You Were There Too

Description

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER

“A surprising and incredibly satisfying story of chance and fate.”—New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid

“I read it in one long gulp and didn’t want it to end.”—New York Times bestselling author Jill Santopolo

Acclaimed author Colleen Oakley delivers a heart-wrenching and unforgettable love story about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and the man fate has chosen for her, in a novel that reminds us that the best life is one led by the heart.

Mia Graydon’s life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too—unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of it, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he’s been dreaming of her too. 

Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question—what if?“You Were There Too is a surprising and incredibly satisfying story of chance and fate. From the book’s enticing first pages to its startling and electrifying conclusion, Colleen Oakley knocks it out of the park.”—New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid

“A beautifully woven story of love, grief, and the power we do and don’t have to choose our fate, You Were There Too brought me to tears. I read it in one long gulp and didn’t want it to end.”—New York Times bestselling author Jill Santopolo

“Hypnotically beautiful, You Were There Too delves into the chasm between the life we have and the life we imagine for ourselves. Unique, lyrical and thoughtful.”—New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins

“A rare gem of a novel. Colleen Oakley checks all the boxes with this one: exquisite, careful writing, beautifully drawn three-dimensional characters, and a twisty plot that defies premonition. This is a book about connections, and discovering that why we are connected to each other is a lot less important than the fact that we are. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, while at the same time hated for this lovely book to end. This is the kind of book we all long for, one to read and savor, and then read again.”—New York Times bestselling author Karen White

“I have been a fan of Oakley since her debut novel, but with this book, she has risen to a new level. You Were There Too took me through the gamut of emotions–confusion, anticipation, grief, hope. Oakley’s writing is taut, fresh and doesn’t waste a single word. I devoured this novel in three sittings but I will be thinking about it for much, much longer. A slam dunk bestseller for sure.”—Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law

“A heartbreaking and thought-provoking exploration of fate, love, and choice sure to bring on a few tears.”—Kirkus

“There is a splendid blend of humor throughout Oakley’s alternately romantic, idiosyncratic, and foreboding love-conquers-all tale that easily engages new readers and will please the author’s fans.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Fans of relationship fiction that explores women’s inner lives and choices by Jennifer Weiner or Amy Hatvany will be unable to put this book down.”—Booklist (starred review)

Praise for Colleen Oakley

“One of the most thought-provoking love stories of the year.”—Real Simple

“Author Oakley has set herself a tricky balancing act here, blending a comic sensibility with the depth and poignancy her subject requires. She pulls it off.”—People
 
“Colleen Oakley’s debut deftly balances sorrow with laughs and compassion.”—Us Weekly
 
“With compassion and humor, Oakley makes us feel for this dying woman and understand her final wish.”—Good Housekeeping
 
“An impressive feat…an immensely entertaining, moving and believable read.”—The Atlanta Journal
 
“Oakley, in this irresistible novel, succeeds in examining the myriad ways in which people relate to one another, even at arm’s length.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
“Oakley clearly knows this genre well and navigates its expectations with ease, while still keeping things fresh.”—Otago Daily Times
 
“It is easy to get lost in this vividly told story with characters and a fictional malady that are utterly believable. Oakley’s second novel should build on the author’s popularity and continue comparisons to popular authors such as Jojo Moyes.”—Library Journal
 
“Oakley’s sophomore novel is a treat… Fans of JoJo Moyes and rom-coms set within the stacks of libraries will rejoice.”—Booklist
 
“Heart wrenching and humorous, Oakley delivers an out-of-the-ordinary love story with steady quips and endearing characters… [Jubilee’s] journey from recluse to recovery is fascinating.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Oakley masterfully creates a high-stakes story that still feels solidly real. All of her characters are well-rounded and charming, especially Jubilee. Readers will cheer each time she takes a risk and delight in her triumphs. A romantic, sweet story about taking chances and living life fully.”—Kirkus
 
