Couples Like Us Read online

  Couples Like Us

  Mary Campisi

  Mary Campisi Books, LLC

  Contents

  Introduction

  I. Before

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  II. Three and a half years later

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Introduction

  The Story Behind the Story

  Chapter 1

  About the Author

  Other Books by Mary Campisi

  Introduction

  Christmas is a time of joy, hope, and wonder...until the ultimate challenge threatens one of Reunion Gap’s favorite couples.

  Note to the reader:

  As a reader, I often wonder about the before and after of certain characters. As a writer, I’m able to act on that wondering if I’ve created those characters. (One of the guilty pleasures of the profession!) Nicki and Jameson Price are two people who made me curious because they’re such a perfect couple. Perfect for how long? What would happen when adversity struck? Would they survive? Of course, I had to “test” them.

  Couples Like Us is told in two parts: Part One: Before, which was previously Christmas in Reunion Gap and Part Two: Three and a half years later.

  Part One: Before

  Nicki Gallagher doesn’t believe in Christmas, small towns, or relationships that aren’t about business. She’s a city girl with big dreams that include prestige and money—and lots of both. But when a forced sabbatical from her job lands her in Reunion Gap during the Christmas holidays, will she open her eyes and her heart to what she’s been missing?

  Jameson Price left city life behind to regain his focus on what really mattered in life—family and relationships. Now he’s back in Reunion Gap where the pace is slower and life is less complicated. Just the way he likes it. Until Jameson meets Nicki Gallagher and everything gets complicated.

  * * *

  Part Two: Three and a half years later

  Nicki and Jameson Price are the perfect couple: married, in love, with two children and solid careers. They have their whole future planned out, one they will share side by side. When Jameson accepts a month-long consulting job two thousand miles away, he’s doing it to help his family and solidify their future.

  It’s only a month. What could possibly go wrong? Well… Two-thousand-mile separations are never good, but add an ex-girlfriend bent on removing the ex from her status and a wife who finds out about it? It doesn’t matter how much the husband isn’t interested in the ex, he’s in trouble. Follow this couple as they navigate the rockiest part of their relationship, questioning each other, their future, and whether they’ll ever find their way back to perfect.

  * * *

  Reunion Gap series:

  Book One: Strangers Like Us

  Book Two: Liars Like Us

  Book Three: Lovers Like Us

  Book Four: Couples Like Us

  * * *

  Bonus: Included in this ebook is an excerpt from A Family Affair, Truth in Lies Book 1. Real Families arent’ always the ones you know about.

  Copyright © 2019 by Mary Campisi

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Print ISNB: 978-1-942158-63-9

  Created with Vellum

  Dedication

  To my friend, Cece.... Distance does not diminish friendships. Thank you for yours.

  Part I

  Before

  Chapter 1

  In all of Nicki Gallagher’s life no one had ever told her she needed to adjust her thinking. And they certainly hadn’t told her to regroup and consider her priorities. Regroup and consider her priorities? What did that mean, anyway? How was she supposed to do that when her priorities had guided her these past seven years to financial success that included a standing reservation at the most-sought-after restaurants in the city, a condo overlooking the water, a hefty bank account, and her prized possession—a list that contained contact information for the most influential people in Chicago?

  Regroup and adjust her priorities? Not likely.

  Nicki was a hard worker who wasn’t afraid to commit to overzealous deadlines or near-impossible challenges. The client came first. Always. So what if most nights she didn’t get more than five hours of sleep or had to break dinner dates and plans to the mountains? The time to build her career was now. She could sleep later, soak up sun and fun after she’d built a solid client list…maybe she’d even find time to fall in love.

  But not now…not when she had so much to focus on and achieve. In six months, she’d turn thirty and she planned to be the number one personal shopper in the Chicago area. It had been her goal since she hired on with Evelyn & Associates seven years ago, and she’d never swayed from that vision. Not once. She loved her work and she was very good at it. No, she was excellent. Everyone said so. The glowing reviews, the testimonials, coupled with the bonuses and the very nice salary said that Nicki Gallagher was one of the best.

  It could have continued that way, with more accolades and the number one spot designation next to her name, maybe even a write-up in the newspaper. All she’d had to do was mind her own business and stick with the plan. But no, she’d grown impatient in her quest to make a name for herself and get people in the right circles talking about her. Well, they were talking about her all right and not in a good way. Who would have thought a Pomeranian named Bella would be her demise? It all started when Beatrice Robard asked if Nicki might coordinate an outfit for her daughter’s dog, Bella. Designer label, of course, she’d said. Not too clingy.

