Homecoming

by Janet Wellington

  He watched her eyes first glow, then well up, a tear finally rolling down her cheek. He caught the tear. “Cory?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.

  Jean Cocteau

  Epilogue

  One year later....

  Jake got down on one knee at the back of the Volvo station wagon, peeled the backing off the bumper sticker and carefully smoothed it on the chrome.

  Misery is optional. He’d had a heck of a time trying to find a bumper sticker with one of Tillie’s favorite expressions, and finally found a website that had printed it up for him special order.

  He brushed off his knees after he got up, then looked at the new sign in the yard as the early autumn wind sent it swinging back and forth with an angry creaking sound. He’d have to oil the chain, adding the task to his mental to-do list.

  They’d argued—discussed, she’d insisted—on the name, finally agreeing on Tillie’s Catnap Inn—the Bed and Breakfast that offers a cat in every room. The day after he’d designed their advertising campaign and their listing appeared in a national B&B directory, they started getting calls.

  And now that they’d been in business a year, Cory’s baked goods were almost as much a draw as the cats. They even had cancellation lists for some of the most popular weekends, and holidays were booked ahead for the next two years.

  They made a perfect team. She loved the ongoing interior decorating and antique hunting, and had delighted in the challenge of remodeling the attic. Within six months the top floor held three more bedrooms, a bathroom, and a cozy space they used as their living room, giving them some privacy when the three guest bedrooms were in use.

  And the volunteer medical clinic Cory and Sara had gotten started had been going strong for six months. When he saw her in action he was glad she hadn’t let go of her nursing completely. He’d gladly helped with some fund-raisers in the beginning, and she got the hands-on reward of working with physicians and patients. Faythe residents couldn’t sing her praises loud enough.

  And Jake felt like he’d found his niche all over again. His expertise in handling Stuart Enterprises had prepared him completely for his new responsibility as PR guy for Tillie’s Catnap Inn. And he and Mr. Shelton had come up with a perfect solution when he’d broken the news to him that he and Cory were getting married. Everything was perfect. He now worked as an independent consultant for Think Tank, occasionally traveling in to the city to attend meetings and get his city-fix. And the VP job had been put on hold while Mr. Shelton mentored another up and coming executive he’d recruited from a rival company. That had made Rod-the-snake resign in disgust.

  And best of all, Jake had nurtured his renewed love for drawing and furniture repair. One gallery was selling his new cat sketches like crazy, and the Second Hand Rose antique shop had started sending him pieces that needed a little TLC before they were put up for sale. Even Faythe had gotten a boost. Thanks to a spot on Antiques Road Show, downtown had morphed into a bevy of antique stores nestled in between successful art galleries.

  Life was good.

  He’d fallen into a regular schedule of sitting with his dad on Mabel’s big porch, relishing the occasional story his father shared with “the stranger” who came to visit on Monday afternoons. It didn’t matter anymore to him that his father didn’t know him. They’d reconnected on the only level available. And that was fine.

  “Hey you...”

  He turned at the sound of Cory’s voice and walked toward the front porch to join her. When he reached her, he pulled her to him and said, “I’m busy. What do you want?”

  “Doing what, exactly?”

  “Being happy.”

  “Mmm. Me too. You miss the rat race yet?”

  “Nope.” He dropped his lips to hers in a slow, smoldering kiss that promised to lead to something more if he didn’t pull away. They’d had “the talk,” recently. The one where they’d be leaving the condoms in the drawer and trying to make a baby of their own.

  She met his gaze after he finally broke the kiss, and wiggled her eyebrows. “You got plans later?”

  “Once that youngster’s in bed and asleep—”

  “Speaking of...” She pointed up the sidewalk where Mitch was running toward them, his backpack bouncing in the air.

  He ran up the porch steps, wiggling between their bodies and throwing his arms around them in a group hug. “I had the best day!” His voice was muffled against Jake’s stomach.

  “We did too,” Jake said. “You want to tell him?” He looked at Cory, then down at the top of Mitch’s head, then watched as the boy pulled a little away in order to get a better look at both of them.

  “Well, Mitch, it’s up to you, of course,” Cory began.

  Mitch squirmed out of his backpack, then rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth while he waited for her to finish. Jake kept his gaze on the little boy’s eyes, eyes that he had noticed just recently had finally begun to look less pained.

  “We got the call,” Cory continued.

  Jake heard the quick intake of Mitch’s breath, then watched as his luminous eyes widened.

