No Place Like Home: The Coming Home Series, Book 1 Read online

  “It will work out.”

  “How?” She stood just inside her apartment and tossed her keys on the table. “I have to give my final okay in less than two days to work another school year here. I love my kids, I do. But I don’t want to wait another year to be with Cole. And Addyson.”

  “Then tell the school you can’t do it and make the move.”

  “With no job? No safety net in place for hard times? That’s not smart.”

  “Then stay another year.”

  “You’re not helping.”

  Kia laughed and sighed. “This is a hard decision, for all of you. But you already said Cole can’t move so you’re going to have to look at all of your options and figure it out.”

  “That’s all I’ve been trying to figure out for the last month and a half. Pros and cons. Goods and bads.” She waved the mail around, her frustration getting the better of her. “It’s not like the answer’s going to fall in my lap.” She kicked the door closed and it knocked all the mail out of her hand. It scattered everywhere and she shook her head. “Great.”

  Bending to pick everything back up, she noticed a large manila envelope lay upside-down. After flipping it over she sucked in a sharp breath.

  “What? Are you okay?”

  “Buffalo Academy of Arts.”

  “What about it?”

  “I have a thick envelope from their personnel department sitting in my hands.” Charlie sunk to her knees on top of some of the other mail.

  “And have you opened said envelope?” There was something in Kia’s voice that sounded…hopeful?

  “What did you do?”

  “Uhh…” Her best friend and speechless never dated before.

  “Kia, what did you do?”

  “Open the envelope first.”

  With shaky hands she closed her eyes and sent up a quick prayer. Tearing into the envelope, she skimmed the cover letter. “Dear Ms. Charleston, Thank you for your application and video submission. What the hell? What application and video?”

  “Keep reading!” Kia yelled on the other end of the phone. “I can’t take any more suspense.”

  “Okay, okay. Lots of qualified applicants, blah blah. Only very few openings, yadda yadda. Oh my gawd.”

  “What? Tell me!”

  “A position came open on their primary campus for a new art teacher in the fall and they picked me. But they must have the wrong person. I didn’t apply for anything. I didn’t have the right qualifications.”

  “Wrong and wrong. You did apply and you are more than qualified to teach art to any student from primary through high school.”

  “But I didn’t apply.”

  “Would you believe me if I told you that a birdy sent in your application?”

  “No.”

  “Umm… A psychic who knew your info and understood how important it was you have the opportunity to make the move back to Buffalo if you so choose?”

  “No.” Emotion clogged her throat but she forced out a breath as she picked up the rest of the contents of the envelope and plopped down in a chair at the kitchen table.

  “How about a best friend and a boyfriend who thought you hung the moon and knew you’d be perfect to teach at that school and share your joy of learning and art with the kids lucky enough to be in your class.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” She wiped tears away. “And what video are they talking about? Surely this can’t be right.”

  “Call Cole. He’ll tell you the rest. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Kia. I can’t even tell you how much.

  “You’ve helped me so much over the years. I relished the opportunity to pay you back even a tiny amount for all you’ve done for me. It’s what best friends do. Now call that man of yours. We’ve been going out of our minds waiting on the answer.”

  “What do you mean? You didn’t know the answer already?”

  “Call Cole. Love you!”

  “Love you.” She hung up, placing her cell on top of the letter so she could stand up and pace.

  Lord Voldemort hopped up on the table and sniffed the papers before lying on top of them. She scratched between his ears and listened to him purr. Then grabbed her phone and sent a text to Cole.

  Pacing, it only took her two circuits until he texted back.

  Sure. Finally got Addyson down for a nap. I’ll grab my laptop. Everything okay?

  Maybe was all she could muster. She opened her MacBook on the other end of the table and got it booted up to the Skype screen. Her phone pinged but Cole was already calling her as soon as she logged in.

  When she pushed the accept button, Cole’s face filled the screen. He looked concerned and then smiled when he saw her face. “Hi, lover.”

  “Hi.” Emotion welled inside her and threatened to bubble over.

  “Hey, hey, hey. What’s wrong, baby? What happened?”

  “You’re wonderful.”

  He made a face. “And that made you cry?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sooooo… It’s a good kind of cry?”

  “The best.”

  He chuckled and leaned closer to the screen. “Yes, you are. What dreams are made of I do believe.”

  “I have questions for you.”

  “I’m ready. Hit me. But gently. I bruise easily.”

  She rolled her eyes and leaned across the table, grabbing the envelope and everything with it, dislodging Lord Voldemort. He meowed his displeasure.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing but take your time. I sure like it on this end.”

  Charlie craned her head to the side as she tried to grab one last stubborn piece of paper and caught a glimpse of her cleavage right in front of the camera. “Oh, that’s nice.”

  “I concur.”

  After sitting back down she ran her fingers over the envelope again, still having a very hard time believing what was happening was real. “I got something pretty special in the mail today.”

  A smile transformed Cole’s face. “Care to share who it was from?”

  “You already know who it was from.”

