Rabbi Gabrielle's Scandal: The Rabbi Gabrielle Series - Book 1 by Herst Roger

Author:Herst, Roger [Herst, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: jewish fiction, suspense
Published: 2011-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

When Gabby learned that the synagogue was auditioning Rabbi Norman Abramowitz, Ph.D. in Bioethics and Senior Rabbi of Congregation Emanuel in Atlanta, a contributor to scholarly periodicals and one of the most dynamic public speakers in the American rabbinate, she judged her already diminished chance for promotion absolutely doomed. From the moment she sat in Seth Greer’s empty chair and dreamed about succeeding him, she was determined to be ruled by political realism. An immediate promotion was her best and probably her only chance. In a lengthy competition there were too many qualified, ambitious, and talented competitors. For a large metropolitan congregation in need of a rabbi, particularly a prestigious pulpit in the nation’s capital city, it was definitely a buyer’s market.

Sooner or later, she’d have to consider serving a new boss. Resigning from her appointment as Associate Rabbi was a possibility, but that required finding a new position. Until the charges against her in Queens were resolved, no congregation on the planet would seriously give her the time of day. And if Emanuel Espinoza got his way in court, she’d seriously have to consider re-training for a new career. For the time being, it was easier to deal with synagogue routine than think of making a major career change.

Though she seldom referred to her watch in the course of a normal day, throughout the morning she found herself glancing at her grandmother’s wristwatch in anticipation of Noah’s two o’clock appointment. His kiss the night they had spent in Baltimore stirred emotion she both feared and welcomed. He had breached a defense perimeter between professionalism and friendship, and she wasn’t sure how to be both a rabbi and a friend to the same man. It was time to remind herself that rabbis could no more afford to be intimate with their congregants than physicians with their patients or attorneys with their clients. About that, her mind was absolutely clear. Still, her instincts tugged in the opposite direction. Noah had slipped into a private space and she was surprised how little she had done to discourage him.

He was dressed in a navy blue blazer with a beige Italian shirt and a brightly flowered Liberty necktie, knotted snuggly at the collar. His dress was more colorful than one might have expected of a man indicted for a felony. There was a welcoming smile on his lips, though telltale inflammation around the eyes revealed the stress one would imagine. She attempted to maintain distance from him by standing near her desk and greeting with a formal handshake. Her inclination was to sit informally on the sofa, but remembering Zoe’s admonition about the importance of maintaining a professional relationship she dropped back into her desk chair.

“I know you’ve been through hell, Noah,” she opened. “No doubt you heard Tally Waller’s speech at the rally.”

“Yes. And I also heard you give your invocation. We’re all proud of you. You were far better than the other angry windbags who spoke during the morning. Tally is a different matter.

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