The Way Back Home (Homecoming Novella) Read online

  “I know it’s not very original—”

  I cut off her before she could put herself down for what she thought was a lack of creativity.

  “It’s yours, and you are proud of it,” I said.

  That finally got her attention, and she turned up to look at me. “Yeah.”

  As quickly as she looked at me, she turned away and back to the shop owner.

  “I need two gallons of chalkboard paint.”

  “I’ll give you a discount on the paint if you—”

  “Deal.” She didn’t even let the guy finish talking.

  “Ems, you didn’t let me finish; I could have asked for sex.”

  I pierced the guy with a look, and when I saw him smirk at me, I knew he did it to fuck with me. Emma, on the other hand, didn’t know, and turned bright red. She opened her mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say.

  “I’m messing with you,” the jerk said. “Just get me coffee on Monday mornings, and we have a deal.”

  "Deal."

  She extended her hand to him. She could shake his hand, but she couldn't shake mine yesterday? Nope, I wasn't jealous at all.

  “So, he gets a handshake, and I don’t?” I asked while her paint was being prepared.

  “Jake and I went to the same high school.”

  “You don’t like me.” I cut to the chase.

  It was cute watching her trying to come up with an excuse to tell me otherwise. It still stung.

  “I don’t know you,” she finally said.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “That can be easily arranged.”

  She looked at my face, gave me a forced smile, and walked away. I stood there wondering if I should follow her, but decided to give her space. Jake, the shop owner, came back carrying two gallons.

  “You scared her off, didn’t you?”

  It was a small town thing, the way this guy talked to me like he knew me.

  “I need a copy of a key,” I replied, not bothering to answer him.

  “I was a senior when she was a freshman. I don’t remember her much; always quiet, kept to herself. She’s a good girl.”

  Before I could answer, she came back holding yellow spray paint. Emma didn’t bother to look at me. She just put her spray paint down, picked up her gallons, and walked out. Jake still wasn’t done with my key when I turned around and walked out.

  I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Clearly, this woman wasn’t interested.

  “Here, let me help you.” I came up behind her, grabbing one of the gallons.

  “I can do it,” she snapped at me.

  The sun was shining brighter, and the way it hit her hair, it looked almost like she was glowing.

  “Sunshine.” The word left my mouth before I could filter it. “I have no doubt that you can, but please don’t make me feel like a dick.”

  Emma stopped walking and was looking at me funny. I used the opportunity to take both gallons of paint from her hands. We walked side by side, and she had yet to say more.

  “So why the blackboard paint?” I asked.

  “So I can write on it.”

  “You’re snarky, aren’t you?” I teased her.

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are, sunshine.”

  “Am not,” she mumbled, and it was adorable.

  I wanted to hush her with a kiss but had a feeling she wouldn’t react to well to it.

  As soon as we walked into her shop, Emma tried to take the paint from me. “Thank you.”

  “Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?” I asked as I set the paint on the floor and took in the place.

  The front was already painted yellow. I could tell the right wall would be too since part of it was already done. A counter was set in the front, but that was about it.

  “You’re a d-bag. You know that?”

  “Pardon?”

  I’d had girls call me many things, but douchebag wasn’t one of them. Daddy? Baby? Babe? Sure, all the time, some more than others. But douchebag? Never. I was smooth with women. I didn’t have to try too hard.

  “You have a girlfriend.” Emma crossed her arms; I bit my lip because it made her tits push up.

  “Sunshine.”

  “Abigail,” she snapped, and there was fire behind those green eyes.

  Oh, yeah, she was angry. At that, I smiled. I could work with angry if it meant jealousy.

  “Sunshine,” I tried to cut her off again.

  “She’s not the nicest person, but no one deserves to have an asshole boyfriend. So, thank you for all your help. Now if you could leave me alone, that would be great.”

  I strode to the front door but stopped right before I walked out.

  “Sunshine,” I called out and waited for her to look at me. I made sure I had her full attention before I spoke again. “Abigail’s my cousin, so I have to tolerate her too.”

  At my words, her face paled. I almost felt bad, but I found everything about her fascinating. Her eyes grew wide, realizing all her misplaced anger was for nothing.

  “Small towns,” I spoke when it was clear she was going to stay quiet. “I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

  My father was outside his new house when I made it back. Not gonna lie, it was weird having a new home after living in the same place my whole life.

  “Here’s the key you wanted.” I took the key with the green keychain Jake had given me.

  My father took it and smiled at the green keychain. “It’s nice to see some things don’t change.”

  I stood quiet while my father had a trip down memory lane. I was only here to help him and Mom unpack. Then it was back to school for me. It was kind of a bummer I wouldn’t be seeing much of Emma the coffee shop owner. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of her—or less. Other than that, this town didn’t have much to offer me. I wanted the excitement of the big city.

  All I had ever wanted since I was a kid was to be a cop. I worked at it, got good grades, and went to my first pick college. All of my hard work was about to pay off, and a small town like this didn't have much excitement. I could never see myself living in a place like this. It didn't matter if it came with sunshine and dimples.

