The Way Home

by Eliana West

  She started with the first dream she had where Ada Mae showed her the trunk and her dream of Miss Julia pushing her down the stairs trying to kill her.

  She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I keep dreaming of where the ceiling is painted to—”

  “Look like the sky,” Taylor finished for her.

  Jo froze and slowly turned to look at him with wide eyes.

  “I had a dream about the same room. A woman came in—I thought it was you at first but it wasn’t. I think…it was Ada Mae.”

  Suddenly the air became heavy with a sweet woodsy scent.

  “Do you smell it?” Jo asked.

  The smell was familiar and yet different. He tried to remember where he had smelled it before.

  “Dax told me a story. There was a gas leak at Callie’s house and Dax had a vision. It was an old woman who came to him and told him Callie was in trouble. He’d had a vision of the woman before. Both times when he saw her it smelled like eucalyptus. I’ve smelled it too,” Jo said.

  “I can’t believe it,” he said under his breath.

  Jo’s face fell.

  He grabbed her hands. “Jo, look at me, I believe you. What I meant is how amazing it is that Ada Mae survived so much. I hate to think what would have happened if she hadn’t lived and gotten her freedom so that I could be here with you now. I know you’re not making any of this up, not when we’ve had the same dream.”

  She swallowed and nodded.

  “I wonder why she speaks to you in your dreams but she didn’t speak to me,” he said.

  “Maybe she didn’t think you were ready to listen.”

  He looked into her eyes. “I’m listening now.”

  He jumped up. “Hold on a minute, I want to show you something.”

  He went to his room and came back with the picture of the colonel he’d found up in the attic. Jo went over and knelt down next to it.

  “I just can’t get over it.” She looked at the picture and then at Taylor. “The eyes are exactly the same.”

  “I… It makes me uncomfortable that I look like him.”

  “You may look like him but you’re not him, Taylor,” Jo said softly.

  He blew out a shaky breath. “Thank you for saying that.”

  Her tongue darted out and his eyes followed its path as she licked her lips. “Sometimes I wonder if we were brought here to…I don’t know, make sure the past isn’t forgotten. We’re not just restoring the house but repairing the past.

  “I’ve been thinking about what Judge Beaumont said about reparations when he split the house between us. I read an article about reparations a while ago and it talked about it as repairing the breach. Maybe that’s what we’re here to do: repair the breach.”

  Jo drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I like that idea.”

  Her eyes darted toward the portrait of the colonel again. “Was there a picture of his wife?”

  “That’s the funny thing, usually you find pictures like this in pairs but I didn’t find one of her,” he said.

  “It wasn’t a happy marriage.”

  “How could it be when there were three people in the relationship?”

  “Do you think we are going to be able to replace all of the bad memories in this house with good ones?” she asked.

  Taylor scooted next to her and put his arm around her. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

  “Do you know why I’m always in this room or the garden?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because I feel close to her here. She told me the colonel decorated this room just for her. He asked her what her favorite color was and she said yellow. Can you imagine? As if that would make her happy when she didn’t have her freedom.”

  He shuddered. “We can make the room different if you want.”

  “No, I want to put it back the way it was. I want people to know what happened here.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Jo shivered. “This house is full of secrets.”

  He ran his hand up and down her arm. “What did you say?”

  “Ada Mae told me in one of my dreams that her mother used to say she was born with a soul full of secrets.”

  “Do you think we will ever find out what they are?”

  Jo looked at him. “Do we want to know?”

  He reached up and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “I don’t want to keep any secrets from you. So I want you to know that I want to be more than friends. I miss you, I miss how close we were becoming. I woke up every day looking forward to talking to you. Your voice is the last thing I want to hear before I go to sleep at night. I miss being able to kiss and touch you. How alive you made me feel when I held you in my arms.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “So am I. I’m afraid of spending the rest of my life without ever having kissed you again.”

  She lifted her face to his. Her lips curved into a suggestive smile. “We can’t live our lives in fear.”

  Taylor met her halfway, his lips brushing against hers briefly before his desire overwhelmed him and he pulled her closer as she wrapped her arms around him so there was no space between them. He moved his mouth over hers, reveling in her softness. Finally, he was back where he wanted to be. He was home.

  Chapter Seventeen

  There was one apology that Taylor hadn’t made yet and it took a while for him to work up the nerve. Even now they sat in Jo’s car parked down the street from the Catfish Café while Taylor practiced what he was going to say.

  Jo finally leaned across her seat and planted tantalizing kisses in the hollow of his neck before working her way up to his lips.

  “Come on don’t be scared—let’s get this over with.” She laughed when he finally let her go. Taylor swooped in for another toe-curling kiss that left Jo breathless. Every touch and each kiss opened her heart a little more.

  “You know there’s no way that woman will ever give me another piece of pie again.”

  She fought the urge to laugh at the plaintive look on his face.

  She brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. “Just be straightforward and honest.”

  He clutched her hand as if it were his lifeline when they walked up to the door. Jo timed their visit between the lunch and dinner rush, hoping that it would be quiet at the café.

