The Way Home

by Eliana West

  He put his personal feelings aside for the moment. “Let’s just focus on the filming. Jo hasn’t caused any trouble and I don’t think she’s plotting anything.”

  Tessa stepped closer, dropping her voice so they wouldn’t be overheard. “That’s your weakness, Taylor, you never want to see the bad in anyone and that’s what got you into trouble with Alyssa. You didn’t listen to me then until it was almost too late. You need to listen to me now.”

  He gritted his teeth. Yes, Tessa had been right about his last girlfriend but he was getting tired of her reminding him about it.

  “I’m not a pushover, Tess. I can handle Jo.”

  Tessa crossed her arms, clearly skeptical. “I’m just glad I’m here to back you up.”

  Taylor bit the inside of his cheek. In the past he’d appreciated Tessa running interference for him. But this time he felt like he was being handled and he didn’t like it.

  “I don’t need backup; I need my producer.”

  “Have I ever let you down?” Tessa pointed to her chest. “I’m the one who’s worked her ass off to help you become a success.”

  “Yeah, okay, you’re right. I just don’t need you to treat me like I’m not capable of thinking for myself.”

  Tessa shook her head. “That wasn’t what I was doing.”

  He knew that look. Tessa wasn’t going to back down and he was already tired of arguing about it.

  “I have the cabinet samples for you to review today,” Tessa said, just as Jo came into the kitchen.

  Jo’s footsteps faltered. “I thought we had agreed we were going to have Jacob Winters make the kitchen cabinets.”

  “We have a lot of sponsors that are eager to work with us. This is business, Jo.”

  He didn’t mean to snap at her. The private investigator’s report was still fresh in his mind and he resented the position he was being put in. The report brought back the disappointment he’d felt when Alyssa had undermined their relationship with her lies.

  “Taylor, what’s wrong?”

  He picked up the folder. “We hired a private investigator to look into you. What happened at your last job, Jo?”

  She drew her shoulders back as she crossed her arms over her chest. “What happened is none of your business. You could have asked me instead of hiring someone to spy on me. How dare you sneak behind my back like this.”

  Her voice was low and strained, her anger was palpable but, her refusal to answer his question brought him another step to confirming her guilt.

  “Maybe not but we’re…I thought we were getting to know each other. You should have told me.”

  Her eyes darted toward where Tessa was hovering at his side.

  “We know all about you and how you stole from your boyfriend. You have no right to be here. From what I’ve seen in the report, you should be in jail right now. I had a very interesting chat with Oliver Cox. I’m sure with this new evidence we can appeal the judge’s decision.” Tessa sneered.

  Hurt flashed in Jo’s eyes when she looked at him. “You’re accusing me of being a fake? This whole time that you’ve been talking about being friends and all…” She swallowed. “All of the kisses were just part of your act.”

  “No, I’m not accusing you of anything,” he said with a pointed look at Tessa. “I just got the report and I’m trying to make sense of it.”

  Tessa moved closer to his side with a snide smile. “If we had gotten it sooner you wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

  “Knock it off, Tess,” he growled.

  Her lips thinned and now he was the target of her glare.

  “None of it is true.” Jo took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “Let me ask you a question. If anything in that report were true do you think Dax Ellis would have hired me? Why would a cybersecurity expert hire a fraud? Ask yourself that, Taylor.” Her voice trembled slightly but her gaze was unwavering. “I figured you’d try something to get me to sell my half but this was…” She shook her head and turned around and walked out of the room.

  “Unbelievable.” Tessa shook her head. “She’s got a lot of nerve; I’ll give her that.”

  “I shouldn’t have confronted her like that,” he muttered.

  Tessa’s eyes grew wide. “You aren’t going to take her word over the private investigator’s report, are you?”

  “I think Jo hasn’t said or done anything that matches what’s in this report. It doesn’t add up, Tess.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to figure it out later because we have work to do.”

  Taylor pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, let’s get the filming finished for today.”

  He had a hard time focusing on work, replaying the scene with Jo over and over again in his head. She hadn’t come out of her room and as the day wore on he became more worried and anxious about her. After lunch he found Chloe.

  “Hey, Chloe, I have a favor to ask.”

  She frowned at him. “What can I do for you, Mr. Colton?”

  Taylor drew back. Chloe had been subdued all day, barely speaking to him.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. What can I do for you, sir?”

  His jaw clenched at her aloofness. This wasn’t like her.

  “I was wondering if you would mind checking on Jo for me?”

  Chloe straightened her shoulders. “That is not part of my job description. I will check on Jo because I like her and I think she deserves better than what happened to her this morning. But I will not report back to you or do anything to make you feel less guilty. And…” there was a tremor in her voice “…if that means I’ll lose my job—”

  Taylor held his hand up. “You won’t lose your job.”

  Chloe went into the pantry where lunch had been set up and came out with a plate loaded with food. She walked past Taylor without looking at him and disappeared down the hall to Jo’s room.

  “What’s her problem?” Tessa asked.

  “She’s just worried about Jo—that’s all.”

