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

by Jenny Hale

  “He must have shaved for us,” Lila teased. But then she sobered. “So nobody knows his name,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief, the phone pressed against her ear. “At least nobody who will say anything…”

  “He never told you?” Piper asked.

  “He may have. When I was asleep, I swear he said it, but I can’t remember it. I’d been teasing him for not telling me.” She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the moment to come back to her.

  “While you were asleep?” Piper asked in a playfully suspicious tone. “Why was Theo with you while you were sleeping?”

  Lila laughed. “You know how I get after long days. I dozed off.”

  “I don’t buy it.”

  “I swear!” Lila said, squeezing her eyes shut in amusement. “Literally, nothing happened. I was exhausted. I might have even snored a little.”

  “Ugh, you have no juicy details?”

  “Sorry,” Lila replied. She continued to ponder his last name, thinking out loud. “Percy? Parker? I just can’t place it.”

  “Theo Parker, Theo Percy,” Piper said, dropping her banter and trying the names on for size. “Something with a P then?”

  Lila’s thoughts returned to that envelope she’d found in Theo’s office. “Hey, I’m going to run into town to see if I can find any answers. I’ll go crazy just sitting here.”

  “Okay,” Piper said. “Good luck and be careful.”

  Getting into Eleanor’s car again, Lila went straight to the coffee shop, grabbing the key and letting herself in. “Theo!” she called, every cell in her body on high alert. “Theo?” she said again. There was nothing but her echo. She locked herself in and kept the lights off, rushing back to his office. Shutting the door and locking it, she clicked on the light. She sat down in his chair, noticing that his desk was tidier than it had been yesterday. She flipped through a small stack of papers on the corner next to a cup full of pens—nothing too interesting; mostly the stubs of bills that had been sent off: electric, water, coffee supplies. She set them down, leaning back in the chair, convincing herself that she had a right to go through his files again.

  A rap at the front door of the shop sent her bolting to her feet. Her heart banging around in her chest, she grabbed the doorknob to unlock it but then froze. How would she explain being in here? Quietly, she twisted the lock and opened the office door a tiny crack to check who was outside. A man she didn’t recognize was cupping his hands and peering into the shop.

  When he turned toward the parking lot, Lila bolted from the office, steadying herself as she went to the main door.

  “May I help you?” she asked through the glass.

  The man swiveled around to face her, holding up an envelope. “I have some papers to deliver to Theo Perry,” he said.

  Theo Perry?

  A warm sensation spread through Lila as she realized that was exactly the name Theo had said. She remembered his quiet voice as he’d told her, “My last name is Perry. Theo Perry.” He hadn’t thought she could hear him, and she wasn’t entirely awake, but she was cognizant enough that his words had roused her into alertness. And Perry had been the name on that envelope in his office. P. Perry—who was that?

  “I just need someone to sign for them.”

  She opened the door. “I can do that.”

  “Great.” He handed her the digital screen and a pen.

  She signed her name.

  “Thanks so much,” the courier said, handing over the envelope.

  As he walked away, Lila hurried back inside, locking the door again and rushing through the dark dining area to the office, shutting herself back in. She sat down in Theo’s chair once more, holding the manila envelope in her hands.

  “So, Theo Perry,” she said. “What do we have here?” She fanned the envelope in the air.

  Just then her cell phone rang, sending her heart up to her throat. It was Piper.

  “Any luck?” Piper said when Lila answered.

  “I’m holding an envelope of his that was just delivered to the coffee shop,” she said, her voice low even though no one was there but her.

  “You’re in the coffee shop?” Piper asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “I wondered if I could find anything to figure out where he is. I did find out his name.”

  “What is it?” Piper asked.

  “Theo Perry,” Lila replied.

  Piper gasped. “Oh my God!” she squealed, forcing Lila to pull the phone away from her head to save her eardrum. “Hang on a minute.” Her words were followed by the soft thud of the phone leaving Piper’s hand. A second later there was the rustling sound of her returning.

