The Way Home Read online

  Taylor’s jaw ticked when he gave her a curt nod.

  “Now, I’d like to take a look at the rest of the house if you don’t mind.”

  She was determined to show Taylor that she wasn’t afraid or intimidated by the work that needed to be done. It was all an act. Her mind reeled at the scope of the project before them.

  Each spot on their tour greeted them with an eerie silence only broken by the creaking of the floorboards under their feet as they toured the rooms on the other side of the house.

  “This is the main parlor,” he said leading her into the first room, “and then the library.”

  “What a shame all of the books are gone,” Jo said looking at the empty shelves that lined the room.

  He led her through a room he described as the office and into the last room. A small one with a large set of French doors that led out to an overgrown garden.

  “I’ve never understood why this parlor was here. It’s unusual for houses of this kind and I don’t understand why the doors leading to the garden are in this room. They should be in the large parlor.”

  The minute Jo set foot in the room she knew it was special, different from any other place in the house. She could feel Ada Mae in the room. The way the sunlight streamed through the French doors felt magical. It was the first room that she’d walked into that had life in it. Even with the years of neglect it felt lived in. She turned in a slow circle letting the history of the house wash over her. There was sadness that hurt her heart but she could also sense the hope in this place. She closed her eyes, trying to picture the room the way it once was.

  “Jo, are you okay?” Taylor asked. His voice was laced with concern.

  She didn’t realize Taylor had stayed back while she stood frozen trying to imagine the past.

  She shook herself and gave him a small smile. “I’m fine, I just got a little distracted. It’s a lot to take in—that’s all.”

  “It is.” He nodded and glanced at his watch. “I have to get going or I’m going to miss my flight.”

  “I’ll have a copy of the key made.” She held out her hand.

  Taylor hesitated for just a second before giving her the key.

  “We should exchange numbers. I’ll be back in just a few days, but there will be things we need to discuss before then.”

  Once they had entered each other’s information into their phones Jo wasn’t sure what to say or do next.

  After an awkward minute she thrust her hand out. “Goodbye, Mr. Colton.”

  His handshake was warm and firm. She’d convinced herself she wasn’t going to feel attracted to any man for a very long time. The jolt of electricity she felt when his hand enveloped hers took her by surprise.

  As Jo started to pull her hand away, he tightened his hold momentarily. “Do you think by the time I get back you might be willing to call me Taylor?”

  She pulled her hand out of his grasp. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

  She watched Taylor back away. He stopped to look at her before he got into his car and drove away. When his taillights disappeared, she took a deep breath and let her shoulders drop.

  She turned back to look at the house one more time. There were windows missing that had been boarded up. The paint was peeling and some of the siding was missing altogether. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She could admit now that she was scared. There was no going back. She had already started to make a future for herself in Colton. She just hadn’t pictured Taylor as a part of her future. He was attractive and charming but he took himself way too seriously. The whole TV celebrity thing wasn’t going to work with her. It wasn’t something she was attracted to. The way his lips curled into a smile and his eyes darkened into a deep blue when he was frustrated were a different matter.

  Before Oliver maybe she wouldn’t have dismissed her attraction but now… She straightened her shoulders. Taylor Colton was half owner of the house and nothing more. It didn’t matter that her heart beat a little faster when he smiled at her.

  “How in the hell am I going to live in the same house with him?” she muttered to herself as she drove away.

  Chapter Five

  “So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Mae asked.

  They were hanging out at Mae’s apartment sharing a bottle of wine. It was Sunday night and Jo would be meeting Taylor at Halcyon in the morning for their first day of work.

  “I guess so. I’m not really sure what to expect beyond meeting with the electrician and the plumber.” Jo shrugged.

  Mae had connected Jo to Sam Riley, the town’s electrician who recently retired. It turned out that retirement didn’t suit Sam and he was eager to help. He’d reached out to a plumber friend and they would be meeting Taylor and Jo at the house in the morning to start work.

  Mae grinned. “I love how you put Taylor in his place by insisting on hiring local trades.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call it that, but it was kind of fun to wipe the confident smirk off his face.”

  “It’s a pretty nice face.” Mae waggled her eyebrows.

  Jo hid her smile, taking another sip of her wine.

  “It’s going to be kind of weird living there with him isn’t it?”

  “I hadn’t really considered that was something that could happen when the judge made his decision.”

  “You know that Callie and I will come over and help whenever you need it.”

  Jo blinked back the tears at the backs of her eyes. Mae and Callie had been so kind and generous when she made the move to Colton. Not one of the people she considered a friend had reached out to her since Oliver broke up with her. The friendships she had formed since she moved only magnified how hollow her relationships were back in Chicago.

  “Have you heard from Taylor since he left?” Mae asked.

  “We’ve exchanged a few texts. I told him I hired Sam and a plumber and he let me know he’ll be staying with Robert Ellis until we move into the house.”

  “You might as well call him Uncle Robert—everyone else around here does.”