“A breathtaking story about love with all the odds against it…Colleen will tug at your heartstrings with this powerful and touching novel.”—Anna Todd, bestselling author of After Ever Happy
 
“The story of three wounded souls denied the human touch they desire, expertly conceived with all the warmth and affection of an enormous bear hug. A real achievement.”—Steven Rowley, national bestselleing author of Lily and the Octopus
 
“A witty, inventive, and bittersweet story of a reclusive young woman forced to venture into the world where complex medical issues become tangled with longings of the heart.”—Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and Looking for Me
 
“It’s so rare these days to find an utterly original heroine like Jubilee – one who is bravely living an almost unimaginable life. Gripping, raw, and moving, this is one of my favorite novels of the year.”–Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of Skipping a Beat
 
“A heart-warming, unconventional love story you won’t be able to put down.”—Karma Brown, bestselling author of Come Away With Me and The Choices We Make
 
“Oakley delivers a story that overflows with compassion, humor, and the impulsive need to read just one more chapter until you reach the very satisfying end.”—Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop at Water’s End
 
“Oakley tells this story with such confidence and grace that readers will find themselves fully invested in–and emotionally braced for–the unfolding tragedy.”—Atlanta Magazine
 
“Highly recommended for laugh-out-loud fans and the tearjerker set.'”—Library Journal
 
“Oakley has produced an affecting work that, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality, makes the reader care about Daisy and her determination to live while dying.”—Booklist
 
“It’s impossible not to feel Daisy’s pain, confusion and sadness as she thinks about what life will be like after she’s gone….This emotional novel will make readers laugh through their tears.”—Kirkus
 
“Oakley expertly tugs at the heartstrings with well-rounded characters and a liberal dose of gallows humor.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Colleen Oakley takes on the big three—life, death, and love—and delivers a jewel. Before I Go absolutely glows with humor, wit, and compassion. I adore Oakley’s fresh voice and could hardly bear for the book to end.”—Lynn Cullen, author of the national bestseller Mrs. Poe
 
“A big-hearted tale, with a fresh take on a woman grappling with the inevitable. The characters are approachable, full of wit and humor and—above all else—touching sincerity.”—Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other TypistColleen Oakley is the author of two previous novels, Close Enough to Touch and Before I Go, which were named best books by People, Us Weekly, Library Journal and Real Simple, and both were long-listed for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. Oakley is also the former senior editor of Marie Claire and editor in chief of Women’s Health & Fitness. Her articles, essays and interviews have been featured in the New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four kids and the world’s biggest lapdog.YOU WERE THERE TOO by Colleen Oakley
Reader’s Guide
Questions for discussion

1. Near the beginning of the book, Mia admits she’s been dreaming about a man on and off for most of her adult life. Have you ever had any recurring dreams? What do they mean to you?

2. When we meet Mia, she tells her sister, “It doesn’t feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.” Why do you think she feels that way?

3. Mia and Harrison suffer a third miscarriage. What does the way they handle it tell you about their relationship? Do you think they have a strong marriage?

4. When Mia runs into Oliver a second time, he offers to help her with her garden and after spending the day with him, she realizes she feels like she’s known him forever. Have you ever felt that way when you first met somebody? What, if anything, do you think it means?

5. After Harrison misses Mia’s first appointment with the fertility specialist, she thinks, “The downside of being a surgeon’s wife isn’t just the long hours, but that strangers’ misfortunes can impact you so greatly.” Do you think there are any circumstances where the demands of one partner’s job should be more important than the marriage?

6. When Mia and Harrison have dinner with Caroline and Oliver, she inevitably compares Oliver with her husband. Did you note any similarities between the two men? What are the biggest differences between them?

7. Mia decides not to tell her husband right away when Oliver confesses to dreaming about her too. Do you think it’s a betrayal? Should spouses tell each other everything? Or is it sometimes understandable to keep something to yourself?