  “What is it? You’re killin’ me here.”

  “Theo Perry? That’s his name?”

  “That’s definitely it,” she told her friend. “But I don’t know who Theo Perry is.”

  “Given the article, it’s pretty amazing that he spoke to us as much as he did.”

  Lila smiled to herself, all the moments she’d shared with Theo suddenly becoming even more intimate. She’d pushed and pushed, but actually, he’d shared more with her than he probably had with anybody.

  “If it’s the same guy, Theo Perry is the missing son of Smash Perry, the millionaire guitarist for the band Rockford and Smash.”

  “I know who that is! Guitar lessons…” Lila said to herself with a smile. Then she sobered. “Smash Perry’s son is missing?”

  “It’s a very strange story,” Piper said. “Nobody’s really saying much, but there have been rumors that about three years ago, Smash and his son Theo had a falling out at one of the bars downtown, and the next day Theo was gone. His father didn’t report him missing for five or six months. People speculated that Smash had done something to him, since he’d had a few run-ins with the police in his lifetime. When they investigated, there was no evidence of foul play, and they had no leads. He’d just vanished. The authorities decided that the evidence they did have suggested Theo left of his own accord, and with him being an adult, the investigation was closed.”

  “And does that Theo look like our Theo?” Lila asked.

  “We’ve got to get you up to speed on the music industry.” she teased. “Yes! Now that I think of it, they look a lot alike. Let me put you on speaker and search for him. I’ll text you a photo.” Piper hummed from afar as Lila waited.

  Lila’s phone pinged with the image of a gangly guy in his late twenties. She zoomed in to get a better look at Theo Perry’s face. He had the same hair color as the Theo she knew, and it looked like his eyes were also blue. As she studied him closer, something registered. There was a little smirk on the lips of the guy in the photo. The same little smirk she’d seen on her Theo’s lips. “He’s so skinny… but I think it might be him.”

  “It’s interesting that your Theo suddenly went missing, just like the famous Theo Perry. Seems like this could be his exit of choice: disappear without a trace.”

  Lila tried to piece together the unanswerable questions she’d had about him. Her mouth dried out.

  If this was the same Theo, and he had chosen to disappear like he had yesterday, did that mean he wasn’t planning to return?

  “You okay?” Piper asked, pulling Lila from her thoughts.

  Lila took a deep breath. “Honestly… I don’t know.” But if he wasn’t planning to return, he’d have no problem with abandoning the envelope that she held in her hand, would he? And what if he hadn’t abandoned them and something had happened? Would there be some clue inside? She shouldn’t open it—definitely not.

  “You should open the envelope that was delivered so we can see what’s inside,” Piper cut in.

  “I can’t,” Lila said.

  “Given the circumstances, I doubt Theo would even care.”

  “Still, though,” she said, noticing the flap was only closed by the envelope’s brass clasp.

  “What if his life depends on it?” Piper asked.

  “Okay, okay,” Lila said, giving in. She unclasped the enve
lope and pulled out a small piece of notebook paper with a handwritten message.

  Theo,

  You have ruined our family’s reputation, and I’ll never forgive you for that. If you think you can run from me instead of facing the mess you’ve made, you’ve got another thing coming. You’ve stolen from our family and you’ve disgraced my name. I’ve been looking for you since the day you left, and I’ve got the best people on this case that money can buy. You’d better call me, or I’ll be coming to you.

  A.

  “Whoa,” Piper said. “That’s heavy.”

  “Definitely. I wonder what it all means.” Lila was at a loss. She slid the letter back into the envelope and snapped the flap shut, setting it on Theo’s desk. “Looks like I’m not the only one who needs answers,” she said in a whisper.

