let go of her.

Once again, her eyes flashed, their long lashes fluttering as she widened them. “Words. Coming out of the

mouth. Talking.”

Standing beneath the glow of the streetlight, he couldn’t stop staring at her lips. They were plump, like he

remembered them. His heart raced faster, and he stepped closer. Her mouth opened into an oh, and her pulse

fluttered in her neck. For the first time since she’d come to town, he wanted to kiss her.

All the reasons he shouldn’t flooded his brain.

She’d left.

She’d betrayed him.

He was over her.

But one by one they petered out. His pulse pounded in his ears. Her scent filled his nostrils.

He slid his hand behind her neck and crashed his mouth onto hers. Every nerve ending in his body fired.

Desire filled him. And…

“No!” She pushed him away, chest heaving.

Before he could do anything, she turned and ran down the street. Away from him, once again.

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Jennifer Wilck is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

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