Christmas at Fireside Cabins: An absolutely heart-warming and feel-good festive romance

by Jenny Hale

  He set his coffee down and hopped off his stool, walking over to her tentatively. His eyes swallowed her like they had last night, but with a new intensity behind them. The action, in the light of day, seemed more real than it had in her memory of last night, and she had to work to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest.

  “This is it, right here. This is all I have. Swear that that’s okay,” he demanded.

  “I swear,” she said, worried by his change in demeanor.

  The door to the shop opened, and they jumped apart as a customer entered. Confusion swarmed Lila when she saw Theo’s pensive frown. The customer didn’t seem to notice though, shuffling in and lumping her purse onto the counter. She put in her order.

  “I’ll let Lila work on this for you,” he told the woman, backing up to allow Lila space to move toward the register. As she passed him, he leaned toward her. “I’ll head over to the cabin to work on the plumbing now.”

  “You don’t want to make sure I’ve got things down pat?” she asked.

  “I trust you.” Without another look, he headed out the back of the coffee shop.

  Theo hadn’t returned all day. Lila was desperate to find out what his reaction that morning had been all about. He seemed like he was always on edge, battling some invisible demon he couldn’t shake.

  He’d taken so long that she’d tried to text him, but he hadn’t answered. She’d had to pull up the hours of operation for the shop on her phone to know when to close. After setting the dishwasher in back to run all the dishes for the day, wiping down the tables, sweeping the place, she did what she could to clean the machines. As she pushed in the last chair at the back, she caught sight of a light on in his office so she went in, just in case he was there. The room was unoccupied, but she scanned it curiously. There was a little bookcase in the corner, and she wandered over to take a peek at what was on it. The shelves were full of academic books and titles she’d never even heard of. Lila pulled out one called The Significance of Ethics and flipped through it, an envelope from inside falling to the floor. A flash of heat crawled up Lila’s face as she tried to figure out what two pages it had been hidden between. She flipped the envelope over and read the addressee: B. Brown, P. Perry. B. Brown, as in Brian Brown, the coffee shop owner? And who was P. Perry? It was stamped from a law firm in Nashville. Lila checked the door, holding her breath, her heart racing as she looked inside the envelope. But her heart fell. It was empty. She returned the envelope to the book and slid it back onto the shelf.

  Then her gaze fell upon the filing cabinet beside Theo’s desk. She really shouldn’t snoop…

  Leaning out of the doorway, she assessed her surroundings once more. The shop was completely empty. Quietly, she paced over and bit her lip while pulling open the drawer. She ran her fingers through the files, stopping at one labeled “Legal.” Maybe the letter that went with the envelope was in there. She opened the file on his desk and scanned the contents. Not much out of the ordinary—the deed to the building, a business card from the same law firm, and a few government documents for the state of Tennessee. But at the back, a note typed on the law firm’s letterhead caught her eye. It read,

  Theo,

  Sending this via mail since I can’t get you on the phone. Everything has been tied up in terms of the old business arrangement and there’s nothing more to worry about legally. No one can be charged with a crime, since we took care of it this way. You have my number if you need me.

  It was unsigned, and nothing more was said.

  Crime? Was Theo involved in something illegal? Surely not the Theo she knew…

  Lila put it back in the folder and slid it into place in the filing cabinet. Already feeling guilty for prying into Theo’s personal affairs, she flicked off the light and then locked up with the key behind the Coffee sign, before heading back to Fireside Cabins.

  When Lila had parked Eleanor’s car back in front of the main cabin and walked over to hers, Theo’s truck wasn’t in the usual spot. She went inside to see if he’d left a note or anything. Sweeping through the kitchen, she checked the counters, then moved over to the dinette table, before trying the living room and Edie’s old room—nothing. She peered up at the ceiling. The hole had been patched and spackled over, all the old pipes removed. All the room needed now was a fresh coat of paint and new carpet. So he’d finished the job. Where was he? It was nearing dinnertime. Perhaps he’d gone out to grab a bite to eat. She texted him again and then went around the cabin, turning on the Christmas lights and lighting a candle, the warm cinnamon scent filling the air.

