Couples Like Us

by Mary Campisi

  Samantha lifted her wine glass, held Nicki’s gaze, and said in a soft voice, “Jameson has a lot of talents, and before too long, I bet you’ll discover a few of them.”

  Nicki tried to ignore the heat splattering her cheeks. His sister was definitely talking about a lot more than food and everyone at the table, including Jameson’s mother, knew it.

  “That is absolutely the truth,” Maria piped in. “Even if some stuffy, rich girl didn’t appreciate them.”

  Samantha made a face. “She didn’t appreciate them because it was all about her and her poor little lonely heart. Boo-hoo. That woman’s lucky we don’t track her down and set her straight. Dumping our brother.” She frowned, gaze narrowed. “Her loss.”

  Who were they talking about? Was the ex-girlfriend the reason he’d left Chicago? Nicki waited to hear more but Jameson had decided his sisters had said too much because he tossed his napkin on the table, pushed back his chair and stood.

  “Seems my sisters really don’t know when to keep quiet.” He turned to Nicki. “You haven’t seen my mother’s Christmas village yet. She adds a new piece every year and before long, there won’t be room to sit.”

  “That is not true, Jameson.” His mother’s eyes lit up at his teasing. “There will always be room for my children.” Her voice dipped, softened, “And their children.”

  Had she just darted a look at Nicki? It happened so fast, Nicki couldn’t be sure, but Jameson’s expression told her she hadn’t been mistaken. She placed the napkin on the table next to her plate and offered his mother and sisters an apologetic smile. “I think I would like to see the village, if you don’t mind?”

  “Of course not,” they all chattered, their smiles and nods implying, Go check out the village and spend all the time you need doing it. Alone.

  “Thank you for the lovely dinner, Mrs. Price. Everything was delicious.”

  “Thomasina, dear. And you are very welcome. Go on ahead now and we’ll have coffee and dessert in a bit. Wait until you taste Jameson’s pumpkin roll. It’s another one of the church’s favorites. When we hold the Christmas bazaar, they bring in the most money.”

  Jameson cooked for funerals and made pumpkin rolls? He used to work at The Oak Bench? In Chicago? What else did he do that she didn’t know about? Nicki pasted a smile on her lips and followed Jameson into the living room. His mother’s Christmas village twinkled from the mantel and the accompanying coffee table, offering a brilliant display of color and lights. There were several cottages with candles in the tiny windows, a church, and a small gathering of carolers near lampposts, mouths open in song. She leaned closer, noticed the dog dressed in a candy-cane scarf. Nicki pictured Jameson’s mother adding pieces over the years, most likely gifts from her family. Was this what tradition meant…and family?

  “So, about my sisters and my mother…”

  Nicki glanced up, spotted Jameson next to the mantel, hands shoved in his pockets, a serious look on his face. “Yes?”

  “I want to apologize. Sometimes I just can’t control them. They mean well, but…”

  “They love you,” she said, wishing someone cared about her enough to defend her. “It’s so obvious.”

  “Yeah, well, sometimes it’s a bit too obvious.”

  “Don’t apologize because they care about you.” She held his gaze, said, “It’s a gift, and you’re very lucky.” Had she really just admitted that? She’d spent her whole life avoiding emotion like what she’d seen tonight. But maybe life wasn’t always about ignoring or controlling feelings; maybe sometimes they just happened, and that was okay.

  “Thanks,” he said, his dark eyes bright. “Not everyone understands about family.”

  She nodded. The more time she spent with the man, the less she knew about him. There was no sense asking about Chicago or The Oak Bench because she sensed he wasn’t going to tell her—not yet anyway. Jameson Price was one giant mystery and for the first time in a very long while, she wanted to know more.

  Chapter 5

  For the next five days, Jameson accompanied Nicki around Reunion Gap. He hadn’t planned to act as a tour guide, but after dinner the other night and the this-is-my-opinion-on-relationships confession, along with her acceptance of his family, he’d grown intrigued. Okay, he was more than a little interested in Nicki Gallagher. The woman certainly had her share of opinions, and while he might not agree with all of them, he liked the fact that she didn’t need anyone else to tell her what to think. His ex had bounced around with her beliefs, what she wanted, and what she didn’t want. And they changed, depending on whom she’d been talking to, her mood, what was popular. Could he really have tolerated that long-term? Probably not.

