Chapter 3
Rachael—Santa’s Crew
Ridgewood, New Jersey
R achael was loading her small music speakers into the back of her car.
She had just finished a session at the local adult community center.
Once a week, she picked a theme and encouraged those who were interested to “get up and dance.” If they didn’t know the steps, she patiently taught them.
Normally she would be in a good mood after an evening like this, but tonight, her pal Randy had put a buzzkill on her merriment.
Two years before, she’d met Randy in Lake Tahoe, where he had been the concierge at the hotel where everyone was staying.
When she discovered Randy was a dancer, she immediately drew him into her flash-mob dance routine.
When she returned to New York, she strong-armed her former partner Henry into helping Randy find a job on Broadway.
Randy had natural talent and embarked on a new career moving from one musical to another.
Rachael was happy her friend had found success, but that also meant he had less time for her.
Now that he was involved with Jordan Pleasance, he had even less.
The year before, when everyone traveled to Italy, Nina caught up with one of her former colleagues, Jordan Pleasance.
He was a highly regarded film producer who left the glitz of Hollywood behind and settled in Milan.
He was dabbling with the idea of adapting a story into a screenplay and invited Nina to collaborate with him.
Nina, a celebrated television actress turned screenwriter, had all but given up on the entertainment business when Jordan convinced her to join him on the project.
Nina invited Jordan to come to Salerno to celebrate New Year’s with her gang, which is where he met Randy.
The two hit it off and, you know the phrase, “the rest is history.” And as far as Rachael was concerned, so was her friendship with Randy.
It wasn’t as if they had a falling-out, but if you weren’t on Rachael’s schedule, then you weren’t necessarily her friend.
It was something the other friends had become accustomed to.
But long-term friendships get a lot of free passes, and Rachael was no exception.
She wasn’t mean-spirited, just a bit spoiled.
She had been counting on Randy to spend more of the holidays with her, especially New Year’s Eve.
The prior year, she’d met Salvatore Barone in Italy while he was on sabbatical from the University of Salerno.
Several months later, he moved to New York to teach at NYU.
Their relationship was steady until he announced he was going to Italy for the holidays to visit friends.
What irked her was that he didn’t invite her to join him.
They had a huge row when he explained that he needed some free time to spend with his pals, with the underlying and unspoken words that Rachael monopolized people.
Rachael was the only one of the friends who had been married, had a son, and was divorced.
Her aspirations of a life of luxury and flitting through life like a social butterfly were crushed when she discovered her husband went through her trust fund in less than three years.
Yes, she had to bear some of the blame for allowing him access, but at the time, she was busy and fluttering about.
With her bank account drained, she needed a job.
The idea was revolting. Her plan was to find another man of equal or better resources than she originally owned.
But she discovered it was not that easy, especially as a single mother.
Greg, her ex-husband, contributed to their son’s child support, but the monthly nut was hers to crack.
She began to teach classes at a local dance studio.
When the owner announced her retirement, Rachael got financial assistance from her family and purchased the building and the client list. Dancing was something Rachael knew how to do, and she did it well.
The business was a success, yet she was still in search of validation from another man, an error many women make.
Rachael couldn’t shake her constant need for attention.
For the most part, it was harmless, until people realized she was always talking over them, or she would compare an experience they were having with something she went through.
If you were looking for empathy or just for someone to listen, Rachael wasn’t necessarily the gal.
It often felt like a competition, and it was exhausting.
But she was loyal, which made it easier to forgive, knowing she will always have your back. No matter what.
And this is why she was angry with both Randy and Salvatore.
Randy chose to welcome the new year with Jordan, and Salvatore chose to be with his former professor and fellow students.
When Frankie suggested Rachael should be delighted for Salvatore instead of being upset, it started another battle between the two friends.
“Listen, Rachael,” Frankie had said, “I’m no expert on relationships, but one thing my mother tried to tell me was, if you push too hard, you push them away.
If you act nonchalant, they wonder what’s going on in your head.