8. Even though Harrison said he needed time, Mia continues to seek out information about IVF. Do you think she’s being too pushy or is Harrison not being supportive enough?

9. On their mini getaway in New Jersey, Mia describes marriage as being like her television from childhood: “The connection gets loose sometimes—even to the point where you think it might not work anymore—but then something jars it and the wires slip back into place, exactly where they belong, lighting up the screen and bringing back the sound; everything working as it should.” Did that strike you as an accurate description of a marriage?

10. After Mia spies Harrison with Whitney downtown, she remembers that Harrison doesn’t believe in soul mates. What does a soul mate mean to you? 11. In a drunken moment, Harrison finally reveals the burden he’s been carrying for months—that he feels responsible for the death of a young patient. Why do you think he kept this from Mia?

12. When Oliver shows up at Mia’s house, bewildered at the realization that Mia was at his best friend’s wedding years earlier, he repeats a Yogi Berra quote: “This is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.” What do you think that means?

13. What qualities do you think Mia needed in a partner? Who did you think was a better match for her?

14. After talking to Raya, Mia drives back to Hope Springs and makes her decision about who she wants to be with. Were you surprised by her choice?

15. Have you ever had a dream that came true before? Do you believe people can truly dream about the future?

16. At the end, when Oliver stops by Mia’s to see how she’s doing, she wonders why Oliver was in her life, and that “maybe Harrison was right—maybe there’s no rhyme or reason to it all.” Why do you think people come into our lives? Do you think itChapter 1

The office is cool and sparsely decorated. I count the plants (three), watch the second hand of the brass clock on the bookshelf make two full circles on its axis, stare at the large canvas on the wall, a lone red smear of paint in the center. I look anywhere but directly at Nora, the pristine, chignoned, straight-​­backed woman sitting in the executive chair across the desk from me—​­not because she’s flipping through my portfolio and I’ve never quite gotten comfortable with witnessing the judgment of my work, but because she’s wearing a neck scarf. Just seeing it, wrapped tightly like a noose, knotted right at her clavicle, makes my skin crawl with anxiety. How do people wear things wrapped around their throats? I’ve never understood it. Even as a kid, if my mom put me in a turtleneck, I would grasp at it, wheezing and crying and carrying on until she let me change.

I’m pretty sure I was strangled to death in a previous life.

Harrison says that’s morbid, but I once heard one of those late-night television psychics say that a lot of the fears we’re born with stem from events in our past lives. Like, if you are terrified of swimming in the ocean, maybe you drowned or were ravaged by a school of piranha or something.

Harrison also says I should stop watching so many of those late-night television psychic shows.

The room is silent, save the sharp machine-​­gun-​­fire rapping of Nora’s pen against the desktop. A pattern has emerged. She pauses the pen when she turns a page and then resumes as she gazes—​­ thoughtfully, I hope—​­at the photos of my paintings.

There are thirteen art galleries in Hope Springs, Pennsylvania (excessive for a town with two thousand inhabitants, if you ask me, and I’m an artist). Only three show contemporary work, this one, and two others who have already turned down my paintings. Translation? This is kind of my last shot. But I’m hopeful, because at least here, I actually have a third-​­degree personal connection—​­ my old college professor Rick Haymond called in a favor to a friend, who in turn called Nora, and now here I am.

“Mia?”

“Yes?” I say, meeting her eyes.

“Is this a portrait of . . . Keanu Reeves?”

I clear my throat. “Um . . . yes.”

Her pen stills. She looks up at me, expectantly.

“That was part of my latest series.”

She waits, and I clear my throat again.

“Have you ever watched The $25,000 Pyramid?” I ask.

“I’m sorry?”

“The game show.”

“I—​­I believe so.” She narrows her eyes, unsure of where this is going.

“You know how the celebrities start saying a bunch of random words, like ‘wheels, buttons, beach balls,’ and then the contestant has to guess what the category is—​­like, in this example: Things That Are Round?”