  He’d met his almost-fiancée right after his father died, at a time when he was vulnerable and feeling a bit too mortal. The attraction had been strong, but how much of that had to do with the need to find what his parents had shared, even if he had to pretend it existed? Yeah, he’d done a good job projecting his parents’ relationship on his own. But had any of it been real? His mother and father would never have tolerated being ignored, left out, or unappreciated. They’d have addressed their issues head on instead of turning to someone else like his ex had done.

  Jameson bet Nicki Gallagher wouldn’t tolerate being ignored, and she sure as hell wouldn’t let anybody control what she thought.

  And that was damn appealing.

  Maybe it had taken someone like her to make him admit he and his ex had never been right for each other.

  Nicki was due at his house soon for what he called a “good old-fashioned pre-Christmas get-together—Price style.” Hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, snickerdoodle cookies, finger sandwiches, two different kinds of dips, cut-up veggies…eaten while watching It’s a Wonderful Life. How could a person reach almost thirty years and not have witnessed Jimmy Stewart’s portrayal of George Bailey? Apparently, Nicki had a lot of catching up to do…

  She arrived a few minutes later with a batch of molasses cookies, courtesy of Jennifer Merrick, and a bottle of wine. Jameson took her coat, laughed when he spotted the wine. “That does not go with hot chocolate.”

  Nicki set her boots on the doormat and shrugged. “Says who?” Then she scrunched up her nose and smiled. “You’ve got a point.”

  He laughed again and led her into the living room and the smorgasbord on the coffee table. “I hope you’re hungry. Grab a plate, I’ll fix the hot chocolate, and we’ll watch Jimmy so you can see what you’ve been missing.”

  It was hard to sit next to Nicki on the couch, close enough for Jameson to inhale her almond-vanilla scent, without touching her. The perfect pleasure-torment. Halfway through the movie he wanted to touch her, and when he spotted the crumbs from a snickerdoodle near the corner of her mouth, he brushed them away with his thumb, his gaze homed in on her full lips.

  “Jameson.” She reached out and stroked his cheek.

  He glanced up, met her gaze. There was no denying the desire there, but he saw uncertainty, too. “Nicki, it’s okay…maybe it’s too soon—”

  She pulled him to her, kissed him with passion and need, and a longing that burned through him. When she opened her mouth, the kiss deepened, grew bolder, more intense. He trailed a hand to her neck, traced the opening of her shirt. Her skin was soft and silky, and he wanted to feel more of it. The moan told him she wanted more, too. Jameson had his hand on the first button when his cell rang. He ignored it, cursed the damn thing for the intrusion. Nothing existed right now but the two of them. Alone. Together. He ignored the ding of a voicemail, and unbuttoned the first button, reached for the second, when the damn phone rang again.

  Nicki broke the kiss, said in a breathless voice, “Maybe you should get that. It could be important.”

  He sighed, fingered the second button of her shirt. “I can’t think of anything more important than this right now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Her lips curved into a smile.

  The smile on her face was the last th
ing he remembered before the voicemail. Jameson stood, dragged a hand through his hair as he listened to the message. “It’s my sister’s husband. Andrea’s water broke; they’re headed to the hospital.”

  “But the baby’s not due for another three weeks…”

  “Right.” He punched out his middle sister’s number. “Sam? Hey, I’m on my way. Huh? Yeah, sorry. I couldn’t get to the phone. See you soon.” Click. Jameson turned to Nicki who stood a few feet away, hands clasped, worry clouding her face. “I have to get to the hospital.” He moved toward her, touched her cheek, “I’m sorry I have to leave.”

  Her hazel eyes turned bright, her voice soft. “Go. I’ll clean up and let myself out.”

  “Thanks.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I’ll call you when I know anything.”

