around another customer who was picking up a to-go order. “The locals don’t like him,” she whispered. “And they won’t believe me when I tell them he’s the kindest person someone could ever know.”
Lila got the waiting customer’s name and checked the bags lined on the counter for his order.
“The only reason we met him was because he inquired with Judd about having his plumbin’ repaired when he first began renovatin’ this place. He’s such a lovely person if you can break through to him. Rex adores him.”
Lila knew her hunch had been right. Theo had so much more to offer than what he’d shown her. She’d witnessed the way Rex reacted to him, how the child let his guard down, leaving his little grown-up persona behind and acting like a kid, allowing Theo to pick him up. She loved seeing the interaction between those two. “I can see why Rex adores him,” she said, her thoughts slipping out before she’d had a chance to consider saying them aloud.
“How long have you been here?” Adele asked, pulling her from her musings about Theo.
“Only a couple of days.” She rang up the to-go order, easily finding the correct buttons on the register this time. She handed over the bag. “Thanks for coming in,” she told the man who’d been waiting for his order.
He waved back to her on his way out the door.
“You should come to the town Christmas fair tomorrow night. Judd’s hostin’ it.”
“There’s a fair tomorrow night?” She immediately wished the vacation with her friends had worked out this year. Charlotte, Piper, and Edie would’ve loved to go.
“Yes. It’s tons of fun. There’s a Christmas parade, the local merchants set up tables at the farm, and there are all kinds of booths and rides. They’ve started settin’ up the Ferris wheel today, actually.” Adele took a step back toward Lila and whispered dramatically, “You should try to get Theo to go.”
Lila chuckled, looking once more at the empty kitchen doorway, surprised that he’d left her alone this long. “I suppose I could try,” she said. “But I’m not promising anything.”
“It would be good to see him let loose.”
Lila couldn’t imagine Theo letting loose, but one thing was for sure—she definitely would like to be there if and when he did. She didn’t have a chance to think about it too long before the other to-go orders came in.
“I’ll see ya,” Adele said on her way out the door.
“Sorry Adele Johnson held your ear for so long,” Theo said, when she’d rung up the last customer for the moment. He was holding a silver pitcher of what she assumed was the lavender water. Two customers who’d been sitting in the dining room threw away their trash and left, leaving just the two of them in the shop.
“I didn’t mind. It’s good to talk to your customers,” she said with a rebellious smile. “You might actually get to know someone if you do that.”
“What if I don’t want to know anyone?” He set the pitcher to the side and turned back to her.
“So you enjoy being an outsider? I can’t think of anything worse.”
He shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve been an outsider.”
“You were invited to the town Christmas party at the farm,” she said.
“I heard.”
Lila cocked her head to the side. “You did? What else did you hear?”
“Enough to know that Adele Johnson just wants to meddle in my business.”
Lila threw back her head and laughed. “She seems like a lovely woman. She was only inviting you to be neighborly.”
“Look around. Do you think I moved here to be neighborly?”
Lila wondered exactly why he had moved to Pinewood Hills, but she was more focused on the farm’s Christmas party.
“I dare you to go with me to the party tomorrow night,” she said, ignoring his question. In truth, she hoped he would because she couldn’t bear another night secluded in the cabin all by herself. “You know you want to.”
He stared at her. Then he shook his head and turned his back to her.
“You’re avoiding the question.” She moved around his shoulder and tried to make eye contact, causing him to lean back, but the smile playing at the corners of his mouth only encouraged her. She went over and grabbed the small stack of receipts, holding them up in front of him. “These are my sales this morning. Whoever sells the most coffee today decides whether you go to the party tomorrow night.”
“Let me take a look at those,”