by Jenny Hale
Unexpectedly, tears swelled in Lila’s eyes. “He didn’t tell me bye either,” she said, attempting to swallow the lump forming in her throat.
Rex pushed a smile across his face. “Maybe that means he’s coming back. Right, Miss Lila?” he asked, his features lifting. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left his guitar at my house.”
“He left his guitar?” she asked.
“Yeah. He’s got lots of ’em, but he said the one at my house is his favorite, and that’s why he let me use it.” He folded his arms across his chest, confusion washing over his face. “I tried to text him yesterday, but he hasn’t texted back.”
“Y’all frozen yet?” Eleanor asked from the side door of her cabin, interrupting them. “I’ve got hot chocolate, if y’all want to come inside and warm up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rex replied, his arms dropping to his sides as he ran to the door.
Lila followed suit, a mixture of emotions swirling inside her. Theo was kind and thoughtful, and it was clear that he really liked the little guy. He’d brought Rex his favorite guitar and let him keep it—but then he just upped and left, without a word, ignoring the poor boy’s messages. It made no sense. The line from the article Piper had sent her went round and round in her mind: He’s a complete fraud.
Rex immediately went over to Chester’s guitar, and it was clear that he wanted to stay connected to Theo in his absence. “Mrs. Eleanor, may I take a look at this?” he asked.
“Of course you can,” Eleanor said, walking over and lifting it off the stand, handing it to Rex.
Rex sat on the floor and began strumming. He hummed a tune as he did, and Lila stopped still, all her attention fixed on the young boy and his fingers moving on the strings. They were a little clumsy, but that didn’t stop the tune from sounding rich and beautiful.
“What is that song?” Lila asked, sitting down by the fire, across from Rex.
“It’s something Theo taught me.”
“Does it have any words?”
He kept his eyes on the strings as he nodded.
“Will you sing them?”
Rex repositioned his fingers on the neck of the guitar and started over, singing in a sweet little voice.
“There’s a light in my soul
When you walk through that door
Your smile so innocent
of all that came before…”
Eleanor came in with their mugs. “That’s beautiful,” she said, setting their hot cocoa on the hearth and taking a seat on the sofa. “Whose song is it?”
“Theo’s,” Rex replied. “He wrote it about a few days ago. That’s all I can remember. We only practiced it a couple times.”
The fact that Theo had these lyrics in his mind took Lila’s breath away. Who was he talking about in that song? “And he just wrote it?”
“Yep. He said he wrote it right there in the coffee shop when he saw somebody walk in.” Rex started strumming another melody.
Lila swallowed, her breath leaving her. But then she actually considered what she was thinking. There was no way that song had anything to do with her. His disappearing act proved it.
“What other tunes do you know?” Eleanor asked, her gaze fluttering over to Lila suggestively.
Lila dismissed it, taking a sip of her cocoa, focusing instead on the chocolaty cream to get her mind off it.
The front door opened, and Judd popped his head in.
“Come on in,” Eleanor said.
Judd and Winston joined them.
“All done,” Judd said with a proud puff of his chest. “Not a lick of brush left. With the spring comin’, I’d suggest layin’ down seed come March or April.”
Winston moseyed over to the fire and flopped down in front of it, putting his head on Lila’s knee and sending Presley bounding up the stairs.
“Thank you so much, Judd,” Eleanor said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good, I guess,” Judd said. “Not much changes around here with most folks, and that includes me.” He turned to Lila. “Wish Theo would comply with our way of life. He’s always doin’ somethin’. Will you tell me if you talk to him?” he asked.
“Of course,” Lila replied.
“Appreciate it.” He ruffled Rex’s hair. “You ’bout ready to go?” he asked his son. Winston popped up and trotted over to Judd’s side.
As Judd, Rex, and Winston headed to the door, Judd paused and peered over at the broken window. “What happened to that?” he asked.
“One of the renters’ trucks sent a rock up from the drive and it smacked right into the window,” Eleanor replied.
Judd rubbed the scruff on his chin. “You make him pay for it?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It was an accident.”
“You’re too nice, Mrs. Finely,” he told her as he grabbed the doorknob. Before he twisted it, he said, “I can fix it for you. I’ll come round tomorrow.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” she said, her eyes sparkling from his gesture.
Eleanor invited Lila to stay after the others left, and Lila had been delighted to have more time with her new friend. Eleanor felt like the grandmother she’d never had. She and Eleanor worked side by side, rinsing dishes at the sink.
“What do you make of that song little Rex played?” Eleanor asked as she grabbed a towel to dry her hands, the last mug placed in the dishwasher. Presley pawed at the dish towel as it dangled from Eleanor’s fingers, and she batted the cat away playfully.
“Theo seems to be very talented,” Lila replied, not wanting to admit to herself that the lyrics had been burned into her brain, the tune bouncing around her head ever since he’d played it.
“He wrote it about someone at the coffee shop,” Eleanor pointed out.
Lila nodded. “Could be anybody,” she said.
“Or somebody.” Eleanor placed a little laundry basket of clean kitchen towels between them on the counter and handed Lila one to fold as she took one herself.
