by Jenny Hale
Her navigation announced they’d arrived, and Lila pulled her Volvo to a stop outside the main house, all of them taking a moment to take in what was in front of them.
“Did we make a wrong turn?” Charlotte asked, as they all stared at the eyesore of a cabin.
Lila cut the engine and they got out of the car, the four of them speechless for a second as they tried to make sense of the fact that the main cabin and the grounds surrounding it looked absolutely nothing like the online photos.
“Where are… the front steps?” Piper asked, pointing to two cinderblocks covered by weeds and stacked in front of a sloping front porch, the boards rotted in places and gone altogether in others. One of the windows next to the front door was cracked, duct tape covering it to keep the elements from seeping into the house. All the brown-painted trim was peeling and in need of a good sand and stain.
“The owner told me in an email that the website was a little dated, and she needed to get some new pictures taken but I had no idea that the photos misrepresented the property entirely… I’m so sorry,” Lila said, feeling terrible. It had been her who had found this place and booked it. They’d just had a bizarre experience at the coffee shop to say the least, the town was cute but definitely not enough to keep them entertained for an entire week, and now this place was falling apart.
“There was no way for you to know,” Piper replied, consoling her.
“We paid our hard-earned money for this.” Edie’s expression was serious as she waved her hand, as if to showcase the sad line of frost-coated shrubbery, barely surviving in a bed of wet mud. “I’m going in and demanding that we get a refund. I’d rather go back to Nashville and stay at a hotel where we can drink twenty-dollar-a-glass champagne at a rooftop bar. There’s no way we’re having our vacation in these conditions.”
Edie marched up the cinderblocks, wobbling on an unsteady step, the other women filing in behind her. They gathered around the door and Edie knocked. When no one answered, she knocked harder, exhaling in frustration.
The door finally opened, and just as Edie opened her mouth to say something, she stopped.
An old woman with a kind smile and bright green eyes was standing on the other side, and from the look on her face, she was positively delighted to see them. She clasped her hands against her large bosom and peered out at them tentatively, as if the mere sight of them would bring her to tears.
“Hello,” she said warmly as a tabby cat snaked through her legs, purring before it jumped down from the porch and scurried across the yard. “I’m Eleanor Finely. I’m so happy y’all came to Fireside Cabins today. I’ve been working hard to get things ready for you. Let me just grab my coat and I’ll show you to your cabin.” She waved them in. “Come inside and get yourselves out of that dreadful cold.”
Lila led them in. The house didn’t feel much warmer than outside, despite the fire in the old stone fireplace. Next to it was an upholstered chair, an open book with a pair of reading glasses on its arm, and a wadded afghan in the seat. The interior was traditional cabin décor—all wood with beautiful, bucolic charm, but the cushions and throw pillows were dated, and there wasn’t a shred of Christmas to be seen. What was with this town? Did nobody celebrate Christmas?
“What should we do?” Piper whispered to Lila. “That woman seems so happy we’re here.” Her expression reminded Lila of the way a child looked up to a parent, except she wasn’t exactly sure what to do herself. “Maybe we can hike the trails and hear about all the history in the area?”
Lila shrugged in response and eyed Edie.
Edie laughed quietly at the ridiculousness of the situation, putting her hands up as if to say, “I have no idea.”
“Let’s just take a look at our cabin,” Charlotte whispered. “Once we’re on our own, we can decide our next move.” She quietly shushed them as Eleanor came swishing down the hallway in her coat and hat, carrying a set of keys.
The elderly woman slipped on a pair of boots lined up next to the door. “Follow me,” she said, heading out to the front porch. “Watch your step,” she warned as she stepped over a broken board. “I’m planning to get someone to fix that once the weather clears up.”
There was a lot more to fix at this cabin than that one loose board, but Lila smiled politely at her. “We’re excited about the nature trails,” she said, trying to stay upbeat.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, dear,” Eleanor said. “They’re closed due to so many downed branches.”