  “Humor me.”

  “The Buffalo Academy of Arts. They have a teaching position open. In the fall.”

  “And?”

  Flipping the letter around, she faced it toward the camera. “They offered me the job, Cole. Me.”

  “Yes.” Cole double fist pumped the air. “I knew you could do it.”

  “But I didn’t do anything.”

  “Sure you did. You’re an awesome teacher. You had all the required experience and education and you are, in general, perfect for the position. You did everything that matters.”

  “No. I didn’t apply. Well, I filled out an application for them a while back but never sent it in, and what video are they talking about? I know I never made a video.”

  Cole wore a sheepish smile and clutched the back of his neck.

  “Spill it.”

  “I kind of hacked into your Mac to find the application after you mentioned it a few weeks ago.”

  Hello FBI boyfriend.

  “And the video?”

  “All you actually. Kia told me about your YouTube channel.”

  “With my art shows?”

  “Yes, and the ones with your kids from school and what they love about art and you. If you couldn’t interview in person they required a video, so I just compiled clips you already had in place.”

  Her mind wouldn’t stop turning. “But the application wasn’t finished.”

  “I didn’t have any trouble, uh, finding the information through a few program searches I ran at work.”

  “You’re amazing.”

  “Whew.” He wiped fake sweat from his brow. “Not gonna lie. Was hoping you were going to think awesome and not creepy stalker.”


  “What about the recommendations? Several people had to—”

  “Eight.”

  “Eight what?”

  “That’s how many recommendations the applications were limited to. Eight. We had to narrow it down to eight. Lots of people love you and wanted to support you.”

  “You and Kia?”

  “Of course. And a couple people from here, including the mayor.”

  “The mayor? Who’s the mayor?”

  “Mrs. McAdams.”

  Charlie shook her head and she laughed. As the reality of what had just been handed to her sunk in, she leafed through the rest of the information. “Oh my gawd, Cole.”

  “What?”

  “They’re offering me a moving stipend, and a plane ticket. Room and board is included as well as my salary and they’re a pet friendly facility as well.”

  “That’s amazing. Congratulations, Charlie. You’ve earned it.”

  “Thank you. For everything.”

  “It’s not exactly altruistic.”

  Not two seconds after she set the papers down was the kitty plopped down on top of them again. “Oh, no? Why not?”

  Cole sobered quickly and stared at her through the video monitor. “Because I want to be with you. I want to see where we go from here.”

  “Somewhere over the rainbow?” she asked, wondering how she got so lucky to find this wonderful man.

  He glanced to the side and then back. “I’ll always be waiting on the other side. Hang on. I know someone…” He trailed off and stood, momentarily disappearing from the camera. But when he sat back down Addyson sat in his lap.

  “Hi, Addyson.” The sight of the little girl sleepy against Cole’s chest nearly did her in. “Can’t sleep?”

  Shaking her head no, she smiled and leaned in close to the camera. Opening her mouth wide, she proceeded to make every funny face known to man and a few she invented herself.

  “Well now that we’ve devolved into…that.” Cole pulled her back and hugged her as she giggled. “Any idea what your answer’s going to be?” He stared directly at her through the camera.

  “I’ve been looking in earnest for a way to get back to Buffalo since the day I left.”

  “Just to visit?” Addyson asked her.

  “How about to live?” Charlie asked her, a tiny bit afraid of how important her answer was.

  “Really?” She squealed and then she was off Cole’s lap and off camera.

  “What are you doing, silly? We were talking.”

  “I have to go get my Dorothy outfit on so I’m ready when she gets here!”

  “She’s not coming today—and she’s already gone and I’m alone and talking to myself.”

  “No, you’re not, you’re talking to me.”

  Cole smiled. “Confession.”

  “Yes?”

  “I quite enjoy talking to you. Quite. Enjoy.”

  “Ditto.”

  “So we gonna do this and make a go of a relationship?”

  Certain declarations hadn’t been shared. Logistics were completely up in the air, but the answer Charlie had been hoping for wasn’t going to get any better. “I’ll give my notice tomorrow to the DISD personnel office and talk to the School of Arts about accepting the position.”

  “Keep me posted, okay? We’d really like to meet you at the airport. And there’s something I should probably tell you.”

  The look of emotion on his face floored her. “What?”

  “I never believed in love at first sight before, but you proved me wrong.” A crash on Cole’s end had him hanging his head. “Awesome timing. Awesome.”

  “Daddy duties call. We’ll continue this discussion, face to face, in a few weeks when I move?”

  His smirk kicked up her heart rate and made her take a deep breath.

  “It’s a date.”

  “Text me later, lover.”

  “Count on it.”

  She smiled and waved, and he did the same.

  After disconnecting and sleeping her system, she closed her Mac. Scooping up Lord Voldemort, she wandered around the apartment looking at everything she needed to pack and made a mental note of things she needed to do.

  Love clouded her vision and she hoped that filter never faded away.