  “If you want to, you can start calling us mom and dad...officially.”

  Mitch threw himself back between them wrapping his arms around their waists, burying his face in the place where Jake and Cory’s bodies came together.

  Jake pulled them both in as tightly as he could without crushing them, and exhaled a long sigh of pure contentment. As the wind rustled the first of the season’s fallen leaves in the yard, he could almost hear the echo of Tillie’s gentle laugh, happy too that the house was a home again, a home to his perfect little family.

  The End

  About the Author/Janet Wellington

  I feel like I have been a writer all my life—from childhood essays that ended up in the Sunday School bulletin, to long-ago burned journals (I hate that I did that!), to love-sick poems written on napkins while having a glass or three of wine, to newsletters and articles and press releases written on-the-job, and finally to happily-ever-after romances. As an award-winning author of four print-published novels, I have now happily embraced the ebook revolution and I look forward to meeting new readers in cyberspace. I can’t wait to share my stories with you!

  You can reach me at:

  mail@janetwellington.com

  It seems that all the stories I write have an element or two in them that is near and dear to my heart, so when I decided to publish ebooks, I saw an opportunity to support some organizations and causes.

  Grantitude Press allows me to do that!

  Each book that has the Grantitude Press logo includes a 10% donation of my royalties to a designated charity.

  Thanks for supporting my dream!!

  The charity I chose for HOMECOMING is

  the Halo Pet Foundation!

  For more information, click here: Halo Pet Foundation - Welcome!

  When I found out they were the sponsor of the FreeKibbleKat.com

  I knew I wanted to feature them as the charity of choice for HOMECOMING. So, with this Grantitude Press ebook, 10% of the royalties will be donated to Halo Pet Foundation!

  What’s FreeKibbleKat? Go to the site, answer a trivia question and right or wrong, you win! Click on an answer, and every day you do they’ll provide 10 pieces of kibble to lots of animal shelters all over the U.S. to help feed their hungry cats. Play Meow Trivia every day.

  The more you play, the more kibble for the cats!

  Send a MEOW e-card to friends and help spread the word…

  Send this E-card to friends!

  Below is info on FreeKibble from Halo Pet Foundation’s website:

  Halo Is Now Freekibble.com's Exclusive Kibble Sponsor

  We're so honored to formally announce our plans to feed millions of shelter pets in partnership with our friends at Freekibble!

  Halo, Purely For Pets® and Freekibble.com

  Join For
ces to Feed Shelter Pets!

  Freekibble.com Chooses Wholesome Halo, Purely For Pets®

  As Their Official Sponsor to Feed Shelter Pets Across the Country

  September 7, 2010 – Halo, Purely for Pets®, a leading producer of natural pet care products, announced today that it will be the official sponsor of Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com.

  Created in 2008 by 14-year-old Mimi Ausland when she was just 11 years old, Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com are online dog and cat trivia games whose mission is to feed shelter pets in need. By simply answering the daily trivia questions on Freekibble.com or Freekibblekat.com, right or wrong, 10 pieces of kibble are donated to homeless dogs and cats. Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com are 2 of the top 5 most trafficked animal rescue sites in the world with over 100,000 combined daily visits.

  To date, the websites' daily visitors have helped Freekibble donate 3,846,737 nutritious meals to hungry pets in shelters, rescues and food banks across the country. As official sponsor, Halo's Spot's Stew will now be the exclusive food donated by Freekibble.

  "We are thrilled to partner with such an amazing young woman and her organization," said Steve Marton, CEO, Halo, Purely for Pets®. "Her desire to keep shelter pets fed, not with just any food, but with natural, healthy food, is commendable. We at Halo are honored to be able to help Freekibble fulfill their mission of feeding shelter pets in the best possible way."

  "Just like us, the quality of food that pets eat is so important," said Mimi Ausland, creator of Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com. "We are really excited to be working with Halo to feed shelter dogs and cats the very best, all natural and nutritious food – it will make them happier and healthier while they wait to find a family of their own!"

  Halo, Purely For Pets® uses wholesome, natural, quality ingredients and only real meats in all of their pet food as they believe nutrition is the single most important factor in the quality of a pet's life. Halo is the only pet food honored with the National Canine Cancer Foundation Seal of Excellence. Recently, Halo supported the United States Postal Service campaign to promote its 2010 social awareness stamp "Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet" to raise awareness of pet adoption. In conjunction with this campaign, Halo, Purely For Pets® made a commitment to donate 1 million meals of Halo's Spot's Stew in 2010 to shelter pets awaiting adoption. They will continue this wonderful initiative with Freekibble.com to keep feeding hungry shelter pets across the country.

