Twenty-five-year-old TV producer Jared Greenfield loves his big city life -- job, friends, and shopping -- but even with all the fun of big city life, he feels a longing for something, or someone, more. Then, on the very first night of Hanukkah, he spots a handsome, sweaty basketball player at the Jewish Community Center.<br><br>Tall, dark, and Orthodox, the young and athletic Shai Goodhart strikes up an easy friendship with Jared, only to discover Jared has very little appreciation for his own Jewish heritage and religion. Determined to enlighten this “Bad Jew,” Shai invites him over for a family Hanukkah celebration.<br><br>Then Jared discovers Shai’s deepest secret and the biggest threat to his future. Over the eight days of Hanukkah, deep emotions pull them closer and closer together. Can they ever reach across the divide of their shared culture and fall in love?

Hanukkah Gifts

“All I know,” began Shai, “is that this makes me happy. Holding you like this, right now, makes me happy.”


Now it was Jared’s turn to be quiet, to enjoy the warmth and fullness of Shai’s body wrapped around his, to feel safe and secure, and to know that no matter how bad today was, tomorrow would be better, and that maybe, perhaps, there would be many more tomorrows, each one better than the day before.


They kissed again, and Jared put his head on Shai’s shoulder. Then they went back to the couch and Shai took out his phone. He began fiddling with the screen, swiping through several graphics


“Serious boner killer,” said Jared. One second they had been kissing romantically, and now Shai was ignoring him, lost in his phone.


“Just a second,” said Shai, smiling a little.


“I still have access! My uncle hasn’t blocked me from the system yet.”


“At work! I’m inside our system right now—you know, SellItNow.com?”


Chapter 30