The Way Home

by Eliana West

  “They were?”

  “Everyone has been talkin’ about how you’ve been helping out Mae with new computers. You’re just the kind of person we’ve been hoping would move here.”

  “Thanks, Ashton, I appreciate that.”

  *

  Instead of going to her car Jo walked over to a bench in the park. She burrowed her face into the collar of her coat against the brisk winter air and laughed softly at herself. People in Chicago would have been wearing short sleeves on a day like today. She’d already acclimated to winter in Mississippi. She watched a group of children playing tag around the gazebo for a few minutes before a flash of blue caught her eye and a little bird just like the one she saw on her first day in Colton swooped down and landed in front of her. It hopped back and forth, cocking its head and looking at her before taking flight again. A feeling of rightness settled over her. This was her home, her community. She remembered the first time she dreamt about Ada Mae.

  “Your future is here,” she’d said.

  “You were right,” she whispered with a smile.

  *

  “You’re thinking so hard you’re keeping me awake.” Taylor ran his fingers across her forehead.

  “I’ve been thinking about the money that we found.”

  Taylor pulled her on top of him and gently tucked a stray hair back under her scarf. “How does it feel to be an heiress?”

  Jo wrinkled her nose. “You make me sound like a character in one of those old black-and-white movies.”

  Laughter rumbled through Taylor’s chest. “What’s troubling you, sweetheart?”

  “If we can get the apprenticeship program going, I think I’d like to have a scholarship program to go along with it. I want to use half of the money for a scholarship and give the other half to the Colton Foundation. What do you think?”

  “I think you are a very wise woman and I’m so thankful to have you in my life. Loving you has made me a better man.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “What do you think?” Taylor watched his brother anxiously after presenting the new offer he’d negotiated with the network. He was shocked when the network reached out to him a few days ago with another offer for his show. They were sitting in a booth at the back of the café. He’d called Dylan a few days ago and asked if he would be willing to come back down to Colton to meet with him. To his surprise his brother told him that he was already planning a trip down and wanted to meet with him too.

  History Reborn would become Colton Reborn. There would be no more than six episodes per season and they would all be filmed and produced in Colton. The show would focus on restoring the historic homes as well as helping new business, rejuvenating the storefronts in town.

  “What does Jo have to say about this?”

  “I haven’t told her yet.”

  Taylor held up his hand when Dylan frowned. “I’m not keeping this from her I swear. I wanted to see what you thought. If you didn’t think it was a good idea I’d turn it down.”

  “I don’t think you’ve ever asked me for my opinion before.”

  “Probably not, but I’d like it now.”

  Dylan rubbed his jaw. “Well, you can start by renovating a house for me.”

  Taylor did a double take. “Wait, what?”

  “I’ve decided to leave the hospital and reopen the clinic here.”

  Taylor’s jaw dropped. “Working in a big hospital is all you’ve ever wanted.”

  “Lately I’ve begun to realize that’s what Mom and Dad always wanted for me. I don’t get to know my patients working in the ER and since I’ve been coming down here to visit I really like the sense of community everyone is working on having here. I’ve started rethinking what matters to me and I’ve begun to wonder if I’m missing out on too many moments in my life that matter. I need more balance in my life and I want to be here to give my nieces and nephews their checkups someday.”

  Taylor grinned. “I haven’t asked her yet.”

  “But when you do she’ll say yes.”

  “I hope so too and if she does, I like knowing that you’ll be here to be my best man.”

  They finished their lunch at the café and walked over to a little house Dylan had already found that he was interested in just a couple of blocks away from the clinic.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  It was a wreck but Taylor could see the potential. It was a classic single-story cottage with the most important thing for any Southern home: a front porch.

  “I know you have your hands full with Halcyon and I’m not in any hurry. Reid offered to let me stay with him until the remodel is finished. There is some work that needs to be done at the clinic right away so I can get it open though.”

  “Between Adam and I, we’ll make it work.”

  “Thanks, Taylor.”

  He looked at his brother. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’ve asked me to help you with this. It feels—” he shrugged “—validating.”

  “I’m sorry that you didn’t think I appreciated your work, Taylor. I do and I’m really proud to have you for a brother and proud of the work that you’re doing.”

  He swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. “Thanks, man, I appreciate that. When will you be moving down here?”

  A slow smile spread on Dylan’s face. “Today.”

  “You’re not wasting any time, are you?”

  “I started talking to Uncle Robert about it after my first visit here. After the fire I knew this is where I wanted to be. This town needs a doctor. I already gave my notice at the hospital and I’ve put my place in Memphis on the market. I’ll be working on getting my license transferred and getting the clinic updated equipment. Mae mentioned that there’s a grant program through the Colton Foundation that Callie and Dax started. They’re going to provide funds for new equipment, supplies and any remodeling that the clinic will need. While I’m waiting I thought I could help you out at Halcyon.”

  “Now that you mention it, I do need a favor. Can you come by the house first thing in the morning?”

