by Jenny Hale
“Thank you so much for the idea.” Adele gathered her bag and cup. “You have a lovely Christmas, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The woman stopped. “What was your name, dear?”
“Lila Evans.”
“It was so very nice to meet you, Lila. I’ll have to let Theo know how great an employee he’s hired. You know, I’ve been waitin’ for him to get a little help. He works so much…”
“Yes,” Lila agreed, glancing over to the kitchen door, but Theo wasn’t there. “Everyone should have a break now and again.”
“He’s been here almost a year now and he barely sees anyone,” Adele said, speaking around another customer who was picking up a to-go order. “The locals don’t like him,” she whispered. “And they won’t believe me when I tell them he’s the kindest person someone could ever know.”
Lila got the waiting customer’s name and checked the bags lined on the counter for his order.
“The only reason we met him was because he inquired with Judd about having his plumbin’ repaired when he first began renovatin’ this place. He’s such a lovely person if you can break through to him. Rex adores him.”
Lila knew her hunch had been right. Theo had so much more to offer than what he’d shown her. She’d witnessed the way Rex reacted to him, how the child let his guard down, leaving his little grown-up persona behind and acting like a kid, allowing Theo to pick him up. She loved seeing the interaction between those two. “I can see why Rex adores him,” she said, her thoughts slipping out before she’d had a chance to consider saying them aloud.
“How long have you been here?” Adele asked, pulling her from her musings about Theo.
“Only a couple of days.” She rang up the to-go order, easily finding the correct buttons on the register this time. She handed over the bag. “Thanks for coming in,” she told the man who’d been waiting for his order.
He waved back to her on his way out the door.
“You should come to the town Christmas fair tomorrow night. Judd’s hostin’ it.”
“There’s a fair tomorrow night?” She immediately wished the vacation with her friends had worked out this year. Charlotte, Piper, and Edie would’ve loved to go.
“Yes. It’s tons of fun. There’s a Christmas parade, the local merchants set up tables at the farm, and there are all kinds of booths and rides. They’ve started settin’ up the Ferris wheel today, actually.” Adele took a step back toward Lila and whispered dramatically, “You should try to get Theo to go.”
Lila chuckled, looking once more at the empty kitchen doorway, surprised that he’d left her alone this long. “I suppose I could try,” she said. “But I’m not promising anything.”
“It would be good to see him let loose.”
Lila couldn’t imagine Theo letting loose, but one thing was for sure—she definitely would like to be there if and when he did. She didn’t have a chance to think about it too long before the other to-go orders came in.
“I’ll see ya,” Adele said on her way out the door.
“Sorry Adele Johnson held your ear for so long,” Theo said, when she’d rung up the last customer for the moment. He was holding a silver pitcher of what she assumed was the lavender water. Two customers who’d been sitting in the dining room threw away their trash and left, leaving just the two of them in the shop.
“I didn’t mind. It’s good to talk to your customers,” she said with a rebellious smile. “You might actually get to know someone if you do that.”
“What if I don’t want to know anyone?” He set the pitcher to the side and turned back to her.
“So you enjoy being an outsider? I can’t think of anything worse.”
He shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve been an outsider.”
“You were invited to the town Christmas party at the farm,” she said.
“I heard.”
Lila cocked her head to the side. “You did? What else did you hear?”
“Enough to know that Adele Johnson just wants to meddle in my business.”
Lila threw back her head and laughed. “She seems like a lovely woman. She was only inviting you to be neighborly.”
“Look around. Do you think I moved here to be neighborly?”
Lila wondered exactly why he had moved to Pinewood Hills, but she was more focused on the farm’s Christmas party.
“I dare you to go with me to the party tomorrow night,” she said, ignoring his question. In truth, she hoped he would because she couldn’t bear another night secluded in the cabin all by herself. “You know you want to.”
He stared at her. Then he shook his head and turned his back to her.
“You’re avoiding the question.” She moved around his shoulder and tried to make eye contact, causing him to lean back, but the smile playing at the corners of his mouth only encouraged her. She went over and grabbed the small stack of receipts, holding them up in front of him. “These are my sales this morning. Whoever sells the most coffee today decides whether you go to the party tomorrow night.”
“Let me take a look at those,” he said, plucking them out of her hand. He flipped through them. “These were called in before you got here. They’re mine.”
“But I made the coffees and rang them up.”
It was clear by the little sparkle in his eye that he enjoyed it when she challenged him.
“What are you worried about?” she said. “It’s my first day and you’re a seasoned pro at this. Surely you’ll win…” She smiled deviously.
“Fine,” he said. “But the tabs start now so we’re even.”
“Done.” She held out her hand to shake on it.
When he shook her hand, she could’ve sworn there was affection in his grip, as he held it just a tick longer than he should have.