  There were still enough customers that it felt a bit like running the gauntlet as they made their way to the counter. Tillie stopped wiping down the counter and crossed her arms with her mouth set into a thin line when they walked in the door. Taylor’s footsteps slowed but Jo gave him a reassuring smile and pulled him forward until they were standing at the counter.

  He cleared his throat. “Good evening, Tillie.”

  When Tillie didn’t return his greeting Jo frowned. “Give him a chance—he’s trying.”

  She gave Taylor a skeptical look. “Well, what have you got to say?”

  “I’m sorry and thank you.”

  Jo looked at Taylor with a raised eyebrow. This wasn’t what he’d rehearsed in the car.

  “I want to thank you for being a good friend to Jo when I wasn’t. I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”

  Jo stood on her toes to give Taylor a kiss on the cheek.

  Tillie chewed on her lip for a minute, looking at the two of them through narrowed eyes and for a minute Jo was worried she might be the one person who wasn’t going to accept an apology from Taylor.

  But then she leaned across the counter and pulled down the collar on her T-shirt. “You’ve got a love bite on your neck.”

  Tillie let go of her and turned back to Taylor who had turned beet red. “I wasn’t the one you needed to worry about. If Jo can forgive you that’s all that matters.”

  Taylor blew out a long breath. “Thank you.”

  “Y’all have a seat, but not in the back. I don’t allow any necking in here.”

  There were curious looks and a few chuckles from the few customers
who were in the restaurant when they took their seats.

  Minh walked in and headed toward their table.

  “Hey, Taylor, I’ve got those parts we needed ordered and I can finish up replumbing the kitchen in a day or two.”

  “That’s great, Minh, thank you.”

  Minh’s smile went from friendly to one hundred watts when Tillie came over to their table and slid a plate with a double-size piece of pecan pie in front of Taylor.

  “Afternoon, Ms. Tillie.” Minh took off his baseball cap and ran his hand through his hair nervously.

  Tillie jerked her thumb toward the counter. “Have a seat and I’ll get your coffee in a sec.”

  “What else can I get you kids to eat?”

  “Would you mind packing up some fried chicken and potato salad for us to take back to Halcyon?” Jo asked.

  Tillie patted her on the shoulder. “Of course not, honey.” She glanced at Taylor. “Stop playin’ patty fingers under the table.”

  Taylor dropped Jo’s hand and put both of his on the table. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Jo kept glancing over her shoulder where Minh was doing everything in his power to get Tillie to have a conversation with him.

  “She’s completely clueless.”

  “Who is, about what?” Taylor said around a mouth of pie.

  Jo leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Minh likes Tillie and she has no idea.”

  Taylor’s eyes grew wide and he looked over at the counter.

  “Could you be a little more obvious?” Jo said in a hushed voice.

  “Uh-oh, I know that look.” Taylor waggled his fork at her. “That’s the look one woman gets when she’s fixin’ to help another one with her love life.”

  “Don’t be rude.”

  Taylor leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “You’re a good friend.”

  “We’re due for a girls’ night. I’ll talk to her then.”

  Tillie came back over with their dinner when Taylor finished his pie. When he reached for his wallet she put her hand up. “This one’s on the house.”

  Jo got up and gave Tillie a hug. “Thanks for giving Taylor a chance to apologize.”

  Tillie held her hand out to Taylor. “You do right by my girl.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Taylor grinned.

  They ran into the Jewels on their way back to Jo’s car.

  “Miss Josephine, you’re just the person I was hoping to see,” Opal said.

  Pearl and Ruby took turns giving her a hug before looking at Taylor.

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” Taylor said.

  “Mr. Colton.” Opal lifted her chin.

  Pearl and Ruby followed their sister’s greeting.

  Opal reached into her handbag. “I wrote down the story our great-grandmother told us and the song for you.”

  “Oh, thank you so much,” Jo exclaimed looking down at the piece of paper where Opal had neatly printed everything out for her.

  The sisters started to walk away when Opal stopped and turned around. “That was a generous donation that you made to the Colton Garden Club, Mr. Colton. Thank you.”

  “We didn’t forgive you because of that,” Pearl added.

  “It was because you came and apologized in person,” Ruby said.

  There was a slight tremor in Taylor’s voice when he said, “Thank you.”

  Jo blinked back tears. “Thank you, ladies.”

  “Can I see what Opal wrote down for you?” Taylor asked when they got back to Halcyon.

  “Of course.”

  Jo handed him the piece of paper and his eyes widened as he read Opal’s story.

  “In your dream you said the garden was surrounded by a wall.”

  Jo nodded.

  “Have you seen any sign of one?”

  “No but I haven’t really looked that closely.”

  Taylor took her hand and they went to the garden. Jo made a circuit starting from where the inside wall would be around to the other side, stopping every so often, to dig at the dirt with her toe to see if she could find any sign of where a wall would have once stood. On her second turn around the garden she stopped short, staring at the outside wall of the house.

