“There are worse ways to be interrupted.” He pecked my cheek. “And honestly, at that moment, I needed to be with you as much as you needed to be with me. Hearing you say, ‘I love you’ and feeling it in your touch, I knew implementing the stray-dog-tactic was the right decision.”
“What is the ‘stray dog tactic’?” I asked.
He slipped his arm from my shoulder to my waist. “I’d follow you home and hang around until you decided to keep me.”
I turned in his arm and placed both hands against his cheeks. “You planned on moving into my father’s house?”
“No, I booked a hotel room.”
“You can cancel that reservation.” I kissed him, hoping to convey through my lips, the joy radiating through my veins.
We entered the lobby of Aviva’s building and stood in front of the elevator. “Don’t push the button, it’s a Shabbat elevator. It goes up and down automatically, stopping at every floor.”
“I didn’t notice that last Shabbat.” The elevator doors opened and closed. “When we come back to Israel, do you think Adir would consider giving me a part-time job at the bookstore while I’m learning Hebrew at the ulpan?” The doors opened and closed, again.
“You can ask him when we get back, but we’re going to be gone for a while. I bought us tickets to New York so you can meet my parents. And, then we need to fly back to Thailand.”
“So, Rabbi Sam can marry us?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want. But that’s not why we have to go back to Thailand.”
I looked at him. “Then why do we need to go back to Thailand?”
“The Thai tailor, remember him? When we walked to Starbucks the morning after our first date, he ran out of his shop and offered to make my wedding suit.” Avi squeezed my hand and grinned. “I promised I’d be back when we set the wedding the date.”
“You’re crazy.” I chuckled as the elevator opened onto the fourth floor. When we reached her door, I heard giggling behind it. Avi knocked, and Ofir opened the door. Aviva stood next to him with Leah perched on her hip. Beside Aviva, Rivka, held a scrunched-up tissue, smiling even though her eyes were swollen from crying. Towering over them was Daniel, shaking a bottle of champagne. “Mazel Tov!” they shouted in unison. Daniel popped the cork, sending a stream of champagne toward the ceiling.
Ofir clamped his arms around my thighs. “You ate the carrots and baguettes Uncle Avi bought you! Now you can be my aunt.”
I scooped him into my arms.
“Did Uncle Avi give you two carrots or three carrots? And, Julie, why do men give carrots and baguettes when they want to get married?”
The family laughed as I planted a huge kiss on his cheek. Tears streamed down my face, the glorious tears of joy.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Sofayov lives in scenic, tropical Pittsburgh, PA with her real estate developer husband and the most hated dog in the neighborhood. She is the mother of three adult children and lives for the times they are all in the house at the same time.
Sofayov formerly held the position of vice president of child care for a large non-profit organization. Now, she works with her husband, which isn’t always a great idea, running their real estate development/management company. She has a BA in English Literature and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Teaching from Chatham University.
Defective was her first novel--literally, the first one she ever wrote or even tried to write. It broke open her creative floodgates, and she’s been typing like a madwoman ever since. The Kiddush Ladies came next, followed by Jerusalem Stone.
GENRE: JEWISH FICTION/ACTION-ADVENTURE/ROMANCE
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, businesses, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. The publisher does not have any control over or assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their contents.
JERUSALEM STONE
Copyright © 2018 by Susan Sofayov
Cover Design by Elaine Bergstrom
All cover art copyright © 2018
All Rights Reserved
EBOOK ISBN: 978-1-626948-54-9
FIRST PUBLICATION: JANUARY 27, 2018
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