  Taylor left Dylan and returned to Halcyon, anxious to talk to Jo about the new offer from the studio. He’d been willing to give up his show and he still was but this new offer had him thinking about a different future where he could do even more to help revitalize Colton. When he got home, Jo and Adam were bringing out more burnt lumber.

  Most of the demolition was finished and they were already starting to rebuild. The echo of hammering filled the air as a roofing crew along with a few carpentry students from the trade school in Greenwood were making repairs on the roof.

  Jo came up to him with a streak of soot on her cheek and a big smile on her face.

  “Think you can take a break?” he asked dropping a kiss on her forehead.

  “What’s up?”

  He walked her over to the veranda and pulled her down next to him. “I had a phone call from the network the other day.”

  Jo’s face fell.

  Taylor turned so that he could look into her eyes and held her hands in his. “We’re a team. I’m not going to do anything that you don’t agree with, okay?”

  She nodded but her eyes were filled with uncertainty.

  “The network has offered me a new show.” He held fast when she started to pull away. “It would be based here in Colton and only six episodes a season.”

  “What about Tessa?”

  “I signed over my half of the production company to her when we found the will. I should have told you when I did it. I just…I didn’t want you to worry.” He smirked. “I also made sure word got out about what Tessa did to you and her racist hiring practices. The network has severed all ties with her.”

  “You shouldn’t have given up your half of the company. You should have made her pay you.”

  “It doesn’t matter—I gave her half of nothing.” He huffed a laugh. “All this time she told me I wouldn’t be successful without her help. I’m embarrassed that I believ
ed her. Now that people are starting to hear about what she’s really like, no one is going to want to work with her. The company is worthless now. I can start over with a new production company here in Colton.”

  Jo blew out a shaky breath. “I don’t know how I feel about this.”

  “That’s understandable after everything that happened. And if you don’t want me to do it I won’t. I turned them down when they first called but then I started thinking about it and I called them back. I told them that I would only do the show if I could use local talent and we would feature homeowners from diverse backgrounds. I’ll be picking out the projects and the trades I want to work with. I also had a talk with Chloe. I asked her if she would be interested in running the production office if we ended up doing the show.”

  “I like the idea, I really do. I just… It was so awful when you were working on the show before.”

  “I know and I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make excuses but a lot of that had to do with Tessa and my unwillingness to see past our friendship to the hurt she was causing. I’m not going to let that happen again.”

  Jo sighed. “I had a call too. From my old job—they want me to come back. They figured out Oliver stole my program.” She gave him a wry smile. “He made a mess of it and lost one of their biggest clients because of it.”

  “Do you want to go back?”

  His heart hammered in his chest. Did Jo want to move back to Chicago?

  “No, I don’t. But the client who left reached out to me and they want to hire me directly as an independent contractor. I could continue to work with Dax and take on other projects of my own.”

  Taylor took a deep breath. “Do you think we can make this work?”

  “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not worried. But I never wanted you to give up your show and moving the production here could do a lot of good to help the town.”

  She looked up at the house. “We have a lot going on. I don’t want to get so caught up in our jobs that we don’t have time for each other.”

  “Weekends are just for us.” He pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck. “And every night,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her lips met his, soft and warm. It was a kiss that reassured them both that they were going to face whatever the future had in store for them together. When they finally broke apart he swiped his thumb over her swollen lips and whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you.”

  “That’s the only thing that matters,” he said.

  Her eyes were dark with desire. “The only thing.”

  “Hey, I have more news.”

  She wrinkled her forehead. “What else?”

  “Dylan is moving to Colton and he’s going to reopen the clinic.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she exclaimed.

  Taylor wanted to ask her right then but he was determined to make everything just right. He pulled her up and tugged on her braid. “Come on, Ms. Martin, we have a house to rebuild.”

  She grinned up at him and they walked back into the house arm in arm.

  *

  Dylan was on his doorstep the next morning along with the members of the Colton Garden Club.

  “You want to let me know what’s going on?” Dylan asked watching the Jewels file past with their arms full of flowers.

  “Come on back and I’ll show you.”

  He led Dylan out to the garden where Sam and Minh were stringing lights back and forth from the house to the tree in the corner of the garden to create a canopy across the garden. The Jewels along with Callie, Mae and Mae’s mother were filling the garden with flowers.

  “We don’t have much time. Tillie and Jo are having a spa day.”

  “Is this what I think it is?” Dylan raised his eyebrows.

  “Yep, I’m proposing to Jo tonight.”

  Dylan clapped him on the shoulder. “What do you need me to do?”

  “We’ve got two deliveries coming. Jacob will be here any minute with the first one and then we’ve only got about an hour before the next one should arrive.”

  Just as he spoke Jacob arrived with a truckload of gravel followed by Uncle Robert with his tractor. Taylor put Dylan to work helping to create a gravel pad at the end of the garden and they finished just in time when Adam and Dax pulled up in Taylor’s truck with the second delivery.

