No Place Like Home

by Trina Crooks

  “Are we changing to a hot tea yet?” Joel asked.

  “No not yet. I’d like my usual cold tea.”

  “Sure thing Sonya.” Joel went off to make the order and I mulled over whether I wanted a bran muffin or a chocolate éclair this morning.

  “So many choices,” Evelyn said as she came up behind me. “It’s hard to pick just one.”

  “Mm-hmm.” I was not in the mood for her right now. At my side, Evelyn was dressed impeccably as if she had some big high-powered job she had to be at, but that was how you always found her. She was that one woman that I grew up with who was always trying to look for her way out of Jasper Springs via the first rich man she could sink her teeth into. She constantly flew to Los Angeles to get a new weave put in because she wanted it to be “professionally” done, and while she was there, she always hit up as many clubs and parties as she could to see if she could catch that big fish. When she didn’t snag one, she came back to Jasper to regroup.

  “I am happy I ran into you Sonya. Last night I met Antonio at the Barnyard.”

  “I saw.”

  Evelyn leaned into me like she was about to tell me a secret. “So, what’s the story with him. He seeing somebody?”

  “How in the world would I know?”

  “You had dinner with him last night. Did he talk about me?”

  I chuckled because this girl had got to be kidding. “No. He didn’t mention you.”

  “That just means I have to work harder.”

  Joel interrupted our conversation much to my delight. “Here’s your tea Sonya.”

  “Thank you, Joel,” I responded before I left Evelyn with her thoughts and made it to my office to start my day.

  The calls were starting to slow down which made for long days for me. I stared at the walls for a moment before I decided to start looking up New York City. I didn’t have a clue where I wanted to live or what kind of job I was even looking for. I just knew that I had to get out of here.

  The front door swung upon and Kenyon, one of my nearest and dearest friends came strolling on in. My eyes moved to the time on my computer and saw that it was almost four which meant that school was out. Kenyon was a high school teacher and the football coach for the Jasper Springs Jaguars. “What are you doing here?”

  “Can’t a friend come by to see a friend?” He sat his large frame down in the chair across from me and leaned back in it. Kenyon, who was affectionately called Squirt for most of our growing up, had a true football players stature. 6’4 and muscles everywhere on his body.

  “Yes.”

  “I feel like I have not seen you in a while so I figured I’d better stop by and check on you.”

  I sat back in my own chair and crossed my arms. “Everyone is all booed up so I am left out in the cold. Don’t want to bother all of the lovebirds.”

  “I am never too busy for you and I know you know that,” Kenyon lectured before he smiled. “And sorry friend. We are all in our little love cocoons so that might make you feel like an outsider. That is not the intention at all.”

  “I know.” I couldn’t help but feel that way though. One minute we were a big clique all through high school. The next I felt like I never saw my friends again. That might be a little bit of a stretch but that’s certainly how I felt. “How are things with you and Miss Tanisha?” That was the woman that Kenyon rekindled a relationship with over the summer.

  “Great. Couldn’t be happier.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” The phone rang so I held up my finger for him to wait a moment. The call ended up being a regular winter transport, Mrs. Gladson, who was due to arrive in town tomorrow. She and her husband were the last regulars that I was waiting for. I made quick work of getting the usual information from her and setting up a time to give her the keys to her rental before I hung up. “Sorry about that.”

  “Not a problem. There is a rumor that a certain gentleman has been spending a lot of time with you, much to the chagrin of the other singles ladies in town.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “The streets are talking,” Kenyon said with a chuckle. “Has he asked you out?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you said?”

  “No.”

  “Why would you do that? From what I hear…”

  “From Michael I bet.”

  “Never mind who told me,” Kenyon stated before he kept on with his sentence, “it seems like he really likes you.”

  “First of all, he doesn’t know me well enough to know if he likes me,” I fussed. “Plus, everyone is falling at his feet.”

  “So. He wants to get to know you. That makes him smart if you ask me.” Kenyon leaned toward me while I sighed. “What will it hurt if you go to one dinner with the man?”

  “Nothing.”

  “And besides, aren’t you the same girl that is always hoping and wishing for a wonderful man to come into your life. Here he is possibly and you don’t even want to give him a chance. You have to ask yourself are you open to it,” Kenyon spoke with finality and sat back again.

  “Okay Dr. Phil.”

  “I’m just saying.” He stood to his feet and came around the desk toward me. Kenyon pulled me up like I was a rag doll and gave me a tight bear hug. “I will talk to you later.”

  After he left, I thought about what he said. I had to be open, I thought before I shook my head. But not with Antonio. He was way out of my league.

  Chapter Five

  The weekend passed by rather quickly and peacefully. I elected to stay inside the comfort of my house and watched a lot of television except for the one shift that I worked at the grocery store. And the absolute best part of my whole weekend was the fact that I did not see Antonio not one time, which was a great thing.