“I don’t think it was me.” Lila folded the towel in thirds and then in half, setting the rectangular bundle on the counter and grabbing another.
“I think you don’t want to get hurt.”
“What?” She held the limp towel between her fingers.
“If Theo was writing about you, then that means he left you when he disappeared. And that would be heartbreaking, I’m sure.” She took the towel from Lila, set it on the counter, and grabbed her hands. “But Lila, his troubles don’t have anything to do with you. You were just caught in the middle, that’s all.”
“Did you know that there are people claiming he’s a thief?”
“What?” The skin between Eleanor’s eyes folded with a deep wrinkle as her face contorted in bewilderment.
“The press paints a not-so-great picture of him. They called him a fraud.”
“Oh my goodness. Do you think it’s true?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore. I hear things like those song lyrics and it makes everything so confusing.”
“The sad thing is that I thought you were getting through to him, and if that song really is about you, he’s missing the best thing he’s probably ever been given in leaving you behind.”
Lila gave Eleanor’s hands a squeeze, considering what she’d said. She thought she was getting through to Theo too, and the frustration she felt that he wouldn’t stick around to see things through was eating away at her.
“Do you mind if I head back to my cabin for a while?” she asked. “It’s been a big day and both of us could probably do with a rest.”
“Of course, dear. Come over any time, though.”
“I will.” She gave Eleanor a hug. “Thank you.”
Lila went back to her cabin, crossing the icy expanse between hers and Eleanor’s, and closed herself in to the musty quiet of her living space. The Christmas decorations felt as if they were mocking her with their cheer. If Eleanor had been right, and Theo had felt something for Lila—which she could swear he did—then
he had to be pretty selfish to do this to her.
Frustrated, Lila pulled out her phone and texted Theo:
There’s a light in my soul
When you walk through that door
Your smile so innocent
of all that came before…
If that has anything to do with anything, come back, Theo. At least talk to me. And, by the way, Rex was in tears because you didn’t tell him goodbye.
Her text sat, solitary, on the screen as the minutes ticked by. Nothing. Once again, Theo wasn’t answering. She dropped her phone onto the sofa and headed into her bedroom, closing the door and falling onto her bed, biting back the tears.
Having promised herself when she awoke this morning that she’d enjoy the holiday, Lila settled at the kitchen table in her cabin with a warm cup of cinnamon tea and the book she’d brought to read during those long vacation bubble baths that had never materialized, when her phone rang on the sofa. She scrambled over to get it. It was Piper.
“How’s it going?” Piper asked when Lila answered.
“We’ve started working on Eleanor’s cabin, and I’m so excited for her. She seems just over the moon about it all.”
“That’s good…” Piper said. The way she trailed off made Lila wonder if there was more she wanted to say.
“What’s up?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Piper took in a breath. “If you want to stay on at the cabins for Eleanor, then that’s fine, but don’t wait around for Theo. He’s a bad egg for sure, Lila.”
She set down her mug. “What are you talking about?”
“I was trying to help you figure out where to look for him, and I found another article. Can I read the beginning to you?”
“Of course,” she said, already worried just by her friend’s tone. Piper gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, so something was definitely wrong.
“Okay,” Piper said. “Here goes.” She began to read, “Winding Alley Music, the production company owned by famed musician Smash and his son Theo Perry, has closed its doors for good, leaving all its clients scrambling for new producers. A source close to the family stated that Theo Perry had embezzled from his own company until he’d run it dry, and to cover it up, he shut it down; although no formal charges have been brought against him. His father, and only living relative, who spent his twenties in front of judges for various misdemeanors, declined to comment, although it’s rumored that Smash plans to investigate the embezzlement himself. Winding Alley Music was responsible for seven of Smash’s hits in the last five years.”
“Oh my God,” was all Lila could say, her stomach plummeting. His last text echoed in her head: You don’t even know me. How right he’d been…
“I think that family is a mess,” Piper said. “Another article said Smash has been in and out of rehab, swearing this last time was the charm… The more I read, Lila, the more I think you need to stay as far away from him as possible.”
Was that why his father had been staying at the cabins? Was Smash trying to pin the embezzlement on him? Had Theo gotten wind that his father knew where he was and made a run for it? Her head spun with it all.
“Why am I drawn to the bad-boy musicians,” she said, shaking her head.
But all she could think about was the way those blue eyes had looked at her, and the vulnerability he’d shown whenever he’d let his guard down. She had been so sure that this wasn’t just like Razz all over again… She thought about Rex and how Theo had given the little boy his favorite guitar. How sweet he’d been to him when they’d taken Rex for burgers. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make the pieces fit together.
“Because you like to help people.” Piper’s answer came after the tick of silence, jarring Lila from her reverie. “But sometimes they just end up bringing you down.”
“Yeah,” she said. She knew she had to believe this, but she just couldn’t—for even a second—conceive that Theo was beyond help. Maybe she was just being crazy. Maybe it was time to get a grip.