  Her feet were tired from standing all day at the coffee shop, and once she’d settled into the comfy sofa and soft lighting at the cabin, she could feel the exhaustion taking over. She washed up, changed into her pajamas, and then warmed up some leftovers. Taking her plate and a glass of wine into the living room, she switched on the TV and navigated to an old Christmas film, snuggling down with her plate on her lap.

  As she looked around the room, she considered the idea that being alone wasn’t so bad. But the more she tried to convince herself of this, the more she thought about how much better it would be to have Theo next to her, the feel of his lips on hers lingering in her mind.

  While she waited to hear back from him, she finished her food and set the plate on the coffee table. With the movie playing in the background, she scrolled through area painters on her phone, just to see how much it would cost if she were to surprise Eleanor with fixing the cabin. But taking into account the carpet too, and any painting outside of that room, she just didn’t think she could swing it. Lila closed her eyes and tipped her head back, resting it on the sofa, hoping some ideas would come to her. She wanted to find a way to make this Christmas perfect for everyone. Even if it seemed impossible.

  Sixteen

  Lila’s eyes flew open with the abrupt awareness that the sun was streaming in through the cabin window, dulling the shine of the Christmas tree lights that had been on since yesterday. She was still in the living room—had she slept there all night again? She must have toppled over from her sitting position in the wee hours, because she found herself curled up with a blanket that had been on the arm of the sofa. Fishing around underneath it for her phone, her fingers located the device between the cushions, and retrieved it to check for a return text from Theo. He still hadn’t responded. She couldn’t help feeling a niggling sense of unease.

  Lila stood up, put last night’s plate in the kitchen sink, and stepped into the shower, washing quickly. Then she got dressed, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and threw on her boots and coat. Her worry mounting, her mind raced with questions. Had Theo been called with some kind of emergency?

  Lila rushed over to Eleanor’s, bounding up the wobbly cinderblocks to knock on the door.

  “Hello, dear,” Eleanor said. She was wearing an apron, her hands dusted with flour. “Won’t you come in?”

  “I will, I promise, but I’m in a bit of a hurry,” Lila explained. “I wanted to see if you’d heard from Theo. Did he stop by or anything once he’d finished fixing the pipes last night?”

  “No,” Eleanor replied, pursing her lips and shaking her head. “Why? Is everything all right?”

  “He didn’t come back to the shop yesterday and I had to close up for him.”

  “That’s odd. I’m sure he’s fine, though. Please don’t look so worried, dear. There’s no sense in getting upset until you have reason to be. I have to keep telling myself the same thing.”

  Lila forced a smile and nodded.

  “When you find him, I’ll have some banana nut bread coming out of the oven in about an hour. You two should stop in for a slice or two.”

  “That sounds delicious,” she said. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  Lila got into the car, using the keys Eleanor had loaned her, and tried to take the woman’s advice. The heat cranked to life, giving her a shiver after the icy air as she put the car in reverse and pulled down the long drive, making for the
coffee shop.

  She’d barely known Theo any time at all, yet he could send her emotions on a wild swing in a second. But in a strange way, she was sure that she got him. She wasn’t offended by his standoffish behavior, but rather challenged to figure him out. She was convinced that if he just let her in, everything would be okay.

  Lila came to a stop and got out of the car just as Adele pulled on the locked door handle of the coffee shop. She put her hand to her forehead in salute and peered through the glass window.

  “It’s closed,” she said, as Lila stepped up to the door. “Why would he be closed?”

  Lila leaned around Adele to view the dark interior, the tables all empty, the clean cups on their towel on the back counter just as she’d left them last night. “I’m not sure,” she replied.

  “So much for my mornin’ pick-me-up. I was just gettin’ used to comin’ out here,” Adele said, as she turned on her heel and retreated to her car. “Have a good day.”