  “Come on you piece of crap!” I turned the key and tapped the gas a couple of times but still nothing. It was the end of another slow work day and all I wanted to do was get into a nice hot bath and let Calgon take me away. But oh no. Good old Dorothy didn’t want to start—yet again. I was so immensely tired of this temperamental car. Start this morning, don’t start tonight. A new car was definitely on the horizon even though my budget wasn’t saying that. “Please,” I pleaded and gave it one more try before I hit the steering wheel with disgust. I grabbed my purse and started walking, which was what I seemed to be doing a lot more of lately. These were the times when living in a small town was helpful. No destination was that far away.

  I started down the road, waving periodically at residents who noticed me on my way and smiled. I was going to miss this. Here in Jasper I was part of a community and in New York I was going to be a nameless face amongst the millions of people in the large city. But I knew I probably needed that. A drastic change would do me some good. I needed to get out of my comfort zone because that was when my life would make the most wonderful changes.

  “Hi Sonya!”

  “Hi Miss Forrester!” I responded as I passed by the pet store.

  “You need to come on in here and get you a companion. Dogs can be a girl’s best friend too.”

  I wrestled with getting a little teacup dog one time but I just didn’t have the patience for potty training. I had other things to do besides that. But I did have to admit that having a cute little dog running around the house would keep me from being so lonely. “I’m still thinking about it,” I answered as my cell phone began ringing. I pulled it out of my purse to find Kira on the line. “What do you want woman?” I could see my parent’s grocery store in the distance. I hoped like hell one of my parents was working so that I could get a ride to my house.

  “Are you making the cookies?”

  “When is that thing again?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  I felt the anxiety build up in my chest. “On a Tuesday?”

  “What else is there to do in Jasper Springs on any day?”

  “I totally forgot.” I had one thousand other things on my mind besides this chili cookoff.

  “I need your c
ookies. Everyone loves your cookies.” I knew that Kira needed me to make these cookies because Mr. Carter, the owner of the bakery in town, never participated in town functions. If it was not benefitting his business, he didn’t want anything to do with it. He probably would not even show up to the event tomorrow at all.

  “Fine.”

  “Great. I need three dozen chocolate chip and four dozen Christmas cookies.”

  “Kira! Are you serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “That is going to take me all night.”

  “Well you better get started. Love you,” my friend said as she hung up with a parting chuckle.

  “I hate her,” I mumbled to myself jokingly before I walked in the store to find my mother behind the counter. “Hey Mom.”

  “Hello daughter.”

  “I need ingredients for cookies and a ride home.”

  “One I can help you with. The other I can’t. I am the only one here.”

  “Just great.” I went roaming the aisles, throwing in all of the ingredients I would need. I made cookies for Kenyon a couple of months ago for a school bake sale and was totally depleted of everything I needed. I quickly made it to the baker’s aisle and grabbed sugar, flour, chocolate chips, food coloring and the works. Tonight, was going to be a long night so I also went and grabbed a bottle of cheap wine too. Wine and music always made the time go fast.

  I made it up to the counter to find my mother laughing it up with Antonio like they were old friends. What was he even doing at the store? “Look who’s here,” my mother said.

  “I see.” I set my items on the belt while my mom scanned them. “Hello Antonio.”

  “Hi. I needed some beer.” He lifted the six pack into the air to show me but I didn’t care. I nodded at him before reaching in my purse to find money for my purchases.

  “Okay.”

  “Now how are you going to get all of this home and baked tonight? You only have one oven,” my mother spoke up to say. Why couldn’t she have waited to bring up the obvious? The last thing I needed was for Antonio to offer up his help.

  “I have two. I can be of assistance,” Antonio spoke up to say. I just stared at him for a moment. I was not in the mood to be with him for the evening but it didn’t make sense to fight it.

  “Just go girl,” my mother said with a smile.

  “Fine!” I fussed as I stomped my way to his car. This was not how I planned on spending my evening but I was going to have to make the best of it, because tonight I was going to make the quickest batches of cookies I’d ever made in my life.

  *~~~*

  Antonio stood back and admired Sonya from behind. She was moving efficiently around the kitchen, getting everything together that she needed and he was more than content to stand there and watch.

  “Are you going to stand there gawking at me or are you going to help?”

  “Gawking sounded good to me,” Antonio stated before he came alongside her at the counter. He washed his hands and pulled up the sleeves to his long sleeve shirt which made Sonya look at him.

  “Do you have anything else you can wear that you won’t ruin? That looks like an expensive shirt.”

  Antonio glanced down at his clothes. “This shirt is not expensive.”

  “Oh. Alright. Maybe to you it isn’t. Well I am going to put you in charge of stirring the mix after I put all of the ingredients in the bowl. Might as well put those muscles to use.”

  “I’m here to help.” He watched as she put all of the wet ingredients in a bowl before he spoke again. “I missed seeing your pretty face for the last few days. Jasper isn’t the same without being around you.”

  Sonya never took her eyes off of what she was doing. “I bet you say that to all of your women.”

  “You really think I am out here dating multiple women?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  “Well I’m not.”

  She turned to him with doubt in her amazing brown eyes. “What about the article?”