Eleven
It was nearly closing time. Lila had learned how to make every single drink on the menu—the only two that she still needed to use her cheat sheet to create were the triple-spice cappuccino and the ultra-filtered ristretto, and she had to wonder if he’d added those to the menu just to wind her up. Despite Theo’s less-than-warm demeanor, Lila had had a ball working in the shop. She loved the opportunity to speak to so many wonderful people, and she enjoyed the chance to feel like she was a part of the community in a way. She and Theo had rushed to the register each time, both of them trying to be the first there to ring up their sale, and they’d made drinks at light speed. Not to mention the food orders—Lila could bag a couple of croissants in less than a second.
She put her hands inside the pocket of her apron, fingering the wad of receipts and wondering if she’d made enough sales to win the bet with Theo. They’d both been so busy trying to beat each other that they’d barely spoken the whole day, only sharing the odd stubborn grin, neither of them backing down.
“Ms. Witherspoon,” Lila addressed a woman who she’d made conversation with earlier when she served her. “I just wanted to bring you a blueberry muffin on the house to say congratulations on your daughter’s pregnancy. I know she’s thrilled.”
“Oh, thank you!” Ms. Witherspoon said with a wide smile. “That is so very kind of you.”
Lila moved back to the bar, taking in Theo’s disbelieving expression.
“I’ll buy the muffin. I owe you three fifty,” she whispered to him.
“Fine, but why did you offer her free food anyway?”
“Well, for one, it’s a nice thing to do. But for another, it’s the oldest trick in the book.”
Like clockwork, Ms. Witherspoon came up to the bar to say goodnight and thank Lila again. “That muffin was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten,” she said with wide eyes as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. “I would die for the recipe so I could make them.”
“Well, I can’t divulge the secret recipe,” Lila replied, “but we’ve got a fresh batch right now. They’d be so great to take home to your family on this cold night. We’re selling them for three fifty, but if you get a
half-dozen, they’re only two dollars apiece.”
“Oh, yes!” she said. “I’ll get twelve.”
“Excellent.” Lila elbowed Theo playfully as she put on a pair of gloves to retrieve the muffins. “Would you like any more coffee to go with them? It might be a nice after-dinner treat—we do have decaf.”
“Do you sell coffee by the pot?” Ms. Witherspoon asked.
“We have a traveler’s box for ten dollars.”
“Done. I’ll take it.”
“Perfect. I’ll get it all wrapped up for you.” She winked at Theo and he rolled his eyes, but this time he allowed himself a little chuckle.
Lila danced into what had been Edie’s room, where Theo was on a ladder, with his head and arms inside the hole he’d cut in the ceiling to repair the plumbing. His checked shirt was raised just slightly as he reached up, showing off the muscles in his torso, and Lila struggled to focus on anything else.
He’d come over straight after work, and she’d promised to fix him dinner if he got started right away. She didn’t want him to have to be working through the night. He’d agreed and grabbed a change of clothes so he wouldn’t have to eat while covered in sheetrock and water. With a casserole in the oven, Lila had begun tallying their receipts to see who’d won their little selling competition today.
“Guess what,” she said, watching him work.
“What?” he returned, his focus still on the pipe as he twisted a wrench back and forth.
“I sold exactly eighteen dollars and thirty-two cents more than you did today.”
He ducked out of the hole in the ceiling.
“Ms. Witherspoon won the contest for me.” She waved a wad of receipts in the air.
“And I should trust your math?” He went back to the pipe without a reaction, not mentioning the town Christmas party. With a grunt, he pulled a large, rusty length of pipe out of the ceiling and climbed down the ladder, setting it on a tarp he’d brought in. Only then did he make eye contact.
“Of course you should trust me. I ring up bills and calculate tips for a living.” She tried to ignore the fact that he had a five o’clock shadow which made him look incredibly handsome, despite his dirty clothes. There was something irresistibly rugged about him. “So that means you’re taking me out tomorrow night.”
He wiped his hands on his jeans and picked up a section of new pipe. “I don’t go on dates,” he said, on his way back up the ladder.
Lila shoved the receipts into the pocket of her jeans. “Why not?” she asked, stepping over the old pipe and looking up the ladder at him.
He twisted the new pipe into place. “They’re useless.”
“Useless? So you mean to tell me that meeting people and enjoying the company of others is useless?”
“Yes.”
The timer on the oven went off, signaling the casserole had finished cooking.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said, wanting to continue the conversation.
That was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. Lila couldn’t imagine how she’d have gotten through the last few years without the companionship of others. The loss of her parents was more than anyone should have to deal with, and the fact that Theo would so flippantly say that being with people was useless made her blood boil. She could see now that getting Theo to enjoy himself was going to take a lot of work.
“I’m at a good stopping point for the night anyway,” he said from the ladder, pulling her back into the present moment. He climbed down, his neck and face full of dust from the sheetrock which he tried unsuccessfully to brush off. “Do you mind if I jump in the shower really quickly?”
“No problem,” she said, still wanting to shake him by the shoulders. If it killed her, she was going to change his mind. But she had her work cut out…
“What is all this?” Theo said, pulling her attention to the doorway, her breath catching on the sight of him in his fresh clothes and bare feet, his hair clean and wet from the shower.
