'Twas the Night Before Labor Day (Nights Before #4)

By Leigh Verrill-Rhys

Just when Jocelyn believes she has a grip on her job, the publisher throws a task in her path that proves to be wicked near impossible without the help of a friend, if she can find one.

The work she’s editing for her absent father’s apologist strikes chords Jocelyn would prefer to remain silent. The mad scientist reveals his mother’s savory past. Steel proves as reliable as lightning for jump-starting the disheartened. But in the case of one public servant, absence does not make the heart grow fonder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eres Books
• Release date: Sep 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301304806

Leigh Verrill-Rhys

A native of Paris Hill, Maine, Leigh spent most of her childhood and early adult years in San Francisco before emigrating to Wales to marry and raise three sons. She has been a writer, editor and lecturer for most of her life, intermingled with career portfolios in marketing, finance and community arts projects. Leigh's debut novel, WAIT A LONELY LIFETIME, was released in April 2012, published by Avalon Books. She is a member of the Authors Guild, a former member of the Welsh Academy and the Arts Forum and admits to running with scissors and leaping before she looks.Leigh also publishes as an entrepreneurial author with Eres (eresbooks.com). In 2012 and 2013, she released the romantic comedy novel by installment, NIGHTS BEFORE, in six episodes set in Portland Maine, beginning with TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE NEW YEAR, followed by stories set during celebrations and commemorations during the year, ending with TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE. These six stories are available individually as ebooks. A print edition, NIGHTS BEFORE: THE NOVEL, is now available.For Leigh's third novel, SALSA DANCING WITH PTERODACTYLS, released in March 2014, she first had to learn how to spell ‘pterodactyl’! THIS CAN'T BE LOVE, her fourth novel and the second in the ‘Americans in Love’ in foreign places, is set in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival.An award-winning editor, she has published three volumes of women's autobiographical writing about their lives in Wales and during World War II: ON MY LIFE; PARACHUTES & PETTICOATS; and IANCS, CONSHIS a SPAM (all published by Honno Welsh Women's Press). She has released a collection of her mother's adventures on her travels during the Second World War, FOLLOWING THE TROOPS.Leigh’s first American history novel: PAVANE FOR MISS MARCHER, set in post-civil war Maine, inspired by her brother’s, Thomas, passion for American history, many historians, including Shelby Foote, Thomas A. Desjardin, Lochlainn Seabrook, Michael Shaara, her family’s part in the Battle for Little Round Top as well as authors Louisa May Alcott and Elswyth Thane.More about all of Leigh’s independently published novels are available through her website, leighverrillrhys.com and eresbooks.com, Smashwords, as well as KDP: Amazon and most independent online booksellers.

Book preview

‘Twas the Night Before Labor Day

a Short Story 

#4 in the Serial Novel

Nights Before

by

Leigh Verrill-Rhys

‘Twas the Night Before Labor Day

by

Leigh Verrill-Rhys

#4 in the Serial Novel

Nights Before

Eres Logo

EresBooks.com

Published by Eres @ Smashwords

September 2013

1st Reprint December 2015

with minor corrections

978-130130-480-6

Copyright 2013 & 2015 © Leigh Verrill-Rhys

All Rights Reserved

Cover Design: Gwion Dulais

Cover Photography: Chamille White/Shutterstock.com

¤ ¤ ¤

Eres Books, License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Downloading this book from a ‘free books’ or pirate site is in breach of copyright law and the moral rights of the author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

‘Twas the Night Before Labor Day and the Nights Before serial are works of fiction. The characters, descriptions, events and dialogues in this book are of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, either living or dead, is coincidental.

¤ ¤ ¤

One

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

If she was the kind of tilt-nosed creature Jason preferred, a Thursday evening date at the Eastland might have done the trick. Gordon could have had his way with her but Portland’s historic hotel was no more and Jocelyn wasn’t an uphill girl. On their first date, Gordon met her, in the late afternoon, at the café of the grandest department store, finishing the meal with brownies and hot cocoa – double chocolate-caffeine intake mania about to launch.

I’ve always liked this place, her Thursday afternoon date admitted. Mother worked in Ladies Intimate Apparel. I met her here after school and we’d ride the bus home together.

Your mother worked?

Of course. My grandfather left her the house but no means to buy food or pay the taxes. Especially after I came along.

Jocelyn shouldn’t have but she wanted to know and it was a natural response to the topic he’d raised. What about your father?

No idea. Mother never talked about him. He died, before I was born. They never married.

But—. Oh. Conversation stopper, plain as broad daylight. What could she say? Sorry wasn’t appropriate since he clearly wasn’t. His whole life, undivided attention and adoration. Jocelyn couldn’t blame him. If her dad had stuck around… Don’t go there, Joey-Jo. You don’t want him. Remember that. He wasn’t around for the hard years, why should she need or want him when this part was getting better?

—So she kills him.

What?!

The lab tech. Weren’t you listening?

Zolzadeh moments weren’t the exclusive domain of writers. Oh, of course. That makes sense. But only in the sense