  Seventeen

  There was a knock at the cabin door. Lila kicked the blanket off her legs and set her mug of hot cocoa on the coffee table. She’d been sitting in the living room since leaving the coffee shop, trying to relax and get her head together for her next move, but the mysterious letter she’d signed for and the bits of information she’d gathered that suggested Theo was involved in something possibly criminal kept running through her mind. She’d debated whether to send Theo a text letting him know that she’d figured him out. She’d typed and deleted about three different messages, never sending any of them for fear she’d only push him further away—if he was running away at all. She kept replaying their last conversation and wondering if she’d missed something. Had she said anything to make him want to leave? So many emotions were racing through her. She answered the door to find Eleanor holding a red-and-green Christmas box.

  “Your treats,” she said, holding out the gift.

  “Oh, thank you. You’re too sweet. Come in,” Lila said, opening the door wider and accepting the box.

  Eleanor wrinkled her nose. “It smells damp in here.” She unwound her scarf and hung it on the hook by the door. Her boots squeaked against the wooden floor as she worked to slide them off. “It’s looking like snow again. I hope the plumbing issue won’t impact the warm water in the cabin. If it does, feel free to come over to the main house.”

  “I’m sure the water will be just fine,” Lila said. “Are you too full from baking nibbles to share with me?” She held up the box. “I could make us some coffee. I’ve got decaf.”

  “That would be wonderful, dear.” Eleanor settled at the kitchen table and folded her hands in front of her. “Any word from Theo?”

  “No,” Lila replied, not knowing if she should divulge what she might have learned about him. She dared not spread any rumors. It was all just hearsay at this point. “Have you ever heard the name Perry anywhere? I’ve been doing a little digging and speculating that it could be his last name,” she said carefully.

  “That would be interesting if it were,” Eleanor said. “I have a lodger who comes once a month or so on business. His stays are what have been keeping me afloat recently. Name’s William Perry.”

  “William Perry,” she repeated. “Wonder if they could be any relation?”

  “He’s from Nashville, like you, so I’d have thought Theo would’ve said something if he were from there as well, wouldn’t he?” Eleanor replied. “The man’s a musician. He’s rough around the edges—he’s got sleeve tattoos and spiked hair—doesn’t really remind me of Theo.” Lila tried to imagine that. She conjured up old memories of her ex, Razz, the last musician she’d been around. His loud, extroverted rants and antics were nothing like Theo’s quiet introspective ways. But while he didn’t seem like Theo, that description of William did sound a lot like Smash.

  Lila got up to make them each their cups with the makeshift French press she’d been using. While she did, she grabbed her phone and opened the search engine, quickly typing in William Perry. She coughed to hide her gasp when she saw what popped up:

  William “Smash” Perry is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the multi-platinum, award-winning duo Rockford and Smash, a Nashville-based country music band in which he also plays banjo and mandolin. He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

  Lila navigated out of the page and clicked another with a link to Smash’s music. One of his songs began to play while she poured their coffees. It was a rock-based banger with undertones of those familiar hillbilly and blues elements so prominent in this area. As she watched Smash play guitar in the video, the resemblance was uncanny.

  It’s him, she thought. Smash is Theo’s dad. She was nearly sure of it.

  Putting her phone down, she finished making the coffees, bringing one over to Eleanor and sitting down beside her. She reached into the box of confectioneries and pulled out a piece of fudge. Pinching it between two fingers, she asked, “What does that guy do when he’s here?”

  “William? He usually keeps to himself; he takes a lot of walks. He prefers to be left alone. But that’s just fine with me. He always pays his entire bill in advance, so he can do cartwheels through the yard for all I care.” Eleanor laughed.

  “How long does he stay?”

  “Oh, about a week or so. Sometimes just a few days.”

  “When is he next due to visit?” Lila said, unable to hold back and feeling a rush of adrenaline at the thought of these estranged people being in such close proximity. Did William know Theo lived in town? He must do.

  “He’s on tour at the moment, I think,” Eleanor said. “Lots of questions…” Her eyebrows bounced up and down with interest.

  “Sorry. I just thought they might help me find Theo.”

  “Have you called the police?”

  “I suppose I should.”

