by Eliana West
He brushed his thumb over the spot on her cheek. “What are you painting?”
“I finally picked a color for my room. Do you want to come and take a look?”
She had chosen a shade of light teal that showed off the original woodwork and wasn’t too dark for the room.
“I’m not an expert painter but I think I’m doing okay.”
“I think you’ve done a great job. I like this color. Can I help you finish up?”
“You’ve only been back a few minutes. You don’t have to start working right away.”
He picked up the bucket of paint and paintbrush. “Honestly I’ve missed this. It would be kind of therapeutic.”
“Thanks, I’d love the help.”
Taylor brushed on the last coat of paint around the window trim and stood back admiring his work. They spent the rest of the evening working together on Jo’s room. He’d gotten so caught up in the show and Tessa’s lies he’d forgotten how much fun he and Jo had when they first started working together on the house.
“Maybe tomorrow we can do some work on the kitchen. I was thinking that we should tear up some of the flooring and see if we can find what was originally there.”
Jo grinned at him. “I’d love that.”
They had already demoed the old cabinets and the wiring and plumbing work Sam and Minh had done was waiting for the finishing touches. Being back in the house and doing something as simple as painting reminded him that he still loved doing restoration work.
“Taylor, are you okay?” Jo was looking at him with a worried expression.
He’d been staring off into space thinking about how in some ways the show had held him back from doing what he really loved.
“I was thinking about how much I miss this. When we first started working on the house together we had fun and then I ruined it. I don’t want to take for granted this second chance to work on Halcyon—thank you for that, Jo.”
She swallowed. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I missed working on the house with you too.”
He put his paintbrush down and slowly walked toward her and took her hands in his.
“If we’re going to be friends again there’s something I need to tell you.”
Her eyes grew wide and she licked her lips. “W-what?”
He let go of her hands and lifted up the tip of one of her braids. “You have paint in your hair.”
She looked down, and her lips quirked before she burst out into a laugh.
The next morning he and Jo were just getting ready to start replacing some of the more treacherous floorboards on the veranda when a young Black man pulled up in front of the house. He straightened his shoulders and clutched the strap on his messenger back tightly as she approached.
“Excuse me, Mr. Colton? I’m sorry to interrupt you like this but I wanted to stop by one more time. I know I can’t be on camera but I’d still like to work on the restoration. You don’t have to pay me. I can get another job but I’d like to work here and learn how to do the restoration work. I graduated from the trade school in Greenwood and I have good references from my teachers.”
This was the young man Chloe told him about the day before. Jo gave him a warm smile and held out her hand. “I’m Josephine Martin. What’s your name?”
He shook her hand. “Adam Freeman, ma’am.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?”
“No, thank you, ma’am.”
“No need to call me ma’am—Jo is just fine.”
Jo nudged Taylor with an expectant look. “Oh, I’m sorry. Adam, it’s nice to meet you.” He shook his hand. “You stopped by before?”
“Yes, sir, the lady told me I didn’t have the right look and you couldn’t use me. But I don’t care about being on camera. I’m interested in learning about historic preservation.” His jaw ticked. “I’ll cut my hair if I have to…if you think that will make me look more presentable.”
“God no, I would never ask you to do that,” Taylor blurted out.
Adam watched him, with a hint of hope in his eyes, it was a gut punch. How many times had he come before and was turned away?
“Did the woman who turned you away tell you her name?” he asked even though he knew what the answer was going to be.
“It was a Miss Caldwell—she said she was the producer. Mr. Colton, I’m a hard worker and I’ll take on any job you’d be willing to give me as long as I can learn about some of your preservation techniques. Everybody knows that you’re one of the top experts in the country. When I heard that you were filming here I thought maybe you would be looking for help. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass, so I had to try one more time.”
Taylor squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay, sir?” the young man asked.
Taylor opened his eyes. “No,” he answered honestly. “But I will be. Please, you don’t have to call me sir—Taylor is just fine.”
“Taylor, why don’t you take Adam inside and the two of you can sit down and talk.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Jo touched his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. Adam followed him inside, his gaze darting around. Taylor watched him taking in every detail of the house as they passed through the rooms into the kitchen.
Adam reached into his bag and pulled out a folder and handed it to him. “Here’s my résumé.”
“You’re an electrician I see,” Taylor said.
Adam sighed. “I know I don’t have…” he pressed his lips together “…that I don’t have the right look,” he repeated, “but I’m a hard worker and—”
“I’m sorry about what my producer said to you. That was wrong.” He scanned the rest of Adam’s résumé. “You just graduated from the trade school in Greenwood with certificates in carpentry and electrical work.”
“Yes, sir.” Adam nodded. “But I’m really interested in restoring old houses, just like you do.”
“I hate to tell you this but I’m not going to be doing the show anymore.”
“I’m sorry for wasting your time,” he said starting to stand.