  Jo was quickly learning the ins and outs of small-town life. Mainly that just about everybody in Colton was related in some way and news in town could travel faster than high-speed internet. Everywhere she went people introduced themselves and had an opinion about Judge Beaumont’s decision. She had to bite her tongue when one of the ministers cornered her at Walker’s Pharmacy, lecturing her on the sin of cohabitation before marriage when she happened to be standing in front of the condom display. Mae laughed so hard she had tears streaming down her face when Jo told her about it. Mae’s amusement also came with a stern warning that Jo should never buy birth control at Walker’s or the whole town would know about it before she left the store.

  “How are you really feeling about all of this?” Mae asked, her voice tinged with concern.

  Jo sighed. She had shared some of what happened back in Chicago but not all of it. She liked Mae. They had exchanged texts and emails since her first visit to Colton and since she’d moved in next door a week ago they had been hanging out every night.

  “Honestly, I go between feeling confident and wondering what in the world I was thinking. I still can’t believe I own half of Halcyon and I have Taylor Colton as a roommate.”

  “He’s got a lot of fans who would kill to be in your shoes. Did you see him in People magazine’s most beautiful people issue last year?” Mae fanned herself.

  Of course she had. Just like every other woman in America she’d ogled the picture of Taylor leaning against a doorframe wearing a tool belt that sat low on his hips. Sunlight highlighted his golden-blond hair. He wore a blue plaid shirt the same shade as his eyes, open at the front revealing a bare chest. Even now the memory of seeing the picture for the first time sent her pulse racing. She reminded herself that looking at a picture was one thing, dealing with Taylor in the flesh was another. That wicked grin would get her into trouble if she wasn’t careful.

  Jo refilled her glass. “I’m not inte
rested in a good-looking guy with nothing but a sexy smile to offer. I want a man who won’t use his charm to get what he wants. I had enough of that with my ex.”

  “You don’t think Taylor has anything else to offer?” Mae gave her a skeptical look.

  “He’s good at what he does—I’ll admit that.”

  Taylor Colton was really good. Jo didn’t share with Mae that she had gone back and re-watched every episode of Taylor’s show. It was easy to see why History Reborn was a hit. The confidence that annoyed her was put to good use on the show, putting the homeowners he worked with at ease. He patiently explained each step of the work that he would do in a way that reassured his clients. He was exactly the kind of contractor she wanted to hire to work on Halcyon. And the kind of man she would be attracted to if her heart wasn’t still battered and bruised.

  “He seems…genuine, I guess,” she admitted.

  “We haven’t known each other long and I barely remember Taylor from when I was a kid, but neither one of you seem like the kind of person who is going to back down. This is going to be an interesting partnership.”

  Jo took another sip of wine. “You can say that again.”

  “It won’t to be easy, Jo, but I hope you know I’m here for you if you need me.”

  “Thanks,” she said, with a smile.

  Moving to Colton had been the best medicine for her broken heart. Her new job and friendships gave her a sense of fulfillment that she didn’t realize she had been missing. She reached for the bottle of wine and refilled Mae’s glass. “Enough about me, let’s talk about why you are always arguing with Jacob Winters.”

  Mae groaned and got up to retrieve another bottle of wine. “It’s a long story.”

  *

  Jo woke up the next morning with a headache. She couldn’t decide if it was from the wine from the night before or from being anxious about seeing Taylor again. She threw on a pair of jeans with a gray T-shirt and decided on two braids for her hair. She finished her outfit with a pair of work boots she’d decided to invest in and stared at herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. She’d gained some weight back since she moved to Colton. She had Tillie’s cooking to thank for that. Her cheeks had a faint pink glow from the daily walks she’d been taking and the dark circles under her eyes were gone. Her headache faded and Jo smiled at her reflection. A shiver of excitement ran through her. Today she would start making Halcyon her home.

  Jo was laughing so hard her sides hurt while Sam told her a story about Taylor sneaking behind the counter trying to steal a whole pie from Tillie when he was a boy. Her laughter died on her lips when Taylor pulled up. He parked and jumped out looking just like he did on his show in a pair of jeans with a flannel shirt over a T-shirt and a smile that was much more enticing in person than it was on camera.

  He walked toward them rubbing his hands together. “Good morning, you look like you’re ready to get started.”

  Jo nodded. “Taylor this is Sam Riley.” She gestured to the older Black man.

  Taylor glanced at the Riley Electric logo on the pickup truck next to them. “You must be the electrician. Thanks so much for helping us out.” Taylor shook his hand.

  “I did some work here many years ago. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got planned. This is my buddy Minh Nguyen,” he said slapping the shoulder of the slim Vietnamese man standing next to him. “You won’t find a better plumber around these parts.”

  “Good to meet you,” Taylor said.

  “Same to you.” Minh nodded.

  “Now that you’re here I guess we should head in,” Jo said, pulling the key out of her pocket.

  They went inside and gave Sam and Minh a quick tour of the bathroom and kitchen.

  “If the two of you can work on the demo, Minh and I will get the supplies we need and we can get started this afternoon.”

  Jo glanced at Taylor. “Sounds good to me if that’s okay with you?”