“All of the trails?” Edie asked.
“We had a storm about a year ago…” Eleanor added.
“A year ago?” Edie glared at the others.
Charlotte elbowed her lightly, clearly feeling sorry for the old woman.
“Yep,” Eleanor said. “My cat Presley is the only one who walks them now.”
“Is he named after Elvis?” Piper asked.
“Actually, yes. My late husband found the cat as a kitten when it was curled up inside his dress boots, which he’d left outside the front door by accident. They were blue and suede,” she said with a grin.
They crossed the yard through the icy cold to another cabin, taking a steep path up the hill. When they got to the top, Lila couldn’t take her eyes off the sweeping view in front of her. She could see the town down below, and the endless expanse of hills that surrounded it. With the newly fallen snow, they glistened under the rays of the sun that had only briefly made its appearance. The porch on this cabin was at least intact, and two rockers made of woven branches flanked the modest doorway. So far so good.
Eleanor unlocked the door, opened it, and handed Lila the keys.
Minimally decorated, it was at least clean and orderly, unlike the main house. The women wandered through the rooms to find beds with matching quilts in blues and yellows, the edges pulled back to reveal crisp linens.
“I saw that you brought a Christmas tree on your car,” Eleanor said, raising her eyebrows in happiness. “How festive.” Folding her hands as if in prayer, she said, “Once you get it decorated, I’d love to see it.” She took in a deep breath, as if her kids had just come home from college and her house was full—the way she liked it. “Well, I won’t keep you,” she said in her southern drawl as she opened the door. “I’ll let myself out. Just come on over if you need anything.”
Once Eleanor had gone, they began bringing in their luggage and all the Christmas decorations they’d brought.
“Hey, Lila,” Piper said, as she set a box down in the living room. “I’ve got the topping already made for my apple pie cinnamon pita chips.”
“I can’t wait.” Lila stood in the kitchen, warming her hands. “Let’s make them tonight.” Lila loved Piper’s recipe. Her friend rolled pita bread in butter, cinnamon, and sugar and then topped it with her own homemade apple pie filling before toasting it to a warm crisp.
“The topping is in the cooler bag next to you and the pita bread’s in the grocery sack beside it. Want to stay in for a second and warm up? All you have to do is top the bread with the mix and slide them into that toaster oven over there.” She waggled a gloved finger toward the counter behind Lila.
“Of course,” Lila said, excited to get the vacation started. They’d nibble on sweet treats, have a little coffee and cocoa, and decorate like crazy. She adored this time with her favorite people. Christmas was hard for her once she’d lost her dad, but these moments eased the sadness.
“Awesome. We’ll grab the last few things from the car.”
Lila washed her icy hands, grabbed the container of topping, and opened the lid. Piper had minced apple and coated it in a delicious sauce. The cinnamon and nutmeg smelled absolutely incredible. She perused the kitchen, looking for utensils and baking sheets. When she found what she needed, she got out the bread, spooned on the apple pie mixture, and slid it into the small toaster oven on the counter, pressing on the button. But when she tried to adjust the heat, it wouldn’t work.
“I’ll have to stay with it,” she said over the bar, as
they all came back in and Edie closed the door. “It only has one working setting, and I don’t want it to burn. “Anyone need a cup of coffee to warm you up, since I’ll be in here?”
Piper, Edie, and Charlotte all stopped what they were doing and raised their hands, making Lila laugh. “Okay, then. Four coffees coming right up!”
“I brought caramel to squirt in them,” Charlotte said with excitement in her voice. “And whipped cream.”
“Perfect.” Lila clicked on the coffee maker. When the light didn’t turn on, she checked the plug, wriggling the cord. “I think the coffee pot is broken,” she said. “But I’ll figure something out.”