“OK.”

“Well, I find that fascinating—​­the groupings of seemingly unrelated things that actually do have something in common. That’s how I choose the themes for my series.”

She continues to stare at me, and I can’t decide if she’s perplexed or bored. “And Keanu Reeves?”

“The theme was: Things That Are Mediocre.”

Her eyes remain locked on mine, but she doesn’t respond. She reminds me of a detective on one of those cop shows, the patient one, willing to wait out the suspect. I cave. I would be a terrible criminal. “Also in that series is the orange Tootsie Pop.”

“The orange Tootsie Pop,” she repeats.

“Right, because orange isn’t bad, but it’s nobody’s favorite, right? And then, let’s see, Capri pants, store-​­bought tomatoes—​­that’s why I painted them with the sticker still on—​­Easter . . .” She breaks eye contact as I’m speaking so I trail off.

Then, more to the desk than to me, she says: “How . . . interesting.” But the way Nora’s voice goes down at the end and not up in praise is how I know she doesn’t really think it is interesting. And how I know that I’m not going to get a showing at this gallery, either.

*

When I step back out into the midday June heat, I nearly run smack into two guys linked arm in arm. The one in man sandals and teal gingham shorts pulls the other back to let me pass. “I’m so sorry,” I say, as my hand goes to my stomach, a protective mother’s instinct for the fetus currently residing there, then I scoot around the men and out onto the street. Dodging in and out of other well-​­dressed tourists, I pass a chocolatier, an olive oil boutique and a store that sells nothing but spices. Seventeen kinds of salt! I whispered to Harrison when we, too, were another one of those tourist couples five months ago, and ducked in to look around. I never knew there was more than one. Having known me and my lack of culinary skills for the better part of eight years, this did not surprise him.

On Mechanic Street, the cell in my shoulder bag vibrates and I dig it out. A text from Harrison.

How’d it go?

I scroll through my gifs until I find a picture of an army tank and text it back.

That bad? Did you wear the lucky dress?

I hold the phone at arm’s length, making sure my prize possession—​­a yellow wrap dress I scored at a thrift store and was wearing the night I met Harrison—​­is in the frame and press send. Not so lucky, I guess.

I slip the phone into the front pocket of my portfolio case, exchanging it for my car keys. Then I unlock the door to my Toyota, get in, turn the key and start the fifteen-​­minute trek home.

Five months ago, Harrison and I decided to move to this tiny town on a whim, which sounds like something I would do, but not Harrison. It was January, in Philadelphia, and it was snowing. Again. The kind of cold, wet snow that seeps into your clothes and your bones and makes you want to never leave your apartment, and if you do, makes you feel like you’re never going to be warm again.

“Let’s get out of here,” Harrison said one Friday afternoon, when he got home from an extra-​­long shift at the hospital. He had had a tough few weeks, long hours on top of losing an eight-​­year-​­old boy during a routine emergency appendectomy. He didn’t talk about it much—​­he never does—​­but I could tell it affected him.

“And go where?” I asked.

“Anywhere but here,” he said.

Harrison is not the spontaneous type, so I immediately agreed. We drove north on 95 and ended up in Hope Springs, a tiny town west of the Delaware River. It was full of more antique stores and art galleries than any town needs, and I was drunk on its charm, and the way that the snow, for some mysterious reason, didn’t quite feel so wet and cold and was piled up in pretty white mounds alongside the road instead of the gray, slushy heaps we were accustomed to. By Sunday, when we were packing up to leave, and dreading the drive back to the city, I said, “I wish we could live here,” which is what I say every time we go on vacation anywhere. Harrison said, “We can.”