  An hour later, Jameson sat with his mother and sisters in the labor and delivery waiting room. Andrea’s husband, Dominic, had come out twice to say it could be a long night. This was the first baby in the next generation of Prices and he or she was three weeks early. Typical Price. Always ahead of schedule.

  His mother turned to him, patted his hand. “Andrea thought maybe we should wait to call you, but I wanted to give you a chance to be here.” Pause, a half smile. “In case the baby decides to make an appearance sooner rather than later.” She lifted a shoulder, sighed. “You can never tell with the first one.”

  “I’m glad you called.” That wasn’t exactly true, but another hour and who knows what Nicki and he might have been doing? He dragged a hand over his face, thought of all the possibilities.

  “What were you doing anyway?” Maria asked. “Dominic said he tried to call. You usually answer on the second ring.”

  He shrugged. “Guess I didn’t hear the phone.” His sisters looked at each other, smiled.

  “Uh-huh.” Sam raised a brow, but for once kept her mouth shut.

  Jameson grabbed his phone, scrolled through his messages. It was a good excuse to close down the questions…and think about Nicki. Was she still at his house? He wanted to call her, but with his busybody sisters around, it would be almost impossible to have a conversation, and he was not going to tell them about her. No way, not until he absolutely had to…

  “Hi, everyone.”

  Jameson glanced up to find Nicki standing at the entrance of the waiting room, winter coat open, purse slung over her shoulder, a shopping bag in either hand. “I brought some food. I hear these things can last all night, and I figured you might get hungry. Jameson made the most delicious sandwiches. And the snickerdoodles…you’ve got to try them.” She set the bags on the table, slid a glance his way. “Hi,” she said, in a voice that said, I miss you and I want to pick up where we left off.

  A smile slipped out. “Hi.”

  “So, you and Jameson were together, huh?”

  Leave it to Sam to open her mouth.

  Nicki turned red, stumbled over her words, “He invited me over and we watched It’s a Wonderful Life.”

  “Really?” This from his mother who sat up and darted a gaze from Nicki to Jameson.

  “Looks like more than one Price is getting a present this year.” Maria dug a hand into a shopping bag and pulled out a container. “Snickerdoodles! Yum.”

  His mother and sisters got involved in the containers, opening them and sampling the contents. Nicki sat beside him, leaned close and whispered, “I hope you don’t mind that I came. I kept thinking about Andrea and I wanted to be here.” Her hazel eyes turned bright, shimmered. “I wanted to share this moment with you and your family. Do you mind?”

  He shook his head. “Never. I’m glad you came.” Then he kissed her, long and slow, and with enough emotion that his family wouldn’t have to ask what Nicki Gallagher meant to him. If they saw that kiss, and he was certain they did, they knew this woman was a keeper.

  Two hours later, Jameson was half-asleep with Nicki cuddled against him when Dominic burst into the waiting area and said, “It’s a girl!”

  The following afternoon

  “How’s everything going? Have you fallen in love with my hometown yet?”

  Nicki couldn’t help but smile at the question. “Actually, Meredith, I have.”

  “What’s not to love, right? So, have you met Jameson Price? He’s the owner of The Oak Table.”

  Nicki hesitated a second, said in an even voice, “I did. He makes a very agreeable—”

  Meredith’s laughter tinkled through the line. “I should say he does.” Another laugh. “But then just about anything he makes is top-shelf. You don’t own a place like The Oak Bench without knowing a thing or two about cuisine.”

  “The Oak Bench?” Nicki sucked in a breath, blew it out. “Jameson owns it?” He’d said he worked in the kitchen, not that he owned it.

  “He did, but he sold it when he left Chicago and headed back to Reunion Gap. A lot of people called him crazy, but I get it…especially after the breakup with Giselle.” Her voice dipped, turned conspiratorial. “Can you believe a guy like that was involved with that crybaby?”

  “Are you talking about Giselle Robard? He was with her?” Her stomach jumped and flipped, making her worry she’d throw up the Cobb salad she’d eaten earlier.