She’d have to get crafty. She grabbed a pot and filled it with water, heating it on the stove, planning to do a makeshift French press with the coffee filter basket and the pot of water. While the pita bread toasted and the water for coffee boiled on the stove, she checked the rest of the appliances. She opened the fridge and, to her relief, found it clean and in working order; the main oven and stovetop were all working too. “The smaller appliances aren’t great, but I think we can make it work for the week with what we’ve got,” she said, feeling hopeful. “We just need to add a little of our Christmas cheer in here. Everyone okay with a little extra effort?”
They all agreed.
“It definitely isn’t the lap of luxury,” Lila continued, “but we don’t have many alternatives way out here. And I couldn’t in good conscience let down Eleanor—did you see how happy she was that we were here?”
“We can make the best of it,” Edie conceded.
Charlotte walked over to the corner of the living area, pausing next to a stone fireplace that stretched all the way up to the beamed, vaulted ceiling. “I think we just need to bring a little sparkle to Fireside Cabins. Let’s get the tree. And then we can make our famous peppermint bark!”
“Yes!” Piper said. “Maybe we can make a gift basket for Eleanor with baked goods and a few of my soaps. By the way she greeted us, she looks like she might need some cheering up.”
Lila couldn’t help but think the whole town needed a little sparkle and cheering up. Her mind went back to Theo, that hint of a smile haunting her, despite how hostile his welcome had been.
“Maybe tomorrow I’ll bring Theo a plate of goodies and we can go for coffee, since we don’t have a working coffee maker,” she suggested.
Piper raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t look like the cookie type,” she said.
“He might throw them at us.” Edie laughed.
That was a real possibility, but there was something in his sapphire eyes when he looked at her that made her want to learn more about him. “We’ll never know until we try, right?” she said. “Now, let’s get this Christmas party started.”
Three
In an hour, the four women had completely moved into the place and started decorating. Every Christmas, they all brought their own decorations, having an unspoken contest to see who could bring the most. They’d gotten the tree into its stand and watered it, found a stack of firewood on the porch out back and started a fire, covered the sofa in cream-colored oversized-weave throws for all four of them, turned on both the lamps, and had the Christmas music playing. Piper lit the mulberry candle while Charlotte organized all the ornaments for the tree.
Lila, who was in charge of the mantle, stepped back to view her progress while nibbling on an apple pie cinnamon chip. She’d covered the stone surface in greenery that Piper had picked up at the farmer’s market and nestled bunches of red berries into the foliage. She’d set four weighted brass stocking hangers at equal distance from each other and hung each of their stockings. Piper had brought one that could’ve been in a Dr. Seuss book: long and narrow, striped with red and green. Lila’s was a creamy knit with wooden buttons securing the fold at the top. Edie’s was a Christmas patchwork stocking, and Charlotte’s was the color of champagne and made entirely of faux fur. Lila assessed the layout then switched the position of Piper’s and her own, so the longer stockings were on the outside and the shorter ones were above the fire.
The oven beeped to signal it had preheated, and Edie slid in the sugar cookies she’d prepared before the trip, then dug through the last of what was in the cooler, putting the rest of the items in the refrigerator and freezer. “Wonder if there’s a cooling rack…” she said as she rooted around in the cabinets.
“I’ve totally stocked the bathroom with products,” Piper said, spritzing the air with her all-natural gingerbread room spray. “I made us all butter rum bath bombs that fizzle.” She smiled and danced around as if they’d all just won the Christmas lottery, and then misted the scent over near the tree.
Everything was looking, smelling, and feeling very festive—just how they liked it. In this sparse little cabin in the middle of nowhere, they’d managed to create a Christmas wonderland that felt so warm and cozy that Lila already knew she’d have a difficult time leaving it. They’d worked hard and, despite their rocky beginning, it looked like things were going to be okay here at Fireside Cabins.