  3

  Emma

  One year later

  Why did I force myself into doing stupid things? Oh yeah, because baking and body goals didn't mix. It had been seven months since I officially opened, and my coffee shop was thriving. My little baby was doing so good; people were loving it. I loved it so much. You could tell by the few pounds I'd gained.

  A lot had changed in the last year. Jana and Rusty had started dating. Rusty used to be a player and juggled several dates at once, and Jana was once a mean girl. She, Abigail, and Max’s sister, Juliet, were somewhat the “it” girls in high school.

  Then there was the dramatic change in the Dunnett siblings. Max cleaned up his act and wasn’t the train wreck he had been right after Freya left. However, his brother had sort of turned into one. Prescott wasn’t a drunk, but he was disheveled, a far cry from the perfectly put together image he wanted to display.

  “I’m going to die,” I whined, trying to finish my power walk in the park trail. I looked over at the pond, and it looked almost inviting.

  “Is everything okay?” A voice said from behind me, and it made me jump.

  My skin prickled all over. It had been a year since our last encounter, but I remembered that voice. A part of me was disappointed when I never saw him again, but I was also relieved. And now, here he was when I was a step away from dying.

  “I’m okay,” I wheezed, trying to walk faster so he wouldn’t catch up to me. Too bad I failed; in seconds, he was next to me.

  Dex smiled when he realized it was me. Oh, great. He remembered me. And damn it, he was still hot. He was wearing red shorts with a black muscle shirt and a baseball cap backwards. Oh, Lord, please don’t let me drool.

  “Sunshine.” He smiled.

  I hated and loved that he called me “sunshine.” No one had ever gi
ven me a nickname. And as far as nicknames went, it wasn’t too bad. He could have called me “princess” or something stupid like that. Yuck.

  “Emma,” I clipped out.

  His smile got bigger. “Dex.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh, good. You didn’t forget me.”

  Trust me. I wish I could.

  “What are you doing back?”

  “You missed me, huh?” He gave me a cocky grin. When I didn’t answer him, he spoke again. “Just graduated.”

  “From college?” My tone sounded snobby to my own ears. Great, I was almost two years older than him. I was crushing on a college boy.

  “You’d pick anything to stop yourself from going there with me, wouldn’t you, sunshine?”

  “N-no,” I stuttered. Going there with him was not only not on my agenda, but it wasn’t even an option, as far as I was concerned.

  Dex kept pace with me as I tried to regain my breathing. He looked at me while I pretended not to notice.

  “First time?”

  “Huh?”

  “Jogging?”

  "What gave it away?" I asked once I’d somewhat caught my breath.

  “The whole ‘I’m dying’ comment, but, hey, if you need mouth to mouth, I’m totally your man.”

  You’re still young and immature.

  “I’m okay.”

  Dex talked a lot, and I didn't, and I liked that he didn't give up on our conversation just because I stopped talking when I didn't know what to say.

  "How's the shop? Is it everything you'd thought it be?"

  I smiled just thinking about how far my life had come from late nights, painting and organizing coffee beans and books. Even my dad told me he was proud of me. I fought the urge to say, “In your face, sucker” because I knew he loved me and just worried about me.

  “It’s more, so much more,” I told him.

  “Sunshine,” he said, and I turned to look at him even though I really didn’t want to. “I’m glad all your dreams are coming true.”

  Damn him.

  It was hard to hate him when he looked genuinely interested in my dreams.

  "What's your dream?" I asked Dex. It was part curiosity, but mostly, I was being nice.

  "A cop, then a detective, and eventually chief,” he told me.

  At his answer, I looked at him and then at his body again. He looked like the cops on TV did and not like the rest of Sunny Pines P.D. with beer bellies.

  Dex smirked at me. “See something you like?”

  “You’re very—”

  “Confident?”

  “Not the word I was going to use,” I mumbled, and it made him chuckle.

  We made it to the parking lot. My car was parked right at the entrance of the pathway, because I’d had a feeling this power walk would kill me.

  “This is me,” I pointed to my little car.

  Dex didn't say goodbye; instead, he walked ahead of me and opened my car door for me. That instantly made me feel funny. I used to adore the way Max opened the door for Freya when we were in high school and wished more boys would be attentive as him, and now, here was Dex—not a boy, but not entirely a man yet—opening my door.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, not sure what I should say.

  Once I got in, Dex closed the door. After my seatbelt was strapped, he tapped on my window. Curiosity had the best of me, so I brought the window all the way down.

  “I might be young, sunshine, but I can guarantee you I’d do things to your body no one has done before.”

  Crap.

  What was I supposed to say to something like that? The answer: nothing. Pulling away from the parking lot, I avoided all eye contact with Dex Hendrix because he had pictured me naked.

  A week later, I was wiping the tables, getting ready for a new day, when the bell chimed.

  "Morning," I singsonged. I loved getting to make people their morning coffee and set the tone of their day.

  "If I knew this was the greeting I’d get, I would have come much sooner."

  I froze mid-wipe at the sound of Dex's voice. I remembered what he said, but most of all I remembered that he’d pictured me naked, and I wondered if he was thinking about me naked now.