  “Is she taking her food from catering?”

  “Don’t, Tess, I said it was okay.”

  Tessa folded her arms in front of her. “She needs to watch her step if she wants to keep working here.”

  Caught off guard, he stared at Tessa. She’d never threatened a member of the crew before.

  “I told her she wouldn’t get fired. I mean it, Tess, let it go and let me deal with Jo.”

  He had a hard time forcing any food down while the rest of the crew ate lunch. The mood in the room was somber and he noticed more than one crew member who wouldn’t look him in the eye. He grew increasingly frustrated while he watched for Chloe to return. When she did finally come back into the kitchen her eyes were red.

  By the end of the day he’d had enough of the worried glances and disapproving looks from the crew.

  “Everyone, I’d like your attention,” he called out as the crew was preparing to leave. “I want to let you know that despite what happened here this morning History Reborn and Halcyon are my first priority and I will not allow the co-ownership of this house with Ms. Martin to interfere with the success of the show.”

  Tessa was the only one who looked happy with his announcement.

  “I called the lawyer. He’s going to look into whether there’s any way we can make a case for Judge Beaumont to revise his original decision.”

  He glared at her, frowning. “That wasn’t your decision to make, Tessa.”

  “I just assumed—”

  “Yes, you did,” he snapped. “And you shouldn’t have. This is my house and my life. I decide what happens next.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “You’re upset. We can talk about this later. Remember, I’m only trying to keep you safe.”

  After Tessa left he went to Jo’s room. He reached up to knock; his hand hovered in the air for a second before he dropped it. He didn’t know what to say. He needed to sort through what he knew about Jo compared to what he saw in the report because th
e two didn’t add up.

  He grabbed the file folder and headed out.

  When he pulled up in front of Dax and Callie’s house, they were on their porch swing and Taylor got the distinct impression they were waiting for him.

  “Taylor.” Dax nodded.

  “Evening, sorry about dropping by unannounced like this.”

  Dax and Callie exchanged looks. “We thought you might,” Dax said.

  “I guess Jo told you what happened today.”

  “No, Tillie called,” Callie said.

  He pulled up a chair and sat down clasping his hands in front of him. “Explain to me how the private investigator’s report can be wrong.”

  Dax leaned forward. “You know I run a cybersecurity firm. Do you honestly think I would hire someone without doing a background check?”

  Jo had said almost the exact same thing. He bristled at the twin looks of censure he received from them. “You can’t blame me for being cautious. I’ve waited to restore Halcyon for a long time. I wasn’t happy about her claim but now that I’ve gotten to know her I… It’s turned out to be a good partnership. But I can’t get sidetracked by someone who isn’t being honest with me.”

  “Do you really think Jo isn’t being honest?” Dax’s tone was sharp.

  “Look, I had a bad experience a couple of years ago with a woman who turned out to be a fraud. If it wasn’t for Tess hiring a private investigator back then I would have made a huge mistake.”

  Callie shook her head. “I’m sorry that happened to you but it doesn’t mean this situation is the same.”

  “I know that and I don’t think it is but I have to be careful. I have enough on my plate right now. I can’t deal with a public relations scandal.”

  “All you need to do is give Jo a chance to defend herself,” Dax said.

  “Yeah, okay, you’re right.”

  The events of the morning played over and over in his head and each time he became more uncomfortable with the way he’d behaved. Yes, he could have handled the situation better but that didn’t mean he could ignore what he saw in the report. But then why did he feel so guilty every time he remembered the pained look that flashed in Jo’s eyes?

  He said good night and drove into town, planning to console himself with a slice of pie.

  He didn’t even get a chance to set foot over the threshold of the café before Tillie charged him with a thunderous expression.

  “You aren’t welcome here,” she said blocking the doorway.

  “Tillie, I don’t know what you heard but—”

  “I know all about your private investigator’s report. You don’t know jack shit about that girl.” She poked him in the chest.

  “Tillie, you’re overreacting.”

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he’d made a mistake. Tillie’s face turned so red he thought she was going to have a stroke. He backed up a step and she pushed the door closed.

  He got into his car and banged his forehead on the steering wheel. He started the engine and headed toward the one place where he knew he’d get a sympathetic ear and some sage advice.

  He wasn’t surprised when Uncle Robert was waiting on his front porch when he pulled up.

  There was no greeting when he dropped into one of the rocking chairs next to him. He didn’t say anything; he just rocked and watched Taylor, waiting.

  “I guess you heard what happened.”

  “This is Colton. Everyone knows by now.”

  “I’m just trying to understand the discrepancy between the person I’ve gotten to know and the Josephine Martin who is described in the report. Is that wrong?”

  “Did you ask Jo?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to.”

  Uncle Robert shook his head. “Let me get this straight. You’ve been running all over town trying to support your side of the story and you haven’t spoken to the one person who matters? Get off my porch and go home.”