“Wait,” Taylor called out. Adam paused and slowly sank back down in his seat. “Even though I don’t have the show anymore I’d like to offer you a paid apprenticeship to work here with me.”
The young man’s face split into a huge grin.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision but as soon as he said it he knew it was the right one.
“Good news,” he said when Jo came in. “I’ve just hired my first apprentice.”
Adam’s eyes grew wide. “You’ve never had an apprentice before?”
“I haven’t, so you’re going to have to be patient with me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s start with a tour of the house and then we can figure out a schedule and we’ll make up the rest from there.”
Jo nodded in approval. “Happy to have you helping out, Adam.”
When he finished giving Adam a tour they sat on the veranda for a while. The young man peppered him with questions and they discussed a work schedule. Jo came out and plopped down next to him, waving goodbye when Adam drove away.
“You did a good thing today, Taylor.”
“Please don’t compliment me for something I should have done a long time ago.”
Jo put her hand on his arm. “Hey, you didn’t know and you’re trying to make it right. That’s all that matters.”
“I talked to Chloe and apologized to her.”
“I know, she called to tell me. She was really touched that you did that.”
“It’s not enough. I was careless and gave away part of Halcyon.” He gritted his teeth. “Tessa is going to hold that over my head and use it against us if she can.”
“She can’t hurt me anymore; she already did her worst.”
“I’m so sorry, Jo.”
“So am I. When we…I liked it when it was just the two of us getting to know each other and Halcyon to
gether.”
“That first night I saw you at the Buckthorn, you were so beautiful I forgot for a moment what I was there to do because all I wanted was to get to know you. Then I found out about your claim and I was so angry with you. When we started working together I was intimidated and amazed by how smart and thoughtful you are.” He looked down at her upturned face. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her, but he held back. He didn’t want to ask for more than she was ready to give. “I was so damn jealous because you seem to be connected to this house in a way that I’m not, even though I’ve been coming here since I was a boy.”
Jo sighed and leaned against him. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I wish I could explain my feelings about Halcyon to you but it’s…I’ve kept something, some secrets so close to my heart and I…I don’t think I’m ready to yet. I can see how hard you’re trying to make amends. I just need some time to…”
“To make sure that I’m not going to hurt you again.” He put his finger to her lips when she started to object. “I don’t blame you and I’m glad in a way. My brother was right—things have always come easy to me. I work hard, but I’ve never put my whole heart and soul into anything.” He slid his finger across her lips and cupped her cheek, looking into the depths of her eyes. “I don’t want you to make it easy for me. When I earn your trust again it will be because I worked harder than I’ve ever worked for anything before.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jo sat on the steps leading out to the garden and lifted her face to the sun. It was a clear crisp fall day with just enough chill in the air to remind her that winter was coming. Since the night Taylor asked her to give him a chance to earn her trust, they grew closer every day. And each day it became harder to ignore the attraction that flared back to life between them again. But Taylor had told her not to make it easy on him and Jo still wasn’t ready to trust her heart.
Taylor came out and sat down next to her, handing her a travel mug.
She smiled. “You have to stop trying to feed me and bring me tea.”
“I’ll stop when you start eating better,” he said with a frown.
“Fair point.” The stress over the last few weeks had taken their toll and neither of them had been eating as well as they should.
He got up and held his and handed hers out to her. “Ready to go?”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise. Trust me?”
She didn’t have a good poker face and Taylor’s face fell.
“Okay, wrong question. Will you come with me please? I promise it will be fun.”
She got up and looked down where he was still holding out his hand.
“Let me get my coat.”
Once they were on the road, he gestured to the picnic basket on the seat between them. “There’s some fresh fruit, pastries and a thermos with more coffee, help yourself.”
Jo opened the basket and pulled out an apple fritter. “Do you want one?”
She handed him the pastry wrapped in a napkin when he held out his hand. She took one for herself, biting into the sugary cinnamon and apple pastry. She finished her treat, licking the last of the sugar with a swipe of her tongue when she froze realizing Taylor was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She turned away focusing her attention on the passing landscape through the window to hide her blush.
“Any chance you’ll tell me where we’re going now?”
Taylor smiled. “Memphis. Just for the day. There are some salvage stores I wanted to go to. We can look for some period fixtures we need for the house and then there’s one other thing I want to do.”
“That’s a surprise,” he said with a wink that made her stomach do a funny little flip.
“Have you been to Memphis before?” he asked.
“No, have you?”
He nodded. “We’ve filmed a couple of episodes of the show there. There are a couple of neighborhoods with great antique and salvage yards we can explore.”
“I’ve never been to a salvage store before.”
“Then you’re in for a treat. There’s nothing better than digging through piles of old hardware and fixtures looking for treasure.”
Jo smiled. Taylor’s enthusiasm was infectious.