His gaze swept across the small table, which she’d set with a tablecloth she’d found in the kitchen drawer and one of the candles that Piper had made burning in the center. Their plates were dressed with the dinner she’d prepared, and beside them, she’d placed a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Practice,” she said.
He walked around to her side, and to her surprise he pulled out her chair, although his expression seemed to show irritation. He sat down. “If you’re expecting white tablecloths at the town Christmas party, you’re in the wrong place.”
“I’m not expecting that,” she said. “But tonight isn’t the Christmas party. It’s dinner. You’ve worked a long day and you get to share a meal with a nice person.” She batted her eyelashes playfully, that slight grin forming at the corners of his mouth before he straightened it back out.
“I know how to treat a person on a date,” he said. “I just don’t choose to go on dates.” He sat down across from her, the flame from the candle showing off flecks of silver in his blue eyes.
“Why do you think they’re useless?” she asked, resuming their conversation from before.
“Because I prefer to be by myself.”
She picked up her glass of wine, the rich taste of it evening out her mood a bit. “And why is that?”
He scooped up a forkful of casserole and took a bite, not answering.
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Will it improve your life in any way if I gave you a reason?”
“Maybe not,” she said, “but it might improve yours.”
“Me telling you my thoughts would improve my life? I don’t need therapy, thanks.” He took another bite.
“Letting someone in isn’t a bad thing,” she told him gently. “I’d listen if you’d let me.” When he didn’t respond, she decided to change the topic. Perhaps she was asking too much of him right now. “I haven’t seen Eleanor yet tonight. Wanna go with me later to have a visit?”
“No,” he said quickly.
“Why not?” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. She couldn’t get him to budge on anything. Then suddenly, she remembered that Eleanor had called him “a nightmare.” She leaned in toward him on her forearms. “You’ve met Eleanor, yes?”
He focused his attention on his plate.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you might not have been very nice to her when you met, am I right?”
He chewed slowly, but she thought she could see the guilt in his face.
“You treated her like you treated us when we came in, didn’t you?”
“I had a lot going on, all right?” he snapped. “I’m not proud of it.”
She smiled warmly at him. “And now you’re fixing her broken plumbing for free, and that’s really kind of you.”
He took a long gulp of wine from his glass, clearly reflecting on something.
“She’s a lovely woman, and I’m sure she’d welcome you with open arms,” Lila pressed. “And it would give you a chance to apologize for not being at your best when she came in.”
“Why do you care what she thinks of me?” he asked seriously.
She shrugged, unsure herself. “Maybe it’s because I feel like we all have something to give to ourselves and others. You just need a little push.”
“Why, though? Why do you feel that way? I really just want you to leave me alone and go back to wherever you came from.”
His words stung Lila, but she wouldn’t be deterred that easily.
He grabbed his napkin from his lap and set it on the table, standing up. “You’re so frustrating,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.
She put her fork on her plate and got up from her chair. “Well, I don’t have to be frustrating,” she said, standing behind him. “Come with me to Eleanor’s.”
Carefully, she threaded her fingers between his, and an electric current ran through her when he caressed the palm of her hand with his thumb, confusing her and making her struggle to keep focus. He turned around and fac
ed her, still holding her hand. She thought she saw that vulnerability flash in his eyes and then he closed up again.
“You’re so frustrating,” he said again, “because I like… how thoughtful you are and how you see the best in me, even when I try not to allow it.” He shook his head. “I don’t want anyone in my life right now, but… I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“I want to know you, but I don’t even know your last name,” she said with a little laugh. “Mine’s Evans. Lila Evans. What’s yours?”
He let go of her hand. “I, uh… I don’t tell anyone who I am.”
“You won’t tell me your last name?” she said, wrinkling her nose in utter confusion. Why wouldn’t he tell her that? Then something Piper had mentioned when they’d first gotten there came back to her; she recalled her friend saying the owner was mysterious and signed all the transactions for the coffee shop as Brian Brown. “Who’s Brian Brown?” she asked.
“What?” he asked.
“Is your name Theo Brown?” she asked, confused.
“No…” He got his dish and pushed the leftovers into the trashcan with his fork, setting his plate in the sink.
“Are you in the witness protection program or something?” she asked playfully. But then she sobered. “Wait, are you?”
“No,” he said, clearly amused despite the fact he’d rather not be. “I don’t tell just anyone my last name. Look, are we going to see Eleanor Finely or not?” He grabbed her coat and handed it to her.
“That’s because your last name is Wolfersnauzerrobertsutzen,” she teased. “And you don’t know how to spell it. I can just call you Theo W.”
He rolled his eyes, slipping on his own coat.
She opened the door. “Maybe it rhymes and you don’t like the way it sounds. Theo Brio? It actually has a nice ring to it…”
He stepped out the door and closed it behind them.
“Maybe it’s Theo DiCaprio, and it’s so close to Leo that everyone gets you confused with the famous actor.”