Then he said he’d been thinking about it for months—​­how the city hospital was so stressful and how maybe at a smaller hospital he could scale back, breathe a little—​­so why not now and why not in Hope Springs. And maybe it was because I had just had my second miscarriage and my first huge career failure and all of those things happened in Philadelphia and not in Hope Springs, or maybe because I really was convinced that the snow here was less cold and less wet and more beautiful, or maybe because the name of the town, Hope Springs, suddenly seemed significant, like an omen, but I said, “OK.” And though it took a few months of interviews and tying up loose ends in Philadelphia, that’s how we ended up moving from the apartment we’d lived in together for seven years and living here.

Two right angles of white picket fencing flank our driveway, which is the only way I know where to turn, since everything on the two-​­lane road that runs past our house looks exactly the same—​­green and tree-lined. I pull the car between them and roll slowly over the gravel until the stone house comes into view. It’s a renovated three-​­bedroom farmhouse from the 1800s, so it has that great mix of old-​­world charm and a Sub-​­Zero fridge. The studio—​­a detached one-​­car garage behind the house—​­has windows on all four sides. Amazing light. That’s what sold me on it. Or maybe it was simply the idea of having my own studio, instead of a one-​­hundred-​­square-​­foot den that also held a TV, a small bookcase and a futon, all flecked with hardened bits of acrylic paint, shellac, egg yolk (from an ill-​­advised DIY tempera phase) and various other substances from my artistic endeavors over the years.

The futon. Where, in my early twenties, I ate countless bowls of buttered noodles and slices of Nutella toast and watched reruns of Family Feud and then, in my late twenties, made furious love to Harrison on his all-​­too-​­short breaks home from his surgical residence shifts at Thomas Jefferson. Harrison convinced me to give the futon to charity when we moved—​­It’s starting to smell, he said, gently, as if he was trying to talk me into euthanizing a beloved pet whose quality of life had deteriorated. And now instead of turning the car off and going into my studio to paint, which is what I should do, I have the sudden urge to turn my rusted Corolla around and drive to every single Goodwill store between here and Philadelphia until I find the futon and bring it home.

*

“Sorry I’m late,” Harrison says when he walks through the front door that evening around nine, even though it’s the third time that week he’s gotten home past dark. Harrison’s one of only four general surgeons on staff at the Fordham hospital, which serves not only the eight thousand residents of Fordham, but many of the surrounding smaller towns, including Hope Springs. Though he said a smaller hospital would mean a slower pace, lately it’s seemed like the opposite is true. He tosses his keys on top of an overturned cardboard box in the foyer that serves as our entry table, since I haven’t gotten around to buying one.

Harrison leans over the back of the butter-​­yellow sofa I’m sitting on—​­one of the few new things I have managed to purchase for the house. I offer him my cheek and he kisses it, his full beard (also new since we moved here) scratching my face.

“Did your day get any better?” he asks.

“Not really.”

He heads toward the kitchen, where I hear the fridge door open and then the muffled pop of a beer bottle being unscrewed. When he reappears in the doorframe, the beer’s turned up at his lips. He takes three deep mouthfuls, pausing to swallow in between.

“I think I’m killing the tomatoes,” I say. The house came with a large vegetable and herb garden that hadn’t been tended to since the previous owner moved out. I planned to care for it, starting with weeding, but then realized I couldn’t exactly tell what was a weed and what was a plant. And then the irrigation system stopped working. And rabbits or rodents or bugs started having their share until each leaf (on plants and weeds) looked like Swiss cheese. And I realized that gardening actually takes a concerted effort and I have no idea what I’m doing.

“Well, I’m sure they deserve it,” he says.

“Harrison. I’m serious. The leaves are yellow, which according to this website I’ve been reading means they’re getting too much water or not enough or there’s a lack of nitrogen in the soil or they’re diseased.”

“Huh,” he says. “That narrows it down.”

“Exactly.”