  Dear Reader:

  *Spoiler alert*

  I love happily-ever-after stories, whether in books or on the big screen screen. But, I tend to like ones that have more going on than the romance, so my stories do tend to be filled with secondary characters who have their own story lines. In the writing world, we say “there are lots of subplots.” I hope you enjoy them as much as I had writing them.

  I also love wounded heroes and when I was working with Jake’s character, I decided to give him a secret—the fact that he has a learning disorder. I’ve known a few people who have managed to work through challenges like his, and they triumphantly rose to the top due to creativity and perseverance and getting by with a little help from their friends. I hope Jake’s journey surprised you and made you applaud and smile. I also gave him a father with Alzheimer’s disease because it seems to be touching so many lives around me. His was a difficult relationship, with a childhood filled with pain and abuse, but, I also wanted him to resolve some of those issues.

  When I was first working with the idea for HOMECOMING, I decided I wanted to have “lots of cats.” I cut out cat pictures from magazines and I ended up with nine distinct cats with very different personalities. It was fun creating them as characters! I’m also kind of a nut for cat pictures, and I’d love it if you’d email me yours: mail@janetwellington.com. I just might use them in a future blog or website!!

  Cory is my Cinderella character—one I’ve always wanted to write. I love love love the idea of taking someone who is plain (or thinks she’s plain) and transforming her. Who wouldn’t want that? I hope Cory’s reunion with Jake and a second chance at love stirred some good memories for you.

  The setting for HOMECOMING is a part of Wisconsin where my family went camping every summer. We loved spending time in Door County, Peninsula State Park, and especially loved it when the sour cherries were in season.

  Peninsula State Park is a 3,776-acre Wisconsin state park with eight miles of Green Bay shoreline in Door County. Peninsula is the third largest state park in Wisconsin, and is visited by an estimated 1 million visitors annually. (source: Wikipedia)

  I love to hear from readers, so feel free to send me a note. And if you’d like to be on my once-in-a-while contact list, please email me….

  mail@janetwellington.com

  That’s all for now,

  Janet Wellington

  Other books by Janet Wellington

  Previously print-published (soon to be available as ebooks):

  Bachelor for Sale

  Sweet on You

  Forever Rose

  Dreamquest

  Coming attractions:

  Up Close and Personal

  Dreamhawk

  Losing Louise

  To stay in touch and to receive announcements, email me at:

  mail@janetwellington.com

  Cat Quotes used in HOMECOMING:

  We can judge the heart of a man

  by his treatment of animals.

  18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant

  In a cat’s eye, all things belong to cats.

  English proverb

  Time spent with cats is never wasted.

  Sigmund Freud

  I have studied many philosophers and

  many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely

  superior.

  Hippolyte Taine

  If we treated everyone we meet with

  The same affection we bestow upon

  Our favorite cat, they, too, would purr.

  Martin Buxbaum

  There are two means of refuge from

  the miseries of life: music and cats.

  Albert Schweitzer

  People that hate cats will come back

  as mice in their next life.

  Faith Resnick

  One must love a cat on its own terms.

  Paul Gray

  Thousands of years ago, cats were

  worshiped as gods. Cats have never

  forgotten this.

  Anonymous

  A meow massages the heart.

  Stuart McMillan

  Cats seem to go on the principle that it

  never does any harm to ask for what you want.

  Joseph Wood Krutch

  No matter how much cats fight, there

  always seems to be plenty of kittens.

  Abraham Lincoln

  The cat has too much spirit

  to have no heart.

  Ernest Menaul

  You will always be lucky if you know

  how to make friends with strange cats.

  Colonial American proverb

  One cat just leads to another.

  Ernest Hemingway

  There has never been a cat

  Who couldn’t calm me down

  By walking slowly

  Past my chair.

  Rod McKuen

  No heaven will not ever Heaven be,

  unless my cats are there to welcome me.

  Unknown

  If there were to be a universal sound

  depicting peace, I would surely vote

  for the purr.

  Barbara L. Diamond

  I love cats because I enjoy my home;

  and little by little, they become

  its visible soul.

  Jean Cocteau

  …and MORE Cat Quotes:

  Authors like cats because they are such quiet lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons. Robertson Davies

  If animals could speak the dog would be a blundering outs
poken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. Mark Twain

  There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat. Tay Hohoff