When the cookies had finished baking, their vanilla scent mixing with the other mouth-watering flavors in the air, Edie brought them over along with an enormous charcuterie board, full to the brim with various aged, buttery, spicy cheeses, an impressive assortment of salamis, Turkish apricots, roasted almonds, in-shell pistachios, and an array of flatbreads, some with a splash of brandy, sweet onions, or dill. She put them on the low chest that doubled as a coffee table. They’d all settled in now, having washed up and changed into their Christmas pajamas, with big warm sweaters, and wooly socks.
Charlotte and Piper carried glasses of red wine into the living room and Lila switched on the white lights of the Christmas tree, sending a romantic glow through the room that shimmered off the glass of the window. When she stopped to admire it, she noticed the lone lamplight coming through that one broken window across the yard over at Eleanor’s cabin.
“I wonder why Eleanor’s out here all alone,” Lila said, sinking down into the sofa, Edie handing her a glass of wine.
“I don’t know. It’s awfully spooky over there,” Charlotte said with a shudder, before she pinched a sugar cookie and took a bite.
“Should we invite her to the cabin tonight?” Lila asked. In all the years they’d been doing this, they’d never invited anyone else into their little circle, and she could see the mix of emotions on their faces. But Lila knew all too well the feelings that being alone on the holiday could bring, and she couldn’t relax with Eleanor on her mind. “It’s Christmas, we’ve brought so much life to the cabin, and she’s all alone in that drafty old house.”
“It wouldn’t be the Christmas spirit if we didn’t at least extend the offer,” Edie said, siding with Lila. Charlotte and Piper agreed.
“I’ll go ask her,” Lila said, popping up and setting her wine on the old trunk. “I’ll be right back.” She grabbed her coat and scarf from the rack beside the front door, and slid on her boots.
“Be careful,” Piper told her as she plunged herself into darkness.
The snow had started to fall, little flakes drifting down from a jet-black sky. The only sound was her boots crunching against the weedy grass underneath her feet as she paced across the yard as quickly as she could. She jammed her hands into her pockets, pushing herself against the wind with every step, the breeze blowing through her thin candy cane-covered pajama bottoms.
She was in a full shiver by the time she got to the door and knocked. But luckily, Eleanor’s voice came from the other side more quickly than she’d expected.
“Hello? Who’s there?” she asked from behind the closed door.
“It’s Lila.”
The locks clicked as she unbolted them and then the door opened. “Is everything all right?” she asked, worry deepening the lines around her eyes. “Do you need me?” She opened the door wider to reveal her long flannel nightgown and oversized slippers. She had her reading glasses on her nose and her hair pinned back at the sides
.
“Everything’s fine,” Lila reassured her. “We decorated for Christmas and made some snacks and cookies. And we wanted to invite you over.”
The old woman’s hand flew to her chest in surprise. “Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for offering.” She seemed genuinely touched by the gesture. “But I wouldn’t want to impose…”
“You won’t impose. I wouldn’t be on your porch right now if we didn’t want you to be there. We’d like to have you.” Lila moved her long coat to reveal her pajama bottoms. “You don’t even have to get dressed. Pajamas are just fine.”
“That’s so very kind of you…” Her gaze darted around the room. “I should have something Christmassy for y’all. Let me bring over a box of chocolates my friend sent me, and I’ll grab my coat too.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
“Come into the house, out of the cold while you wait,” Eleanor said, ushering Lila inside in a rush. Presley shot up the stairs.
She seemed eager to get herself together, and Lila was glad she’d asked her. It didn’t seem right for an elderly lady like Eleanor to be all by herself way out in the hills on an icy winter’s night. Especially as she and her friends were there to celebrate the holiday. Since this was most likely the last time they’d all get together, they should mix things up a little bit, do things they hadn’t done in holidays past. Their last holiday… As Lila stood alone, waiting for Eleanor, with a pang she looked around the entryway of the old cabin, and it occurred to her that this could easily be her own fate one day. She hadn’t met that one person in life she wanted to share her world with, nor had she found a place to put down roots.