  Please do not picture me naked.

  "Heyyy," I said, sounding much more confident than I felt, as I turned around.

  He looked gorgeous. He had on light jeans with a navy-blue shirt and white Vans.

  “Are Vans all you own?” I quipped.

  Dex smiled, looking down at my outfit. Since I had decided on yellow, I just ran with it for everything. I had made myself a pastel yellow apron with my logo. I was wearing a black dress with yellow Chucks.

  "You like your Chucks. I'll stick to my Vans. You know what they say about opposites,” he said.

  "Would you like anything?" I quickly changed the subject.

  “I came for a cup of coffee.” He grinned.

  Seriously, would it kill him to wipe that smile off his face?

  “Sure. What do you want?”

  "I don't know. I heard you had a knack for matching people to their perfect drink."

  It's true. First, it was Jake, who now came in every morning. He’d told his family and now Clark was a regular too. Now that Rusty was dating Jana, they both stopped by for a drink frequently. Word got around, and now, I was a coffee reader.

  I turned to face him, feeling better about the counter being between us. “How do you like it?”

  Dex leaned over the counter, putting his hands on it. “Any way you want to give it to me.”

  “Dex,” I hissed, praying to God my cheeks weren’t red.

  “I like it sweet, but I prefer it rough.”

  “Rough?” I rolled my eyes at him.

  “I mean strong.” He tapped his head. “Sometimes, my brain wanders.”

  The smile he gave me didn't have an ounce of innocence. It also made me curious where his brain had wandered to. I got to work on his drink. He was rich, I assumed, since Abigail was his cousin, but he wasn't stuck up. He wanted to be a cop, so that meant he was a good person. Also, he was nice. Don’t forget attractive. Yeah, that too, but he was so much more than what he portrayed.

  "Here, try this." I handed him a Vienna coffee. Espresso with whipped cream with a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on the cream. Strong, yet a bit of sweet.

  “Damn, sunshine, you know how to please me,” he said with whipped cream on his lip.

  I ignored his comment. "You have whipped cream on your lip."

  “Do you want me to take care of it, or you want to lick it off?”

  I shook my head, ignoring him. Instead, I grabbed my yellow chalk and made my way to my chalkboard wall. Grabbing a chair, I was aware I had his eyes on me, which made me feel all types of jittery. I needed to write a new quote. Since I had fresh cakes on display, I knew just what to put. I eat cake because it’s somebody’s birthday somewhere.

  I tried to jump off, but my chair wobbled before I could get my feet in the air. My coordination has never been on point, so I was trying to make my fall a little less painful. When I felt two hands gripping my waist, I stopped breathing. My hips were tickling; they had never done that before. My stomach felt funny, and I tingled in other places.

  Yeah, he needed to let go of me right now.

  “Careful, Ems,” he said, his lips brushing against my curls.

  Was it cold in here? Did someone let a breeze in? Why was I shivering?

  "I'm okay," I croaked.

  I couldn't really speak with him so close to me. He smelled expensive: something spicy, but not so powerful that it gave you a headache.

  “Go out with me,” he said.

  I took a second to process what he just said, more than aware he had yet to let go of me. One of his hands went from my waist gliding up my back while the other he brought to my chin tilting my head, forcing me to make eye contact with him.

  “What do you say, Emma?”

  This was the first time he’d called me by my
full name. I liked the way he said it soft, but with a slight urgency. He was still looking at me, begging me with his eyes to say yes. I opened my mouth to say no because I had no time for dating. I had a shop to manage, I had my dream to grow, and there was no room for him.

  “Sunshine,” he pleaded, and I caved.

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  “You close early on Sunday, right?” he asked.

  I nodded because I couldn’t believe I’d just agreed to go on a date with him.

  “I’ll pick you up once you close.”

  I didn’t get a chance to say more because he bent his head and kissed the top of mine. My heart pounded in my chest. I’d been kissed before, but what Dex had just done carried more intimacy than any other kiss I’d received. He let go of me, grinning from ear to ear, and I just watched him leave.

  Oh, crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. I had just agreed to a date with him.

  “Now that whatever that was is over, can I get a hot chocolate?” I jumped at the voice. I turned to look at the Filipino girl who was glaring at me. She was too young to be wearing such dark makeup, and her clothes were way too big for her.

  “How much are they?”

  When I told her the price, she told me she just wanted a small. I thought otherwise. I grabbed one of the biggest cups and filled it to the brim.

  “Here.” I handed her the large cup. “I hope you don’t mind. I hate throwing it away, but no one really buys hot chocolate. It’s all about the caffeine.” It wasn’t so hard to lie to her.

  She eyed me skeptically. “Okay, whatever. Thank you.”

  She gave me the exact change for her small hot chocolate and walked away. Then, when I was alone in my shop, it fully hit me.

  I had a date with Dex.

  4

  Dex

  “You’re in a good mood, son,” my father greeted me from where he sat at the breakfast bar, reading the news on his tablet while he had his breakfast.