  “I’ve got a sledgehammer and a crowbar in my car. Do you have a pair of gloves and some safety goggles?”

  Jo shook her head. “No, I didn’t think about that.”

  “I brought extra just in case,” Taylor said.

  Taylor went out to his car and came back with a tool bag in one hand and a crowbar in the other.

  “Can I help with anything?” she offered.

  “Nope, this is everything. Anything we forget we can get on our next trip to the hardware store.”

  “I guess we’ll be making a few of those in the next few days.”

  “Try the next few years.” Taylor laughed.

  She followed Taylor into the kitchen. He set down the box and pulled out a pair of gloves and safety glasses.

  Taylor put on his own gloves and glasses. “You ready?”

  She bounced on her toes unable to contain her excitement. “Let’s go.”

  Together they ripped out the toilet and sink from the bathroom and started tearing out the cabinets in the kitchen. They worked well together and accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Sam and Minh returned, and while Sam and Taylor worked on the electrical panel Minh started tearing out the old pipes in the bathroom. Jo offered to start working on the butler’s pantry. When Taylor poked his head in to see if Jo was ready for lunch he drew up short.

  “Wow, I can’t believe how much better it looks in here already.”

  Jo had cleaned all of the cabinets, the woodwork glowed and the glass in the cabinets sparkled. Her arms were already starting to ache from the all of the scrubbing she had done. Who needed a fancy gym membership when all you needed to do was find a rundown mansion to restore.

  She smiled at him. “I have to admit I was skeptical, but your recipe for a natural wood cleaner is brilliant. Do you really think that we can get the rust stains off the sink with vinegar?”

  “We’ll try it later and you’ll see for yourself.”

  Jo glanced at her watch. “I can’t believe how fast the day is going by.”

  “I came to see if you were ready for some lunch.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jo followed Taylor out to the veranda where Sam and Minh were waiting with sandwiches and sodas.

  The two older men were laughing and joking about their latest fishing trip.

  “What’s noodling?” Jo asked.

  Minh grinned. “Noodling is where you catch catfish with your bare hands.”

  Taylor laughed at the horrified face she made while Minh continued to describe finding a hole underwater and allowing a catfish to grab his hand in order to catch it.

  When Sam and Minh offered to take her, she shook her head. “Thanks, but I think I am going to keep my hands out of fish mouths for now.”

  Sam chuckled. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  Minh nodded in agreement. “When my family came here from Vietnam catching catfish was one the few things that was familiar. Some of my cousins run a catfish farm down by Mobile.”

  “I’d love to see that sometime,” Jo said.

  “Sounds like a good excuse for a road trip,” Taylor added. “We could stop and tour some other plantations on the way. I’d like to see how they handle tourists,” he added.

  “Maybe,” she hedged.

  Sam and Minh exchanged a look and then excused themselves.

  “Did I say something wrong?” Taylor asked.

  Jo hesitated for a minute, clasping and then unclasping her hands in her lap. “I don’t want Halcyon to be turned into a pretty backdrop for weddings and parties where no one has to acknowledge the history that happened here.”

  “Tourism is a good way to generate revenue for the upkeep on a house like this. These houses aren’t cheap to maintain and if Halcyon could be rented out to defray some of those costs well…” he shrugged “…is that such a bad thing?”

  Jo nodded and got up, dusting her hands on her jeans. “I’m ready to get back to work.”

  She was quiet around Taylor for the rest of the afternoon. His
reaction to her statement about not wanting Halcyon to be used for parties troubled her. His response made it clear that’s exactly what he planned and it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Taylor was already loading his tool bag into his car when she came outside.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

  Jo gripped the top of her car door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I’m not some redneck racist you know,” he blurted out when Jo started to get in her car.

  Jo got back out of the car and leaned against it. “I know that, Taylor. But I also know that we are here with different histories and perspectives. I don’t know how I feel about touring other plantations. Yes, it would be good to see other restoration projects but I’m also uncomfortable.”

  He took a step toward her. “Do you feel uncomfortable being here?”

  Jo looked toward the house. “Sometimes, but it’s different here.”

  Taylor followed her gaze. “This house is special. No one in my family understands why I’ve always loved this place and I’ve never really been able to explain it to them.”

  “Some things aren’t easy to explain,” she said, thinking about her dreams of Ada Mae.

  “This morning was fun and then after lunch…” He sighed. “Do you think we can start over tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, we can do that.”

  “See you tomorrow, Jo.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  Jo watched Taylor in the rearview mirror as they drove to the end of the driveway where she turned left and he turned right. We’re two people headed to the same place from different directions, she realized as he drove away.

  *

  Mae was just going into her apartment when Jo got back.

  “Well, how did it go today?” she asked.

  “We made good progress.”

  “On the house or with each other?”

  Jo paused. Mae had a way of getting straight to the heart of things. The problem was she didn’t have an easy answer. She thought so—they were getting to know each other and Taylor had asked for a do-over. Yes, they were making progress.

  “Maybe a little bit of both. We’re definitely getting to know each other better.”