” Frankie knew all too well how she had failed miserably in the past. It wasn’t until she inadvertently ignored Giovanni and sent him into a tizzy that she realized her mother was right. “You’ve gotta trust me on this.”
Rachael did not want to be the fifth, seventh, or ninth wheel over the holidays. As she flung her things into the car, she muttered the words “act nonchalant” to herself. She finished packing her belongings into the back of her SUV, raised her voice, and blurted, “I just might do that!”
A young man, a few years her junior, stopped and turned. “Sorry. Were you talking to me?” He had a nice smile.
Rachael was caught off guard and slightly embarrassed.
“Uh, me? No. Just complaining to myself.” She turned back to her car and realized what a mess she had made by just throwing everything into the vehicle.
She leaned into the SUV to organize it a bit, but when she pulled out one of the speakers, the wires got tangled, almost causing both speakers to tumble out.
“Arrgh,” Rachael muttered in frustration.
The young man walked over to her.
“Here. Let me give you a hand,” he offered.
Rachael was about to protest, but she decided to allow the gentleman do the gentlemanly thing. “Thanks,” she said, and smiled.
He grinned down at her. “I saw you working with those folks inside. You’ve got some rather good moves.”
Rachael actually blushed. For real. “Thank you. That’s truly kind of you to say.” She waited a beat. “I’m Rachael.”
“Nick. Nicholas Morrison.” He extended his hand.
“Rachael Newmark. Nice to meet you, Nicholas Morrison.”
“I’ve seen you around,” he said, then paused. “Wait, that came off a little creepy. I actually work here.”
“Oh?” Rachael hadn’t noticed the clean-cut, clean-shaven, nice-looking man before. He was wearing what appeared to be a uniform from the medical staff.
“Yes. I’m a nurse practitioner. They call me ‘Nurse Nick.’ I normally work the day shift, but someone called in sick, so I’m covering for him.
I noticed you at the Halloween party. I believe you were dressed like a French maid?
” He cleared his voice. “Now that sounded creepy, but you were hard to miss doing the salsa.”
Rachael was almost embarrassed. “Thanks for noticing … I think.” She shifted into her demure posture. “What was your costume?”
He chuckled. “You’re looking at it.” He spread his arms and glanced down at his scrubs.
“Duh,” Rachael answered coquettishly.
“I was on duty. Just in case someone choked or fainted.”
“There seems to be a lot of that going around, especially when there’s a party.” Rachael grimaced. “Oh, was that mean?”
He tilted his head. “It’s accurate.”
“So, tell me, how many Heimlich maneuvers have you maneuvered?”
“Too many to count.” He snorted.
Then came an awkward moment of silence.
“Would I be too forward if I invited you for a coffee?” he asked.
“Be as forward as you like.” Now there was the real Rachael. “I mean, yes. I mean sure. Coffee.” Once again, she began to blush. She felt the heat on her face, which was something she hadn’t experienced in a while.
“Just let me know when.” He pulled his cell phone from his backpack. “May I text you my number?”
“Yes, you may.” Rachael rattled off her number as he punched it into his phone. Her phone buzzed, indicating she had a text message.
“That would be me,” he said, smiling.
Rachael shifted into a casual, nonchalant mode. “I’ll let you know my schedule. And thank you for your assistance.” She walked toward the driver’s door. “Have a good night.” She quickly got inside the car and started the engine.
Nicholas stepped aside and held up his hand in a half-wave as she backed her vehicle from the spot.
She did the same and drove off. Under normal circumstances, she would have planned a date with him before she got into her car.
This time, she was going to ease up. If there was someone new in the picture, she was going to try a different approach.
Frankie would be proud of me , she thought.
And why shouldn’t there be someone new? Rachael and Salvatore were not in a committed relationship; at least, it was never solidified.
Yes, they had a date almost every Saturday if she wasn’t working.
Yes, they’d celebrated their birthdays together over the past year, and yes, a few of the summer outings.
But he was going back to Italy for the holidays and didn’t invite her.
She didn’t like the idea of being ditched.