“You really do love this don’t you?”
“I can’t imagine doing anything else. What about you, is there something else that you could picture yourself doing besides computers?”
“I’ve never thought about it before. I suppose I’d like to teach and pass on what I’ve learned to the next generation. Especially to Black girls—I want them to see that they can work in careers in tech that they might not have considered.”
“I think you’d be a great teacher.”
“I volunteered at a mentorship program at a high school in the city. I miss it.”
“Would you do something like that here?”
“I would but I don’t think I’d be welcome. Just because Dax was willing to hire me doesn’t mean that if anyone calls to do a background check on me the lies that my ex told will still be there.”
Taylor’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Jo.”
He had asked her to tell him what happened with Oliver again a couple of nights ago and this time she told him the whole story.
He kept his eyes on the road but he reached over and took her hand in his. “He’s…” Taylor let go of her hand and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles started to turn white. “I don’t have any right to criticize when I haven’t treated you any better.”
“That’s not true.”
Saying the words out loud she realized she meant it. Taylor wasn’t Oliver. She thought about how kind and caring Taylor had been over the last week. Yes, there were times when he was a little bit cocky and overconfident but he wasn’t pompous.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you for saying that.”
Jo sat back with a smile. “So, tell me, what are we looking for at this place?” The two-hour drive to Memphis flew by, while Taylor shared stories about some of his favorite junkyard finds. After a quick pit stop they pulled up to a large warehouse with Heritage Salvage and Antiques painted on the side of the building.
They’d barely set foot inside when customers and employees mobbed Taylor. As far as his fans knew History Reborn would be back for another season. The reality was much more complicated. The network was trying to save the show and Taylor was still trying to untangle himself from his partnership with Tessa. They didn’t talk about it but they both worried about her owning a part of the house.
Jo stood off to the side while Taylor smiled and posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans. She admired how easygoing he was even with some of the more aggressive people like the woman in skin-tight jeans with a cut-off T-shirt who was currently climbing him like a tree. That caused a surprising sliver of jealousy to shoot through Jo’s heart. The owner came out greeting Taylor with a warm smile and immediately started to shoo everyone away. When an employee mistook Jo for a fan and tried to usher her out with the other customers, Taylor reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to his side. The redheaded woman who had just been fawning all over him glared at Jo, as she was ushered away.
“You’re really good at that,” Jo said.
“At what?”
“Dealing with all those people, being nice even when they’re pawing all over you.”
“It’s part of the job. Most of the time it’s really fun interacting with fans.”
Jo glanced at his profile noticing the faint lines of tension around his mouth and eyes. He made it look easy but it wasn’t. She found herself wanting to reach up and smooth away those lines. Taylor chatted with the owner as he led them toward a corner of the massive space filled with light fixtures—some on the floor and others hanging at different lengths from the ceiling.
Taylor pointed out the different fixtures that he thought would work for various rooms. He pointed out one very large ornate chandelier that he thought would work for the grand entryway.
<
br /> “The light will reflect beautifully through the arched window over the front door, don’t you think?”
Jo was staring up at the display but she was completely captivated by a different fixture altogether. It was also a chandelier but a quarter of the size of the one Taylor was looking at. Delicate enamel flowers in a shade of deep pink with lighter green leaves were tucked among the arms that were made to look like the branches of a tree. At the very top there was a blue bird with a long beak, its red breast puffed out as it eyed the flowers below. Jo followed the bird’s gaze to where it was eyeing a tiny ladybug that had been placed on a petal of one of the flowers.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? The craftsmanship is really remarkable,” Taylor said reaching up to run his fingers over one of the leaves. “It’s a dogwood tree.”
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to examine one of the flowers a little closer.
Taylor stood back tapping his lips. “I’m not really sure if there’s anywhere we could use it. It’s not really the right period for the house.”
“That’s okay, I was just admiring it.”
Taylor cocked his head, looking at her with a funny expression. He waved the owner who had been hovering nearby over. “We’ll take these two.” He nodded toward the large chandelier he’d been showing her and the one she admired.
Taylor put his hand on her shoulder. “I think it would look really nice in your room. If you love it then you should get it,” he said with a warm smile that sent a shiver through her.
They found two more fixtures and several other pieces of hardware, doorknobs and other items that they could use. They spent a couple of hours at the salvage store, wandering through the different areas. Taylor was like a kid in a candy store and, to her surprise, Jo was having as much fun as he was. She found a small dresser in the antique section of the building and before she could ask about it, Taylor had added it to their purchases.
After they arranged to have everything packed and shipped to Halcyon they headed toward Taylor’s car, chatting excitedly about what they had found. Suddenly the woman who had been fawning over him when they first came in jumped out of her car and plastered herself against Taylor. She slipped a piece of paper into the pocket of his shirt before she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Taylor pushed her away with a scowl.