  “Oh, yeah, he was definitely with her. Made her life miserable, too. I used to hear all about it, but Giselle loved him, said she couldn’t imagine life without the guy.” Pause, and a sigh. “Until she realized he was never going to change, that she’d always come third, behind work and making a name for himself.”

  Giselle Robard was the woman he’d said deserved better than he could give? The one he’d hurt? Nicki clasped her hands against her middle, blinked hard. Of all the men on the planet, why did she have to fall for one who’d been involved with Beatrice Robard’s daughter? “Small world.”

  “And it’s getting smaller.”

  Meredith loved her innuendoes. “How so?” How much smaller could it get than Nicki falling for a guy who’d been Giselle Robard’s boyfriend?

  “If I tell you, you’ve got to promise to keep it quiet. I mean zipped tight.”

  Nicki rubbed her left temple, fought the beginnings of a headache. “I’m zipped.”

  “Giselle’s still in love with Jameson and she’s coming to Reunion Gap to tell him.”

  Chapter 6

  Tonight Jameson planned to come clean with Nicki about his life in Chicago. She deserved to know he’d owned The Oak Bench and had created the dishes she loved so much. Hell, once he told her the truth, he’d offer to make her whatever she wanted—every night. Yeah, he liked the sound of that. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit he wanted to spend a lot more time with her and not just talking. Nope. He wanted the physical part, and if the kiss they’d shared the other day was any indication, the rest would be mind-blowing explosive. Jameson pushed an image of Nicki beside him—in bed and naked—from his brain. Baby steps, that’s what they needed.

  She didn’t trust well or often, he could tell from the hesitancy in her response when he asked about her past. Who could blame her when she’d grown up with no father and a mother who only wanted a husband? He’d been naive enough to believe everybody had a relationship like his parents, with siblings who might be opinionated and outspoken but would do anything for family.

  But life wasn’t like that and he only had to look at the Alexanders to see it. Still, if Nicki were willing to give their relationship a shot, his heart told him they had a chance. Who was he kidding? He wanted a heck of a lot more than a simple relationship with her. He smiled as more honesty spilled into his brain; he wanted a life with her. And not just any life, but the whole marriage-sharing-kids-happily-ever-after one.

  The only question left was, did she?

  Nicki tossed her clothes in the open suitcase resting on the bed. A few weeks ago, she’d been obsessive about folding and caring for the designer labels. But they were just clothes. They weren’t living, breathing things that could touch you…change your life…break your heart. She sucked in a breat
h, blew it out. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d started to picture the possibility of a life in Reunion Gap, one that included a husband, children, maybe even a dog one day.

  But that was all gone now.

  Giselle Robard would be here soon to claim her man. She’d probably already contacted him and they’d begun plans for their grand reunion. Would Giselle bring Bella? Would she book a room at the Peace & Harmony Inn, or would she stay with Jameson? If she chose the bed-and-breakfast, maybe she’d ask for the honeymoon suite. Why not? Jennifer never said a couple had to be on their honeymoon to use it, and besides, that would happen soon enough.

  Nicki removed the glass ornament Jameson had given her from its box and studied it. He’d said the purple and gold swirling through the glass reminded him of her: vibrant, unique, mesmerizing. If only another woman hadn’t stolen his heart, maybe Nicki would have stood a chance.

  Maybe she finally would have known what it was like to be part of a family…

  She sat on the edge of the bed, held the ornament against her heart, and whispered, “I’ll never forget you, Jameson. I miss you already.” For someone who’d spent most of her life protecting her heart, she’d done a miserable job of it this time. Not only had she neglected to protect it, but she’d lost it to a man who loved another woman. How was she supposed to return to a job that while providing a healthy income and direct access to important people, did nothing for her soul? In fact, it made her restless, discontented, unable to see that there was more to life than money and rubbing elbows with power.

  But time away had given her a different perspective, and a new goal that included finding another job that was about more than dressing rich people and their pets. She didn’t know what that would be, but she loved goals, and she’d figure it out. Nicki traced the ornament, thought of Jameson’s expression when he’d handed it to her. She could have sworn she’d seen real caring on his face…but maybe because she’d only wanted it to be there.