  The first few outfits were easy and Bella loved the extra attention and special pampering. But then the daughter started talking about a Christmas wardrobe, complete with a muff and snow boots. That had been Nicki’s downfall. Not only did the Pomeranian refuse to cooperate, but she made a statement about her refusal by tearing up Mrs. Robard’s favorite pillow and relieving herself on the daughter’s duvet cover. Of course, the daughter wasn’t home at the time and when she returned from her afternoon luncheon, she wasn’t pleased. In fact, she was mortified that her “baby” had performed such destruction. Mrs. Robard did not hesitate to let Nicki know of her displeasure.

  This is so unlike Bella. Did you provoke her in any way? My daughter is very upset. She says Bella’s sensitive and can tell when someone’s lost their patience. She thinks you might be sending her negative energy. And then she’d said in a voice heavy with apology, I’m sorry, Nicki, but we can’t continue our relationship, not until you’ve found your inner balance. Might I suggest a break? I hear the mountains can be quite calming.

  And that was the beginning of a mandatory sabbatical. Of course, Mrs. Robard might have smiled and even hugged Nicki as she said her goodbyes and offered wishes for a lovely Christmas, but the woman followed up with a terse message for Nicki’s boss.

  She’s bringing negative energy to Bella, and she’s upset my daughter. No one upsets Giselle without repercussions. Nicki needs a break. I adore the girl, but I won’t sacrifice my daughter’s happiness or well-being. And then the undertones behind the words that said, Make this right or I’ll tell my friends to stop doing business with you.

  When her boss delivered the news,
she couldn’t quite meet Nicki’s gaze, as she used terms like finding a fresh landscape, recharging, and enjoying the holidays. Enjoying the holidays? How did a person do that when she had no family, no significant other, not even a dog? Nicki enjoyed her holidays by ignoring them, working through them, and getting past them. There was no use fighting because Mrs. Robard was their biggest client and she could single-handedly dismantle their business, if she chose to do so.

  But why can’t I speak with Mrs. Robard’s daughter myself? I’m sure we could figure out a new approach that would make everyone happy.

  I’m sorry, Nicki, but Giselle isn’t open to it. You see, she doesn’t like to deal with unpleasantness, or be at the center of it. You understand, don’t you?

  What Nicki understood was that Giselle Robard didn’t mind creating the unpleasantness as long as she didn’t have to admit to it, or get involved in the cleanup. Too messy, no doubt. Well, life wasn’t always nice and neat and a person couldn’t always depend on her mother to fix things for them. She’d known a few Giselles in her life, had even considered them friends until they’d turned on her for telling truths they didn’t want to admit. Who wouldn’t want to know their boyfriend had another girlfriend? Or that the paper they wrote for literature class was going to bomb?

  Apparently, people like Giselle Robard would rather remain oblivious to the everyday nuances of life and create their own perfect reality—which, of course, didn’t exist. Or only existed if Mommy and Daddy reworked it for them. Nicki had never known her father and her mother hadn’t cared enough to rework any form of reality, even the story about how she’d gotten pregnant by a married man who refused to leave his wife.

  She didn’t mind people with money. In fact, she strived to be one of those people. It was the sense of entitlement some of them had that drove her crazy. Giselle Robard had attended some fancy college that sounded more like a finishing school than a place of higher education. Fashion design had been her major, and what had she done with it? Nothing but some charity work. On occasion. But the woman and her dog had decided Nicki’s fate and forced her into a month-long sabbatical.

  How was she supposed to relax and refocus? Her brain hadn’t shut down since she was fourteen and had to find a way to help pay the rent. Babysitting, tutoring, housecleaning—she’d done it all, and when she’d headed to college, she’d recreated herself and her pathetic past. Friends sympathized with her made-up story about the father whose intricate Ponzi scheme stripped the family’s wealth and landed him in jail. They believed that’s why Nicki never had money and were more than happy to subsidize her so she could join them as they lived the life of the privileged. What would they have said if she’d told them she didn’t even know her father, and her mother worked at a diner? And most of all, that there’d never been any money to lose?

  The days of hustling other people for sympathy and money were over, gone the second she stepped onto the Magnificent Mile in Chicago seven and a half years ago. That’s when Nicki decided she’d utilize her skills at matching people and personalities with the perfect fabric and style, and she’d make money at it—lots of money.

  And the more money she made, the farther away she’d be from her sad past.

  But she hadn’t expected this detour in her life plans. What was she supposed to do for almost a month? At Christmas? The first day she practiced deep breathing, checked out three yoga classes, and cleaned the kitchen. The second day she organized a closet, scrubbed the shower, and got a pedicure. When day three arrived, she dragged herself out of bed and went for a run. By the time she returned, it was only 8:45 a.m. For a child raised by a single parent in a low-rent apartment, who’d spent too much time alone, this forced time off was horrible.