  Amazingly on board with uprooting her life in Texas, she spun in a circle and let out a laugh. Nothing sounded better than going home to start a new chapter in her journey with two people she loved more than life itself, and her best friend who helped make it all happen.

  “So, kitty… What do you think about Buffalo?”

  Chapter Eight

  Eleven-thirty-five at night wasn’t the ideal time to arrive in Buffalo but at least she’d gotten there in one piece. Trudging up the jetway after she deplaned made her even more thankful that all she had with her was her laptop backpack and Lord Voldemort’s pet carrier.

  Checking her other two suitcases was the best decision she’d made all day. No clue how she would have managed it otherwise.

  Being bumped from an earlier flight along with most of the other passengers wasn’t ideal. But at least she hadn’t been stranded in Chicago.

  Now that could have sucked.

  Disappointment tried to take hold but she shook it off. It was way too late to see Cole and Addyson so she’d told them she’d just take a cab to the school. He tried to convince her otherwise but there really wasn’t any point in him asking his mom to come watch his daughter just so he could pick her up.

  She was tired. Totally.

  And tomorrow was soon enough.

  It was.

  She told herself again to see if it would stick.

  A huge yawn gripped her out of nowhere and her jaw cracked on one side as she stepped into the terminal. The tired part was at least accurate.

  It had been only two weeks since she’d accepted the offer to teach at the Academy of Arts. She’d resigned from her other position, covered her two art shows so she didn’t have to attend them in person, hired movers, packed her life into boxes and made the biggest leap of faith she’d ever considered making.

  She dug in the front pocket of her backpack for her claim tickets, hoping her luggage had actually been on the plane instead of on the way to Seattle or Fiji.

  Lord Voldemort, who’d been almost completely silent the entire trip, let out a tiny meow.

  “Just a little bit farther and then you can spread out and get used to your new digs.”

  “How in the world did they get past security?” One of the other passengers complained in front of her.

  “It’s all about who you know. We’ve been saying that for years.”

  Charlie followed where they were looking and stopped dead in her tracks. Other people walked around her, grumbling and grouchy. She was bumped several times and none of it mattered. Because past the row of seats in the center aisle, right there at her gate, stood Cole, holding a sign with a rainbow on it that said “Charlie”.

  His handsome face sported a charming smile, which made her laugh and start crying like a total girl.

  She moved to him and he looked at the chair beside him and said something, nodding in her direction.

  A little head of blonde hair peeked over the seat and Charlie’s heart jumped for joy in her chest. Addyson scrambled out of the chair and ran for her. “Charwee! Charwee!” reached her a fraction of a second before little arms wrapped around her legs.

  Charlie set Lord Voldemort down, and scooped up the toddler, holding her close. “I missed you.”

  “Did you see our sign? I colored the rainbow! Missed you,” Addyson whispered with a super tight squeeze around her neck.

  “Loved the sign. Loved it.”

  “What about me? Did you miss me?” Cole stepped forward, encircling both of them.

  “More than I can say.�
�� She breathed him in. His scent. She’d wondered if she’d dreamed it. Dreamed him.

  “No dream. I’m real, baby.”

  “Did I say that out loud?”

  “Yes, you did.” He lifted her chin and kissed her.

  His lips.

  Perfection.

  Addyson giggled and rested her cheek on her shoulder.

  “Meow.”

  “Kitty!”

  Cole and Charlie were jostled apart as Addyson wiggled down Charlie’s body to get to Lord Voldemort.

  On her knees right in front of the carrier she repeated, “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.” Then made the kissy noise.

  Charlie didn’t know how he was going to react to Addyson since she was so small but he purred and rubbed his neck on the side of the carrier.

  The little girl yawned and asked, “Can he come out to play?”

  “It’s already way past your bedtime and we still have to get Charlie’s luggage, so let’s head that way. Maybe he can get out in the car?” He raised his eyebrows in question and Charlie nodded.

  “I’m sure he would love that.”

  “Does he scratch or anything?”

  “No, someone had already had him declawed before he made it to the pound. He’s fixed, super sweet and completely a lazy house cat.”

  “Spoiled rotten?”

  “No comment.”

  “Ha! Then it’s a plan. If you’ll get Addyson, I’ll get the Dark Lord and your—”

  “Did you just make a Harry Potter joke?”

  He wagged his eyebrows at her as he grabbed the pet carrier and shouldered her laptop bag. “Why yes I did. Is that gonna get me laid?” He whispered the rest into her hair, rustling the wisps of hair on her cheek, and she shivered from head to toe.

  It was late, and traveling all day could exhaust anyone, but honestly Charlie couldn’t imagine being any happier than she was in that moment. Or hornier.

  “Yes. I believe it will.”

  “Up, up.” Addyson made the gimme hands at her, so Charlie scooped her up and held her close.

  Cole settled his hand on the small of Charlie’s back and they walked down the terminal. Charlie bet they looked just like a family reunited. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions and they really hadn’t talked specifics yet, but now? Now they had time to figure it all out. And not from thirteen hundred and sixty-nine miles apart.