Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,102

on its short path and pulled to a stop, the driver maneuvering the sleigh off the road and parking it under an old oak tree covered in white lights, which snaked from its trunk to the tip of every single branch.

“Apparently, not too far,” he joked, pointing to the shop in front of them again.

Lila laughed, letting the question linger.

Theo took her hand and stood up, guiding her to join him. He looked at her meaningfully with those deep blue eyes before pointing to the mistletoe dangling from a branch above them by silver ribbons. “Where do we go from here, you ask? Anywhere we want.” Theo took her face in his strong hands, leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers. The cold of the night under the falling snow faded away in the warmth they shared in that place, and as they stood in the curling sleigh draped in garland and ribbon, Theo’s soft lips moved on hers, his hands travelling down her neck, trailing her arms, and grabbing onto her waist. Her life had never felt more complete than it did right then.

She pulled back to look at him, the twinkling lights like stars above them. “This is the first time in my life I’ve truly felt what it’s like to have a Christmas with a loved one. Thank you.”

He grinned. “Loved one? You mean girls actually like an old scrooge like me?”

“Well,” she said, grabbing his hands and intertwining her fingers with his, “depends on the girl.”

Theo laughed, pulling her into him and brushing her hair away from her face. “Your Christmas isn’t finished.” He kissed her once more on her icy nose. “Adele is watching the shop for me, and the girls and my dad have gone back to the cabins with Eleanor. We’ve got some things waiting for you.”

Lila didn’t need any more than what she’d had already. She realized that she didn’t require a place to call home—she just needed a person who felt like home. Anywhere she went with Theo would be perfect because he was there, and any future she faced would be okay as long as they could face it together. She couldn’t imagine what else Theo had in store for her because, as he held her hand to help her out of the carriage, she already felt like he’d given her everything she’d ever wanted.

The fire roared in Eleanor’s fireplace and the Christmas tree glistened in the corner of the living room. Eleanor had made a circle with a mixture of the furniture and kitchen chairs to give everyone a place to sit. Everyone seemed to have something ready to show her. Edie was in a chair with her computer, Charlotte had a pile of large, glossy posters turned over on her lap, and Piper was holding an envelope. Eleanor had some sort of paperwork in her hands, and Smash held his checkbook.

“What’s going on?” Lila asked.

“We all have presents for you,” Piper said.

Charlotte stacked the posters in her hands. “I’ll go first,” she said. She turned one of them around. It was an advertisement poster for a concert.

Lila read it out loud. “Paul Switzer to play live at Fireside Cabins for a Christmas show like no other?”

“Paul Switzer is the lead singer of the Misfit Junkies,” Charlotte explained. “They just hit number one this month with their song ‘Christmas and You.’”

“I know, but they’re playing at Fireside Cabins next week?” Lila asked, totally confused.

“Yep,” Charlotte said. “It’s part of our concert series. We’ve also got…” She shuffled the posters, showing each one. “Country music greats, pop sensations, and even a songwriter night.”

“I’ve got a date set to play,” Smash chimed in proudly.

“I’m still selling, but more on that in a minute,” Eleanor explained. “I’ve been busy talking with Edie. The empty field between the cabins is a perfect place to hold concerts. The natural rock in the hills makes for flawless acoustics, and we can set up benches on the incline. Judd found a way to anchor them in the ground.”

Edie cut in. “It’s all part of the new PR package I’ve given Fireside Cabins. I went ahead and used the photos from the shoot we did with Eleanor, and then I took a few more. Have a look at the website.” She turned her laptop around and brought it closer to Lila. Edie clicked the About page in the navigation.

Eleanor’s beautiful photo came up with a little paragraph of history about her and Chester, and the cabins.