  Her boss didn’t want to hear from her until after New Year’s. Twenty-eight more days of deep breathing, organizing, and attempting to destress? Ugh. She had to find something… The possibilities weren’t great because while she’d been busy developing her client list, she’d neglected to bother with relationships that went beyond business. If a relationship couldn’t be used to advance her career, what was the point? And then there was the issue of men. Yes, they had their limited value, but again, what was the point? Her mother had spent her whole life looking for Mr. Right and ended up with a lot of Mr. Wrongs. That wasn’t going to happen to Nicki. She would take care of herself and never depend on a man for anything, especially self-worth. Were the nights sometimes lonely? The holidays empty? The achievements just a tiny bit lackluster? Sometimes. But to risk giving up one’s value and identity for a man? To open up and let him see your weaknesses so he could hurt you? Uh, no thank you.

  Nicki moved through life with lists, and speed, and determination, vowing to reach every goal she’d set and remain independent, all the while distancing herself from her past. As long as she kept busy, she didn’t think about what might be missing from her life, like a real relationship or someone who mattered. She had her work and her goals.

  But now she’d been sidelined by a Pomeranian named Bella and her passive-aggressive owner, Giselle. It didn’t matter that Nicki had a degree in business or that she’d excelled in building business relationships. Money and prestige controlled everything. Nicki didn’t have many friends, at least not the kind she’d invite over for heartfelt conversations and confessions—except for Meredith Alexander. Moneyed, kind-hearted, from a screwed-up family, Meredith understood what it meant to be alone, to not fit in, to search for something to fill the emptiness. When Nicki relayed her pathetic situation, Meredith suggested she get out of town, away from the noise, accusations, and recriminations.

  Why don’t you head to my hometown in Pennsylvania? It’s quaint and small, located at the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. People have called the scenery majestic, but you have to experience it yourself. And there’s nothing like Christmas in Reunion Gap, she’d said. It’s beautiful and if I didn’t have family there, I’d pack up and go right now.

  What am I going to do in a place where I don’t know anybody, miles from civilization? Nicki had laughed and said, They probably don’t even have a coffee shop.

  Meredith believed in family and goodness and wanted to save the world, one person at a time… One green space at a time… There’s a bed-and-breakfast in Reunion Gap called Peace & Harmony Inn. You’ll love it. There’s sure to be plenty of snow, and nothing’s more calming than fresh-fallen snow. Plenty of good food, too, upscale and otherwise if you know where to look. Just rest and relax. Pause, followed by a wistful I wish I could be there.

  All I want to do is get back to work. I want to prove I’m a team player, that I do know how to relax and communicate with people and animals. Do you think I should get a dog? I could dress her up in designer outfits and then Giselle and her mother would see just how much my negative energy is in balance.

  You don’t need a dog. You need to relax. Trust me, Nicki, you’ll love Reunion Gap. Think of it as a much-needed vacation.

  I don’t want a vacation and I don’t want to go somewhere where I’ll be surrounded by do-gooders and Christmas carols.

  Meredith had laughed. You think you don’t until you’re there. Like I said, if my father weren’t in Reunion Gap, I’d be on the next plane. Just try it and if you don’t like it, I’ll comp you the stay.

  It took another day and more deep breathing exercises for Nicki to make her decision. She could walk around her apartment for the next few weeks, flip through television channels and try to avoid Christmas movies, or she could hop in her car and head to Reunion Gap, Pennsylvania. She just had to hide out for a few weeks and then she could present herself as new and improved, refreshed, and ready to face humans and animals, including Giselle Robard and Bella.

  Surely, Nicki could suffer through a few weeks until the new year arrived.

  Couldn’t she?

  After another hour of debating the pros and cons, she called Meredith and told her she’d decided to give her hometown a try.

  You won’t reg
ret it. I promise.

  Nicki doubted her friend’s words, but with nothing to do and too much time on her hands, why not? She packed a bag filled with designer casuals, a few pairs of heels and what she thought were reasonable snow boots, and headed out. She had a lot of time to think as she drove and considered all the different ways she could be spending Christmas right now. If she’d stayed with her last boyfriend and ignored his roaming eye, they could be on their way to some tropical spot right now. Or, if she’d never offered to outfit Giselle Robard’s Pomeranian, she’d still be working.

  But she’d done none of those things, and that’s why she was headed to a small town that would probably swallow her up with good cheer and Christmas carols. Ho, ho, ho.

  Chapter 2

  Jameson Price had been back in Reunion Gap for eight months. Most nights, he didn’t think about the city he’d left, the big lights of Chicago, the thrum of activity. Most nights, he fell asleep to quiet and peace. But there were a few times when he wished he could blend the two, when he wondered how different life would have been if he’d realized how unhappy his almost-fiancée had been. How neglected she’d felt. How second rate and undervalued. He’d been so busy building his restaurant business, his focus on the people who could help him achieve success, that he’d forgotten about the woman he’d loved.