  “Jo what’s the matter?”

  “This isn’t right,” Jo murmured, looking at the corner of the house.

  Taylor came over to her side. His eyes narrowed as he studied the profile of the house. “Look at where the wall is in the parlor and then look at the corner of the house. They don’t line up.”

  He went back inside the parlor and then looked out the door to the corner of the house with a frown.

  “The house extends past where the parlor is by at least six feet,” he said.

  “How is that possible?”

  Jo went into the parlor and stood next to Taylor, staring at the back wall. Taylor started knocking and she drew a sharp breath when the sound changed.

  “It’s hollow,” she said.

  Taylor pulled out his multi tool and carefully drew a line and began to peel back the layers of paint and wallpaper. He paused when he reached the layer of pale yellow wallpaper and looked at her as if he were asking for permission.

  “Go on,” she said.

  They peeled away the layers until a large patch of the original wall could be seen. Taylor started running his hand over the wall. Suddenly he stopped and pressed his hand.

  There was a soft click and the creak of hinges that had not been used in many years and a narrow door popped open.

  “Oh my God.” Taylor stood in front of the doorway that they had just exposed.

  “My mother said I was born with a soul full of secrets,” Jo repeated Ada Mae’s words again. “She said she left them all behind when she left Halcyon.”

  Taylor reached for her hand and drew him to his side so they could both look through the doorway together.

  Jo peered over his shoulder and gasped. Time stopped. The pale yellow wallpaper and yellow damask fabric on the small chair in front of a petite writing desk all could have been placed there yesterday. Bright blooms in shades of pink, purple and yellow that appeared as if they had just been picked were woven into the carpet at their feet. They were exactly the same as the furnishings she saw in her vision of the parlor and the pieces she had found in the attic.

  Shadows blended with the light from the doorway and Jo realized there were no windows in the room. The ceiling had been painted to look like a bright blue sky on a summer day.

  “The ceiling…” Taylor’s breath caught.

  “This is the room I’ve been dreaming about.”

  “It’s the same one from my dream too,” he said.

  Jo nodded, tears blurring her vision and she could have sworn she heard a woman crying softly. Taylor stepped back and gently pushed her forward, standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

  “You should go in first.”

  Jo hesitated before moving just a tiny bit farther into the room until the sight in front of her brought her to a dead stop. There was a small bed in the corner, the bedding rumpled and decaying.

  She repeated the words from her dream.

  “The colonel was so proud of me, I gave birth to our son without making a sound. He was a fool to think he could keep it a secret.”

  “Oh my God.” She clasped her hand over her mouth. She turned into the solid wall of Taylor’s chest and her cries blended with Ada Mae’s as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Taylor rested his cheek on top of her head, pulling her closer. “I’m so sorry Jo,” he said, his voice breaking as he murmured words of comfort. He gently pulled her out of the room. She let out a deep shuddering breath and wiped her eyes as she moved away from him.

  “Ada Mae had a baby here. He kept her here in this house, a trapped bird in a gilded cage.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “I don’t know what to say. How could this be hidden away for so many years without anyone knowing it was here?”

  Jo wiped at her tears and looked at the small desk in
the corner. “This is where the colonel was when he wrote her the letter.”

  She saw him so clearly in her mind’s eye she could almost hear his pen scratch across the parchment as he wrote to her.

  Taylor kept his arm wrapped around her. “We shouldn’t touch anything until we bring in some experts to help us figure out what to do.”

  “Don’t,” she called out, her voice hoarse from crying, when he started to close the door. “It’s been closed for too long. It feels like we’re shutting her away. I don’t ever want Ada Mae to be hidden again.”

  Taylor nodded. “Okay, we’ll keep the door open.”

  Jo started shaking as they walked out of the room, her mind reeling from what they had just discovered. She sank down into a chair when they reached the kitchen. Taylor knelt in front of her and pushed a bottle of water into her hands. “Drink this. I’m going to make you some tea.”

  She took a long drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Don’t go—I don’t want any tea. Will you just sit next to me for a while?”

  He sat down and then pulled her into his lap. They sat together for a long time, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

  “I have a friend who works in the history department at Emory we can call. It will be a good place to start,” Taylor said after a while.

  Jo nodded. “We have to make sure it’s kept safe. I want people to know about Ada Mae and the other people who were enslaved here.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “We will, I promise.”

  They went back to the room and took a few pictures and sent an email to Taylor’s friend at Emory as well as a few other historians who they thought might be helpful.

  “I remember reading where they discovered a room in Monticello a while ago where they believe Sally Hemings bore Thomas Jefferson’s children but it was nothing like this,” Taylor said.

  Over and over again Jo kept coming back to the small parlor to stand in the doorway of the hidden room.

  “Jo, you can’t stay here all night,” Taylor said when he found her back there again.

  “I’m afraid if I go to sleep it won’t be here in the morning.”

  “I promise it will be here. I expect things are going to get a little crazy when the news about this gets out. You need to get some rest. We’re going to have some long days ahead of us.”