  “You too,” Lila called. Then she got back in Eleanor’s car and headed for Pinewood Farm, not knowing where else to go.

  The whole way, she teetered between total panic that something had happened and irritation that he would just disappear without a word to her. There was something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on, something that just didn’t seem to fit. He was a barista in a nowhere town, but she thought about the books she’d caught sight of in his office last night, and then there was that cryptic letter she’d found in his files. He wouldn’t even tell her his last name…

  Or had he?

  A vague memory came through, but it was so fuzzy she couldn’t remember what he’d said to her, or if it had been the remnants of some dream…

  Her mind whirling with it all, Lila pulled up at the farm and knocked on the farmhouse door.

  Little Rex swung the door open. “Hey, Lila!” he said, stepping onto the porch and wrapping his arms around her. “It’s Lila, Mama,” he called into the house.

  “Hey, Lila!” Trudy’s voice sailed down the hallway.

  “Whatcha doin’?” Rex asked.

  “I was looking for Theo,” she replied. “Have you seen him?”

  “Nope.”

  “Will he be coming by today? When’s your next guitar lesson?”

  “Not till next week.”

  She nodded, thinking.

  Trudy came down the hallway. “Sorry it took me a minute to get to the door. I was just fixing breakfast. Did I hear you say you were looking for Theo?”

  “Yes, have you seen him?”

  “I haven’t heard a word from him.”

  “Well, if you do,” Lila told her, “let him know I’m looking for him.”

  “I’ve been baking like crazy,” Eleanor said, placing a little dessert plate with Christmas holly painted around the edges in front of Lila. “I think it’s my brain’s way of choosing to focus on something I can control.” She sliced a piece of warm banana bread from her loaf and set the steaming treat on Lila’s plate. The kitchen table was full of cookies, fudge, cakes, and pastries, the sweet scents tickling her nose.

  “You’ve definitely been busy,” Lila noted.

  “I’ve baked so much that I’m going to make Christmas gift boxes for everyone in town.”

  “Ah, that’s really nice of you.” She picked up a cookie and nibbled on it, savoring the milk chocolate morsels mixed into the warm buttery dough.

  Eleanor handed her a fork. “So did you find Theo?”

  Lila shook her head. “No. I have absolutely no idea where he is.”

  “That’s worrying.”

  “I know,” Lila agreed. “I don’t even have a clue when he disappeared. Where would someone hide in this town? I was working the coffee shop all day, so who knows what time he finished up with the plumbing and left the cabin? Did you happen to see when he left?”

  “I’m afraid I was upstairs cleaning most of the time, and I didn’t pay attention.”

  “He could be missing and no one is looking for him,” Lila fretted.

  “Should we contact the authorities?” Eleanor suggested.

  “I don’t know his last name or anything,” she said, racking her brain for that foggy memory of him mentioning it as she’d fallen asleep. What had he told her? She considered the names that had been on the envelope: B. Brown, P. Perry. Not a Theo in sight.

  “Someone has to know it,” Eleanor said.

  “Tell me who, and I’ll call them right now.”

  “What about Judd Johnson? He and Theo were friendly. Would he know?”

  “We can ask him.”

  “I’ve got his number,” Eleanor said. “I’ll call.” She got up and went into the kitchen, returning with her address book and her cell phone. Then she dialed the number and put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Trudy,” she said. “This is Eleanor Finely. I’ve got Lila Evans here with me, and we’re looking for Theo. Have you seen him?” She put the phone on speaker.

  Trudy’s small voice came through the phone. “Lila came over looking for him earlier. You still haven’t seen him?”

  “No,” Eleanor replied.

  “Hi, Trudy,” Lila said. “I’m here with Eleanor. Do you happen to know Theo’s last name?”

  “You know, oddly I don’t. Let me check with Judd. Hang on just a second.”

  “Hey, Lila!” Rex’s voice came over the speaker.

  “Hi, Rex,” she said with a smile.

  “I can help you,” he offered.