  His jaw dropped. Uncle Robert had never spoken to him so harshly before. He got up and walked back to the car. Kicked out of the Catfish and now out of Uncle Robert’s front porch. He got back in his car to make the short drive back to Halcyon. Uncle Robert and Dax were right: he’d been talking to everyone but Jo. He was afraid. He didn’t want to find out if the allegations against her were true. Their relationship was new but he knew he’d feel its loss more keenly than he had with his past relationships.

  The house was dark and quiet when he got back. This time he didn’t hesitate to knock on Jo’s door.

  Her eyes were red-rimmed. “What do you want?”

  “I was thinking we should talk.”

  “Oh, you were thinking we should talk? So now that you’re ready to talk I should just drop everything because it’s convenient for you?”

  “Maybe now isn’t a good time.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Maybe tomorrow…”

  “We can talk tomorrow. Right now I’m so angry with you I don’t think talking will do any good.”

  He wedged his foot in the door when she started to close it. “Before I say good night I just want to say I’m sorry. I didn’t handle seeing the private investigator’s report well. When you’re ready to talk I can explain why. But for now, I just…I should have told you right away that I believe you.”

  She gave him a small smile and some of the sadness lifted from her eyes. “Thank you, I appreciate that. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

  He breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

  Restless, and unable to stop replaying the disaster of a day in his head, Taylor wandered through the house until he found himself in the attic. The flashlight on his phone swept across the dark expanse. Jo had removed the dust cover from one pile of furniture, a jumble of chairs and small tables. Something glinted when he moved his flashlight over it again. He moved a few chairs clearing a path until he uncovered a large oval portrait framed under a piece of curved glass.

  “Well I’ll be,” he said softly, swiping away the layer of dust to reveal more of the image.

  Taylor crouched down to get a better look at the man in the portrait. Years in a dark attic had preserved much of the color in the piece. Taylor studied the masterful brush strokes that created strands of dark blond hair that was the exact same shade as his own. His own blue eyes looked back at him with a sadness that stole his breath. Taylor stroked his beard, they even shared the same haircut. He’d always wondered what the colonel looked like. The uncanny resemblance sent a chill down his spine. He searched for another painting of his wife. Traditionally portraits like that came in pairs but he didn’t find its mate in any of the piles nearby.

  He carefully brought the picture of the colonel downstairs. Propped against the wall in his room the portrait was even more striking with better lighting. Taylor used one of his T-shirts to carefully wipe away the years of grime until the image was clear. He dropped to the floor in front of the portrait staring at the man who started all of this.

  “What in the hell were you thinking?” he asked.

  There was no answer, not that he expected one but he’d take any help he could get at this point.

  He grabbed his phone and called Tess.

  “Can you tell me about the conversation you had with Jo’s ex again?”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” Tessa said.

  “Nothing’s wrong, Tess. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

  “He gave me permission to record our conversation. I can send a copy if you want and you can hear for yourself. She’s a manipulator, Taylor. You’ve got to be careful.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

  “Okay fine. I’m just trying to look out for my friend.”

  “And I appreciate it, I really do.” Taylor softened his tone. “I know you’ve got my best interests at heart.”

  “I’m sending it over now, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  As soon as he hung up he heard the familiar ding of the email notification. He put
on his headphones and listened to the conversation. When the recording was finished he pulled the headphones off in disgust. Oliver Cox sounded like a pompous jerk. The way he described Jo as an untalented programmer whose success came from professors feeling sorry for her, affirmative action, and her own scheming ways had him grinding his teeth. He hated the spike of jealousy that shot through him hearing Oliver talk about Jo.

  The way Tessa had questioned Jo’s ex troubled him. It was almost as if she’d encouraged him to say bad things about her. He lay back and sighed, staring up at the cracks in the plaster above. Tomorrow he would explain why he got so rattled and he would apologize again. He closed his eyes and the day drifted away when sleep finally claimed him.

  Taylor was trying to shade his eyes against the bright blue sky when he realized there was no sunlight. He slipped further into the dream and could see the room was lit by lamplight reflected in the mirrors on the wall. He saw a woman that he instantly knew was Ada Mae alongside the colonel in the glass. Ada Mae was sitting at the small elegant desk in the corner. The dream was so vivid he could hear the pen as it scratched across the paper. The colonel stood behind her, watching over her shoulder with pride.

  “Your penmanship is excellent, my love.”

  Ada Mae paused. The pen hovered over the paper for just a moment before she continued to write saying: “That doesn’t matter while I cannot live as a free person. You know this, Absolem, and you must let me go.” Ada Mae put her hand on her rounded belly. “She won’t stop trying to kill us.”

  She put the paper she was writing on in the desk drawer and looked at the colonel with desperation in her eyes.

  “I won’t let that happen. Everything you need for your safety and our children is here.”

  “You can’t keep your promise, you know you can’t.”

  Ada Mae got up from the desk and went to lie down on the bed. “The baby’s coming,” she said in an urgent whisper.

  “You cannot make a sound, my love.”

  Ada Mae’s face contorted in pain and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

  Chapter Ten

  Jo jumped out of bed and ran toward Taylor’s room when she heard him call out. He was tangled in the sheets, doubled over as if he were in pain, moaning.