Double Holiday

It's the December holiday season, and the Manhattan-based Bennett and Swanson Property Developers has an unexpected vice president opening. When Vanessa up and quits, her staff later learns that she was poached by another firm. The hard-nosed managing partner, Jane Bennett, struggles in the short term to reassign Vanessa's responsibilities, which are especially important as the firm is being considered for their potentially most lucrative contract, with the Dorothy Jenson Foundation, for 12 recreation facilities around the city. The leading candidates to fill the VP position are Vanessa's senior project-managers, cubicle-sharing Rebecca Hoffman and Chris Coulter, who both want the promotion. A quiet animosity already exists between the two: while Chris has been working at the company for eight years, one-year employee Rebecca has more experience and doesn't like Chris' confidence, believing he already acts like her boss, especially as she has trouble putting herself "out there" in any situation, like Jane never remembering her name or that she's interested in "Fancy Suit Guy," who works in the building, so she often encounters him the the elevator but has never had the nerve to speak to him. Meanwhile, Chris believes that Rebecca is cold because she will only present her all-business professional persona in work situations. So in Rebecca's offer to Jane that Vanessa's team will do whatever necessary to help get over temporarily being without their team leader, neither Rebecca nor Chris is prepared when Jane assigns them to organize the company Christmas party at Jane's home in one week--something Vanessa always did--because it will be the official unofficial opportunity to sway Mel Jenson for the foundation's contract; this will determine which, if either, of them will get the promotion. Rebecca is already busy enough organizing many of her family's Hanukkah traditions for the first time; besides, she has no experience with Christmas tradition. Spending time together not only organizing the party to Jane's satisfaction, but in Chris inserting himself into Rebecca's Hanukkah week, Rebecca learning of Chris' connection to the foundation, and Chris getting Rebecca to open herself up more including to "Fancy Suit Guy," will affect how the promotion plays out and how their relationship will emerge on the other side, both professionally and personally. Written by Huggo