  “So that would bring the total to…” Lila tapped the numbers on her phone screen’s calculator. She swallowed. “Twenty-three thousand, two hundred, seventy dollars.”

  After she’d tried to put in a missing person’s report, Eleanor had asked Lila to come over for dinner. Lila had spoken to the police department, but since it had been less than twenty-four hours, and Theo was a grown man, they weren’t as receptive as she’d hoped. Not knowing how much she should say about what she knew, she’d left it at that, thinking perhaps she’d try to call again tomorrow.

  Apparently, Eleanor had been just as busy making savory dishes as she had been with the desserts.

  Eleanor put her face in her hands. “With figures like that, I’ll never be able to fix this place up,” she said.

  Lila peered down at the list of suggested renovations they’d been making together. “We could take off the new carpet.”

  “I hate to say it, but after the leak, your cabin smells like old socks,” Eleanor told her with a laugh. “We need new carpet throughout all the cabins really.”

  “We could leave the exteriors the way they are. Maybe power wash them?”

  “The paint’s peeling, Lila.” Eleanor shook her head, her gray curls swishing back and forth with the movement. “It’s no use. I think I need to find a real estate agent.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “No idea. I suppose I’ll have to start looking.”

  “How about Florida? It’s warm and sunny all the time.”

  Eleanor smiled, closing her eyes. “Mm. I could do with the sunshine.” But the look in her eyes told a different story. This had been her home with Chester, and she clearly wanted to stay.

  “Maybe not Florida,” Lila said.

  “The truth is that I don’t feel like I fit anywhere else.” She turned her head toward the Christmas tree, its holiday lights glimmering, and let out a sigh.

  Lila sat in silence in her cabin after dinner, an idea brewing, and closed the banking app on her phone as she covered her legs with the blanket on the sofa. What was she doing? Was it too late in the night to make a decision like this? Perhaps she was delirious with exhaustion…

  This might have been the most impulsive idea she’d ever had in her life, but everything inside her made her f
eel like it was the right thing to do. Lila had total savings of five thousand dollars, and she was about to sink it all into Fireside Cabins. Perhaps, if she could actually pull off a renovation and Eleanor could begin to turn a profit, she might need someone to work there with her. Lila could imagine herself in Pinewood Hills for sure. It seemed a long way off, given the state of the cabins, but if Eleanor needed a Christmas miracle, maybe if Lila played her cards right she could be exactly that. They wouldn’t be able to do everything on their list, but they could do something to get the cabins up and running full tilt again.

  Piper’s mother had had some landscaping done in the fall, and she’d gotten an incredibly good price. Lila thought it might be worth checking to see if that company would be willing to make the two-hour drive to Pinewood Hills. She opened a new message to text Piper and realized her friend had already sent her a message. Lila had been so busy with Eleanor that she hadn’t seen it until now. It was a link to an article about Theo. She opened it and stared at the photo in front of her—a thinner, lankier, tuxedo-clad Theo with a shiny, sculpted supermodel in a sequined ball gown on his arm. Under the image, it said:

  Theo Perry and fiancée Alexa Fontaine call it quits after a rocky year. When asked why the two cancelled their 1.5 million dollar wedding, Alexa told us, “He’s a complete fraud.” Attempts to locate Theo Perry for comment were unsuccessful.

  Lila put her phone down and stared at the tree until the lights blurred in front of her. This Christmas was a complete mess. All her friends had gone. She was alone, considering putting herself in the poor house for renovations on a property she had no rights to whatsoever. And she was falling for a guy who, according to the press, was a coward and a fraud—and who had totally disappeared on her, without a glance over his shoulder. She chewed on her lip, considering her options. She could pack it all up and head back home, enjoy the Christmas season in Nashville, maybe spend the next few weeks shopping downtown, listening to bands, and getting coffee with her friends… The alternative was painting tumbledown cabins in the freezing cold, feeling lonely and rejected, making regular visits to the local police department to see if they’d found Theo, and having a quiet holiday with Eleanor.