“You need to really think about what you want, Lila. You deserve to have a life that you’ve built, a life that you actually desire, because right now, I feel like you’re just at the mercy of what has been thrown at you.”
“What do you mean?” Lila asked, stunned by her friend’s words.
“You live in Nashville because of a guy you followed there, and you work as a waitress because it was the first job you could get when he left you. Now you’re sinking all your savings into the cabins, and if you had more you’d put it into the coffee shop, when neither will move your life forward. You deserve better than that.”
Out of nowhere, a tear escaped down Lila’s cheek. She wiped it away and took in a steadying breath.
“You’re so right,” she said, the reality of it all setting in.
Twenty
Lila was officially losing it. Her rent was nearly up, so soon she’d have nowhere to live, she’d given her car to her friends for the foreseeable future, and now she’d just called work and told them she’d quit. Piper’s words earlier today had hit her hard, and she’d had to do some real soul-searching, but while her friend had been right about a lot of things, she wasn’t on the money with one point in particular. This little mountain town had made her feel more alive than she ever had in Nashville, and she was, against all the odds, considering staying. And not for Eleanor or Theo. For her. As she sat by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree in the cabin, with the fire roaring and snow beginning to fall on the newly cleared lawn outside the window, she knew in her heart that it was time for a change.
It wasn’t like she had much of a life back in Nashville, or barely anything worth returning for. She needed to live in a place where people put relationships first. Trudy and Judd had stopped what they were doing to help their neighbor take care of the cabins; Eleanor had loaned her—a lodger—her car without hesitation; everyone she’d met in town had been more than friendly. Although she had no idea what she’d do for income, where she’d find an apartment, or if Theo would be around… Feeling a rush of appreciation for her new neighbors, she’d made a big pot of stew and called Trudy to ask her, Judd, and Rex over for dinner, and she’d invited Eleanor to join them.
They were at the door right on time. Lila hopped up to let them in and when she did, Rex was standing in front of his parents with an enormous smile on his face. He rushed in and gave her a hug around the legs.
“Hi,” she said, backing up with him to let his parents in. “How are you?”
“I’m great,” Rex said. “Theo came over!”
“He did?” Lila asked, trying to swallow her shock.
“Yeah! He said he heard I was missin’ him. Did he come see you?”
“He didn’t.” Her cheeks flushed. She took Rex’s coat as Trudy and Judd shrugged theirs off, and hung them all on the hooks by the door. Trudy offered a look of sympathy over the little boy’s head.
“How long did he stay?” Lila asked, hoping she didn’t sound too disappointed.
“Not too long. He said he had to get back to where he was going,” Rex told her.
“And where was he going?” she asked, trying not to sound desperate but dying to know. Did that mean he was still in the area?
“He didn’t tell me,” Rex answered. “But he promised he’d come back to see me as soon as he could.”
“That’s really nice.” So he’d definitely got her text. Which meant that she was able to reach him—if he would ever stop ignoring her. But after hearing Piper’s last article and reading the letter in his office, did she even want to? The question hung in the air around her as Eleanor peeked her head inside the cabin.
“Hello-o,” she said, pushing it open wider upon seeing everyone gathered inside. “I brought this for you,” she said, handing Rex a giant candy cane while balancing a gorgeously festive poinsettia in her other arm.
The child’s face lit up as he grabbed it. “Thank you, Mrs. Eleanor,” he said, giving her a side hug to avoid the
huge plant she was holding.
“You’re welcome.” Her eyes shone with motherly adoration. “Merry Christmas.” Then she turned her attention to Lila. “And this is for you.” She handed Lila the poinsettia.
“That’s incredible,” Trudy said, leaning in to get a better look at its bright red-and-green foliage.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Lila told Eleanor.
“It’s only a tiny gesture to say a very big thank you for everything you’ve done—not just hosting tonight.” She tipped her nose up. “It smells divine in here.”
“Thank you. I made stew and I’ve warmed some bread in the oven. Y’all come on in and dish yourselves a bowl so we can warm up while we’re talking.” She ushered them all into the kitchen, cradling the plant. Lila showed them to the bowls and spoons. Then she took the lid off the pot and stirred it with the ladle, the savory aroma of beef and vegetables floating through the air. “I’ll just put this poinsettia in the living room while you all get your stew. Be right back.”
Lila went into the other room and set the plant on the floor next to the fire. Then she pushed her feelings of rejection aside and took a quick second to text Theo. She typed: That was really nice of you to visit Rex.
Regardless of what Theo had done, he’d been nothing but wonderful to Rex, and Lila was happy that he’d thought enough of the little boy to come see him.
After dinner Judd and his family headed home, but Eleanor had stayed for a cup of coffee. They’d settled on the sofa.
“I’d love to have you work for me,” Eleanor said, after hearing that Lila had quit her job. “I just don’t have any way to pay you.”
“You know I’d work here for free, Eleanor. But I have to eat.”
“Pesky hunger. Always ruining everything,” Eleanor teased. Then she sobered. “How are you, dear?”
“What do you mean?” Lila asked.
“I mean just that. How are you?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer. “I can’t complain…”