I stare at his profile, taking in his black square-rimmed glasses, his undone bowtie, the ends hanging loose on either side of his unbuttoned collar like a disheveled groom, the ruffian beard that I’m still getting used to—and I get that fleeting inkling of wonder that I ended up with him. I had a type— and Ph.D. educated was not it. I preferred guys that had gigs to real jobs, missed rent payments. Abandonment issues were a bonus. But to be fair, Harrison was wearing a Skid Row T-shirt and standing in an art gallery when I met him, so it wasn’t clear off the bat he was a functioning member of society.

I smile, remembering how it used to be, in the beginning. The anticipation of seeing him. The pure thrill of reading his name on caller ID or hearing his knock at the door. It’s unsustainable of course, that level of elation and delight. Infatuation is like a rushing river that over time either dries up to a trickle and then nothing at all, or begins wearing its way into the earth, until one day it’s a deep, yawning canyon.

Harrison and I are lucky.

We’ve got the canyon.

“You know— it’s weird.” He slides his beer onto the antique trunk that doubles as our coffee table and sinks into the couch cushion beside me. “They should have stores that sell gardening supplies and are staffed with people knowledgeable about plants that could help novices in situations just like this.”

I jab my elbow to the side, connecting with his stomach. “Oof,” he says, then grabs my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. He gently turns it over. Looks at it. Rubs his thumb over the red and blue splotches. “D’you paint today?”

“A little,” I say. And by little, I mean forty-five minutes. Though it was Harrison’s idea that I focus on my art when we moved here, I haven’t had a serious session or painted anything decent in the five weeks since we pulled the yellow Ryder truck up to the front curb. At first, I told myself it was because we were getting settled. But at this point, I know it’s something more… permanent. A zap to my confidence that started when that mustachioed Phillip Gaston typed “an incohesive amateur display relying too heavily on an overly clever theme, without the talent to add depth and substance” regarding my first-ever solo exhibition in Philadelphia last year.

“Did you wear a mask?”

He’s teasing me. I’ve been extra-cautious with this pregnancy— to the point of asking Harrison if he thought the fumes of the acrylics I work with could be bad for a developing fetus. He said no, but even after he showed me proof online that they were safe to use while pregnant, I wondered aloud if I should wear a mask anyway.

“I didn’t,” I say. “Do you think I should have?”

“No,” he says, and then pauses, a half-grin on his lips. “But if our baby comes out with twelve toes, we’ll know why.”

“Harrison!”

We sit in silence for a minute, the words “our baby” hanging in the air. At least they are for me. I think of the two babies that we lost, and suck in a lungful of air to steady myself. I had no idea how much I could grieve the loss of something I never really had. A person I never met. But I do. I am. And I wonder if the sadness will lessen with time— or if the fear of losing yet another will ever dissipate. I place my hand on my belly, silently willing this one to stay.

As if reading my mind, Harrison wraps his long arm around me, pulling me to his chest. They were out of his regular deodorant when I was at the store on Tuesday, so I picked out a new scent and the soapy pine forest tang of it tickles my nose. I burrow my head into him, as if I could tunnel a path and stay there for all of eternity. “You smell good.”

“Really? I thought it was a little teenager-drenched-in-dad’s-cologne-ish.”

“No,” I say. And even though it’s different, a new scent, it’s still him. Still my Harrison. “It’s you.”US

Additional information

Dimensions	0.9000 × 5.5000 × 8.2000 in
Imprint	Berkley
ISBN-13	09781984806468
ISBN-10	1984806467
Author	Colleen Oakley
Audience	General / adult
BISAC	FIC027020, FIC044000
Subjects	book club fiction, second chance, vision, pennsylvania, beach read, books for women, womens fiction, contemporary romance, holiday gift, wives, husbands, family life, contemporary women's fiction, books for her, cheating, second chance love, love and marriage, marriages, before i go, close enough to touch, colleen oakley, romance books, small town, divorce, marriage, relationships, family, romance, love, FIC027020, affair, grief, women, contemporary, Dreams, FIC044000, dream, stocking stuffer, women's fiction, book club, love story, gift book