  “You can?” Lila asked, picking at her banana bread, her mind on anything but the treat under her fingers.

  “Yep. I asked Theo what his whole name was one time and he said, ‘Just Theo,’ and when I said, ‘But what’s your last name,’ he said, ‘I don’t have a last name anymore.’”

  “What?” Eleanor asked, her face crumpling in confusion.

  “He’s weird about his last name for some reason,” Lila said. “He wouldn’t tell it to me either.” She turned back to the call. “Thanks for your help, Rex.”

  “No problem.”

  Just then Trudy returned. “Hey, y’all, I’m back. I just asked Judd and he said he wasn’t sure of his last name either, but he thought it might be Brown.”

  “Thank you, Trudy,” Lila said, knowing it wasn’t. Theo had told her that himself.

  Eleanor ended the call. Then all of a sudden, Lila remembered what Piper had said about the coffee shop when they’d first arrived: I read an article about this place and it suggested that someone mysterious owns it… No one knows who the owner is for sure. The article I read said all the transactions have been made under the pseudonym Brian Brown. If you ask the barista, they say he won’t utter a word about it.

  She needed to call Piper. Maybe she had some further intel.

  “Eleanor, do you mind if I head back to my cabin for a little while?” she asked, worried that she might uncover something Theo didn’t want people to know.

  “Not at all. Take your bread with you,” she said, handing her a napkin to wrap it in. “I’ll bring you a Christmas box when I’ve finished packing them all.”

  “Thank you, that would be nice,” Lila replied, getting up and sliding her coat on. She grabbed the napkin and pinched the piece of bread within it, cradling the treat in her hand. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything else.” She let herself out and jogged over to her cabin, unlocking the door and setting the bread and napkin on the kitchen counter while simultaneously dialing Piper.

  “Hey, girl!” Piper said after the first ring. “Holding the fort over there in the hills?”

  “Sort of…” Lila said. “Do you still have that article you read about the coffee shop here in Pinewood Hills, by chance?”

  “What article?”

  “The one about someone named Brian Brown owning the shop.”

  “Oh!” Piper said. “Yes! It’s in one of my magazines. Why?”

  “I can’t find Theo.”

  “What?”

  “He’s been missing since yesterda
y, and I’m thinking I might report it to the police—you know, just to be on the safe side,” Lila said, trying not to panic herself with unnecessary thoughts about Theo being in some kind of trouble.

  “Oh my gosh,” Piper said through the phone.

  “Yeah. But I kind of need to find out his last name before I call. No one seems to know it. I’m wondering if there are any clues at all in that article.” She explained to Piper what had happened, catching her up on all the details.

  “Here, I’ve got the article now. Let me read it aloud to you,” Piper told her. “Stop me if I say anything that might help.” She began to read. “The obscure coffee shop hides on the back of a hill in the small town of Pinewood Hills, Tennessee. You haven’t heard of it? Don’t feel bad. Not many have. The aging little village has more than meets the eye with its Christmas festivities, but it’s the coffee shop that we feel will garner the most interest. Its mysterious owner, Theo, is known for his lack of hospitality and run-down premises.

  “The townsfolk will tell you it’s just a ploy to keep tourists from frequenting the spot, but everyone else wonders if all the secrecy is to produce the opposite effect. The enigmatic barista is not only tight-lipped about his recipes, but everything else about him as well. Most people don’t even know his name. Try to talk to him, and he’ll close up faster than a mousetrap on a piece of stolen cheese. We tried to request an interview, but when we reached out for comment, our calls were ignored. When we visited, we encountered the burly mountain man—all muscle with a thick beard and long hair—and we were asked not so politely to move along. When our reporters attempted to get the public sales records for the coffee shop, they were told that all the transactions had been made under the pseudonym Brian Brown––who no one appears to know. If you ask the barista, residents say he won’t utter a word about any of it. Is it all a publicity stunt? It got us to write this article, didn’t it? That’s all it says,” Piper finished.