All Year with Anthony

by Katie Fitzgerald

Gwen, an event planner who works for an overbearing boss, has just one strike left before she gets fired. Unfortunately, the New Year's Eve party she put together isn't going as well as she planned. Just after midnight, worried about the future of her career, she flees to the parking lot where she is comforted by Anthony, the sweet sous chef with whom she has shared many happy memories this past year

This story first appeared in Another Chance to Get It A New Year's Eve Anthology, released in November 2024 by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books.

Genres: Romance, Short Stories, Friends To Lovers, Adult, Contemporary

16 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 4, 2025

About the author

Katie Fitzgerald is the author of two collections, Library Lovebirds and Literary Lovebirds, five stand-alone short stories - All Year with Anthony, Batter Together: A Short Story, Green Gloves: A Short Story Romance, Gnome One But You: A Short Story Romance, and Strangers in the Sand: A Short Story Romance - and a novel in flash, The Bennetts Bloom.

Her short stories and flash fiction appear online at Havok Publishing, Syncopation Literary Journal, Painted Pebble Lit Mag, Spillwords.com, Spark Flash Fiction and Micromance Magazine. Her serial romance, "The Plus One Pact" appears quarterly in Clean Fiction.

She is a 2024 Sparkie Award recipient for Best Romantic Suspense, a 2024 nominee for the Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist in three categories of the 2025 Cupid Prize. A graduate of Vassar College and a trained librarian, Katie resides in Maryland with her husband and five kids.

Katie's work also appears in the following anthologies:
✿ Wither and Bloom
✿ Of Ink & Paper
✿ Crowns: A Heartbooks Anthology
✿ A Winter Promise: A Dragon Soul Press Anthology
✿ Summer Sweethearts: A Contemporary Romance Collection
✿ Tails, Scales, & Tiaras
✿ Another Chance to Get It Right: A New Year's Eve Anthology
✿ Written Tales Chapbook XV: Echoes of Ink
✿ 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas
✿ The Dragon Bone Journal: 2025 Issue
✿ Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology
✿ KissMet Quarterly : Spring Issue
✿ Unconventional Love: Anthology on the Expanse of Love
✿ A Serendipitous Summer
✿ The Zest of the Lemon Volume 2: Capturing Slices of Life and Beauty

Reviews

[Larissa (That Baker That Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
Gwen is working at a New Year's party as an event planner for a horrible boss. At least she has a great friend like Anthony, a sous chef who has been by her side thru it all.

Includes:
✨Friends to Lovers
✨New Year's Eve
✨Workplace Romance
✨Hallmark Romance

🌶️Heat Level:
Kissing Only
Attraction/Tension:🔥

My Opinion:
This was very cute, and I was eager to continue the story, because the writing was really enjoyable. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwen’s NYE bash was supposed to save her job—but when things fall apart, she escapes to the parking lot, panicked and defeated. Waiting there? Anthony—the kind, steady sous chef who’s been her quiet support all year. As fireworks fade, comfort turns into something more.

A short and sweet story about a love just starting to bloom. While we don’t get much background or drama, the cozy vibes and cute chemistry make it a perfect little palate cleanser between heavier reads. Simple, light, and heartwarming.

[Desi Stowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely NYE themed story!

Fitzgerald delivers a story that is not only about finding a kiss at midnight, but also a deeper theme of work/life balance and finding people who support you.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy New Year

A sweet and clean short story. Enjoyable story set on New Year's Eve between an event planner and a caterer. I would definitely like to read more

[Amra Isaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute short story. I love how the two characters’ love story was shown over a year in a short amount of pages. I enjoy sweet, non-spicy romances from time to time.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sweet little love story!

Very cute--short, sweet love story. This could be a prequel to a novel or series or a complete standalone quick short story. It's very short, encompassing one night, but it's very cute. It's really only got a couple characters, but they're lovable and fun. The story moves swiftly with no excess. Definitely recommended for a 10-minute or so read!

[Jennifer Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute short story! The perfect sweet romance to read after a heavier read. Plus you get a swoony romance in one sitting!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a romantic New Year's Story! It is short, but Katie had me swooning for the couple in just a few pages. This was extremely well done for a short story romance!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and simple, this brief standalone captures the end-of-year melancholy of a event planner on the verge of being fired who finds some unexpected comfort from the sous chef of the catering company, and realizes that as bad as her year had been, she had somehow managed to spend it all with him. Gwen and Anthony have a crystal clear connection, and as they ring in the new year together, he helps her find the confidence to stand up for herself. It's a sixteen page ebook that was very cute and to the point, and honestly, I really enjoyed it. If you want a quick and easy read that tugs at all the heartstrings, this one fits the bill.

[Breanin Berrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s amazing how invested and happy you can be for a couple that you know so little details about. But in this adorable New Year’s romance, you get a solid boost of feel good serotonin.

If you’re looking for something to spend a few minutes loving, this is a great and quick read 🥰

[Stacey Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable 10 minute palate cleanser. It made me smile and root for Gwen, honestly wish it was a bit longer. Very cute, VERY short story.

[Elise Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this adorable short story! I read it on New Year's Eve and it was perfect!

[Tamera Westhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Novella

This was a super quick read about Gwen, a planner, and Anthony, a chef. It basically is told through a recap as they dance on New Year’s. Very sweet.

[Reading Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like it’s cheating for these mini short stories to count toward my yearly book total, that’s why I give myself a lofty hours goal. But over all a good short new years story that could easily be turned into a full novel, but idk if I would read it myself.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Year with Anthony is a quick read about Gwen, a party planner, and Anthony, a chef. It is a review of their year working together told as they dance in the parking lot on New Years Eve. It worked well as a short story but also with such endearing characters would be great as a novel.

[Nancie Blume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super short story

This has the makings of a super sweet romance but 16 pages was more of an overview than a story...I felt like there could've been a few more details added to it to still make it a great super sweet short story!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite stories from this author (and I love ALL her work). Such a fun way to start the year!

[sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute short story, I would totally consider reading a full novel of this.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a short story.

[Lovely Lyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was sweet but i needed like 5 more pages - just tell me what happened with the job!