Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,32
the pipe to split and burst,” Theo said to Eleanor once Lila and her friends had gotten back, all business. Lila viewed him with a new lens after seeing him with Rex earlier. “It’s just a matter of replacing the pipe, but I want to warn you that you might be facing this issue throughout all your plumbing on the property if it’s the same age as this.”
Eleanor nodded, fear sweeping across her face.
“I could get it done faster if I had some help, but I don’t think we’ll find too many volunteers, so if you’re okay with the room being torn up for a few days, I can work on it every evening after I close the shop.”
“What if I worked the shop for you?” Lila offered.
She immediately took stock of Edie and Piper’s reactions, having not consulted them at all, but they both seemed so worried for Eleanor that they didn’t flinch.
Edie’s phone rang and she stepped out of the room to answer it.
When Theo didn’t reply, Lila asked Piper and Eleanor if she and Theo could have a minute.
“Of course, dear. We’ll be in the kitchen,” Eleanor replied.
Lila pressed her hand against the dated wallpaper and stepped over a waterlogged pile of clothes to reach Theo. “It might be fun to learn how to make all the coffees, and it would free you up to come here for more than just the evenings,” she continued. “I could learn how you make the drinks during the busy times, and then you could leave me there when traffic is lighter.”
He glanced at her, unsure.
“I’m a waitress. I know how to take orders and be nice to the customers. Are you nervous that I’ll show you up, and they’ll all be asking for me?” She gave him a grin. “Or even worse, there might be an actual name on a sign out front. I’ve got ideas already…”
He pursed his lips in disapproval, but she could tell by the twitching at the corners of his mouth that he was hiding his amusement, giving her a flutter.
“Come on,” she said, putting her hand on his arm to drive it home that she was serious.
He moved, brushing her fingers with his hand. Before she could catch her breath from the lightness of his touch, he’d stepped away.
“Okay,” he said.
“What?” she asked, barely able to form a coherent thought as she looked into his eyes. But then she scrambled to harness this because she wanted answers. She wanted to know why he was so cold every time they were together. He seemed to hide his emotion like some sort of rare jewel, as if it could be stolen from him. She reached out to touch his arm again. Immediately, she could see him start to pull back. “Don’t,” she said.
He stopped moving, his silent question forcing her to say more.
“I like it when you let your guard down,” she said honestly.
He pulled away again.
There was an underlying emotion lurking which screamed to her that Theo was struggling with something. And maybe, she figured, since she’d been the one to notice, it was her job to help him figure out whatever it was that had him so closed off. She’d dealt with her own issues of not knowing her worth after Razz had hurt her, and she understood what it felt like to move through her days while holding on to a secret pain and fear that she couldn’t be enough for someone, suppressed for the benefit of everyone else.
“Why won’t you show me who you really are?” she pushed. He didn’t answer. She reached for his hand, but he wouldn’t let her take it.
“You don’t really want to know,” he said, but instead of barking at her like he usually did, his words came out wounded. “You came out here on your week’s vacation, looking to have fun, and then you’re going to go back to your regular life, wherever that might be. But this is my life. This is it. And something tells me that when it comes to dating someone, you’d want more than the guy at the coffee shop.”
“How do you know that? You’re presuming a lot of things.” Then she tilted her head up to directly address him. “I think you’re scared.”
“What?” he asked, walking away, his usual annoyance returning. “I’m not scared of anything,” he said, but his eyes told a different story.
“What is it?” she asked. “Why won’t you let your guard down?”