  “Oh it’s adorable,” Callie exclaimed.

  Hitched to the back of his truck was a vintage Airstream camper. He and Jo had been talking about where they were going to live while they rebuilt Halcyon. As much as they appreciated Uncle Robert’s hospitality they were craving a place where they could be alone. When he’d suggested finding an RV they could rent Jo loved the idea. But when he stared looking he stumbled on the vintage camper and knew it would be perfect for them.

  They got it placed on the gravel pad. Everyone pitched in to turn the camper into a temporary home that he and Jo could live in until they could move back into the house. By the time everyone left. The garden glowed from all of the string lights. The camper was positioned at the end of the walkway with more twinkle lights set up under the green and white awning. On the inside the bed was made up with fresh bedding and there were flowers on the little table at the front of the camper. There was a bottle of champagne chilling in the refrigerator. Taylor had moved their clothes over from Uncle Robert’s that afternoon.

  Freshly showered and changed he paced the veranda, waiting. When Tillie pulled up and Jo got out of the car his heart threatened to leap out of his chest. Tillie had taken her job of decoy seriously. He didn’t know what story she’d told her but Jo got out of the car wearing a pale lavender sweater dress that hugged every curve. The gold necklace that nestled in the deep vee neckline glowed against her dark brown skin. She’d paired the dress with a pair of knee-high brown boots and had a plaid shawl in shades of purple and brown around her shoulders. She’d gotten her hair cut and it brushed against her shoulders in soft deep brown waves. She was absolutely stunning, walking toward him with a smile.

  Jo’s back was to Tillie so she didn’t catch the wink and wave she gave to Taylor as she drove away.

  He held his hand out to her. “You take my breath away, Ms. Martin.”

  Her eyes sparked in the evening light. “Thank you.” She looked him up and down. “What’s the special occasion?”

  He’d tested out the tiny bathroom in the camper, showered and changed into a pair of khakis with a blue dress shirt under a navy-blue cashmere sweater just before Jo got back.

  He held out the bandanna. “It’s a surprise.”

  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. His hands shook as he tied the bandanna over her eyes. Her unquestioning trust humbled him.

  Taylor carefully led her through the house toward the garden. The smell of burnt wood and smoke had slowly been replaced with the scent of new wood and drywall over the last few weeks. For Taylor it smelled like hope. He positioned Jo at the top step leading out to the garden and untied the bandanna.

  He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Keep your eyes closed until I say so.”

  He pulled the small box out of his pocket and got down on one knee in front of her and opened the lid.

  “Open your eyes.”

  Jo’s eyes opened and her hands flew to her mouth with a gasp.

  “Josephine Martin, you are my home and my heart and I love you. Forever is a long time but it won’t be long enough for me to love you. It took generations for us to come to this moment and I believe in my soul we were brought to this place, in this lifetime, for a reason. We’re here to heal the past, to fill this house with love, and children, and to be a family.” He looked up, her face blurred with his own tears. “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “I love you so much and I can’t imagine my life without you a part of it. I want to make Halcyon a home filled with family and friends and I can only do that with you by my side.”

  He jumped up and kissed away the tears that had gathered at the corners of h
er eyes.

  “Oh, Taylor, it’s beautiful,” she said, looking down at the emerald-cut diamond he slid on her finger.

  He wiped away his own tears and held her face, looking at the love reflected in her eyes. Together they had finally found the way home.

  The End

  *

  Want more? Check out Dax and Callie’s story in The Way Forward!

  Buy now!

  Join Tule Publishing’s newsletter for more great reads and weekly deals!

  Sign up here!

  Authors Note

  History is not always convenient. Sometimes the narrative does not fit what we want it to be.

  The relationship between Ada Mae and Colonel Colton is, in no way, consensual. Any relationship where one person claims ownership, and the other has no agency, and where non-compliance means death cannot be consensual.

  But the existence of a place like Tawana House, a resort on what is now the grounds of Wilberforce University in Ohio, where Masters would take their slave mistresses on “vacation” force us to ask some tough questions.

  Why didn’t these women run away? How did the women endure these relationships? Sadly, we do not know. We have lost the voices of the women subjected in the winds of history. A slave narrative from one of these “Wenches” as they were known, has not yet been found. We can only hope that one of these histories is still hidden, waiting to be discovered.

  My DNA and stories passed down through generations provided the inspiration for Ada Mae’s story.

  There are many terms used for where enslaved people were housed. I used “cabins” because that is the what I grew up calling the small wooden structures where several of my great aunts and uncles lived.

  And, finally, a word about the song Opal sings. My dear friend Donn Thompson, who performs as Donn T and wrote this song, has graciously provided this breakdown of how the enslaved people of Halcyon would have used the song as a coded message.

  Bird Up Yonder was a way to communicate the path to freedom. It provided a way to pass information in code that would not have been obvious to the overseer or the master.