  “What about it?”

  “You’re single and loving it,” she said with a smile. Every time she smiled Antonio’s heart beat a little bit faster. Who was he kidding? Anything she did made his heart beat a little faster.

  “You have a beautiful smile.”

  “Thank you,” she responded as she turned back to her dough. She brushed her hair away from her face with the back of her hand leaving a small bit of flour there.

  “You have flour on your face.”

  “Could you get it off please?” Sonya turned to him and gazed at him in the eyes which he noticed she rarely did. He was so close he could see the sparkles in them—well it at least it looked like her eyes sparkled to him. Antonio gingerly rubbed her face with his thumb and she whispered a quick thank you before she focused on the dough again. “Do you plan on staying in Jasper until Christmas or do you have to go back home a little closer to the holidays?

  “Are you trying to get rid of me already? It’s only been a week.”

  “No. I am not trying to get rid of you. Just making conversation.”

  “I am not sure yet. So far there is nothing pressing I have to be back for so I might spend Christmas here with Gigi. I definitely have to be back after the new year since my dad acts like I am essential to Grandall Enterprises.”

  “Ugh.” Sonya scooted her shoulder length hair back with the back of her hand again but it came right back to her face which caused her to sigh with frustration. “My hair keeps getting in my way.”

  Antonio found a rubber band lying on the counter, immediately stepped behind her and started gathering her hair up into a ponytail. It was so soft and smelled so good. Sonya stopped right in place as her body grew stiff.

  “Oh my God,” she muttered under her breath as she gripped the lip of the countertop.

  “What’s the matter,” he whispered in her ear. He could clearly see he was having an effect on her which he was pleased about. It seemed no matter what he did, she was always very stoic, never showing much emotion. Now he could clearly see that she might like him, just a little bit.

  “Nothing. And thank you.” She moved away from him when he finished and put the dough for the sugar cookies in the fridge and the first batch of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. They worked quietly for a moment until he couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Let’s go outside while we wait for the first set of cookies.”

  “It’s freezing out there.”

  “That just shows that you have been living in exceptionally warm weather all of your life. Fifty degrees is hardly freezing for December.” Antonio grabbed a blanket and her hand. “I will make sure you don’t get cold.”

  “Fine.”

  They walked outside, sat down on the porch swing and Sonya immediately covered herself with the cover. “I haven’t even sat on this swing yet because I was waiting on you.” He gave her a smile and she returned the gesture.

  “We have to keep track of the time.”

  “I have that taken care of.” Antonio set his watch timer for ten minutes and pushed the ground with his foot to start the swing to move. He stared out at the street and took in the quiet of it all. “How was your childhood growing up here?”

  “Great. I always felt safe and it was always fun. Small towns have a habit of making up things to celebrate and creating reasons to get together so it was always eventful and always something to do.”

  “I could not imagine growing up here.” His upbringing was eventful also but in a much different way.

  “I know. But as much as I love it here; I am so ready to move now.”

  “Really?” That statement caught him off guard and made him happy at the same time.

  “Yes. I made the decision to move away from Jasper at the beginning of the year. I need a bigger city.”

  “Where are you thinking about going?”

  “New York.” Antonio smiled brightly when he heard that which prompted her to add the next statement. “I picked it before I met you.”

&nb
sp; “Either way. I would be happy to show you around.” That would be his extreme pleasure. Before he could convey that to her the alarm went off on his watch and she went running into the house.

  *~~~*

  “What are you doing?” I was still slaving over the last set of cookies that needed to be put in the oven and I had not iced any of them yet. This night was getting longer and longer. The clock on the wall was nearing ten o’clock and on any normal night I would be on my way to my bed. I still had to go into work tomorrow even though there was not going to be much to do.

  “Making a fire.” Antonio left out the door five minutes ago stating that he would be right back. I assumed he was going next door to his grandmother’s place but he came back in with blocks of wood in his arms. He then managed to get a roaring fire going in no time like some sort of expert. The glimmering of the fire looking amazing against his dark skin which caused me to breathe heavily.

  “Calm down Sonya,” I lectured to myself before he joined me in the kitchen again. Antonio washed his hands and then stood at my side.

  “The neighbors next door kindly let me borrow some wood. This small-town living is really special,” he said with admiration. “You can’t do this in New York. It’s too impersonal and you feel like you have to be on your guard all of the time.”

  “That is no way to live. Now I made up the frosting for the sugar cookies. Do you think you can be gentle enough to decorate?”

  Antonio leaned over to me as he picked up a cookie and a knife. “These hands know when to be gentle.”

  “Oh jeez,” I responded before I smiled. I got the last set of cookies out of the oven and then helped him to frost the last batches. After it was all said and done, I was exhausted and it was late. “I’ve got to get going.”

  “Are you going to let my fire go to waste? We never even sat by it.”

  I looked to see that Antonio laid a blanket down on the floor and everything. The last place I needed to be was sitting by a romantic fire with him. I didn’t think I could trust myself. “It’s late Antonio.”