said.
“Edie works in PR. Maybe I can pick her brain to see what she’d suggest that could help boost sales.”
Eleanor nodded but didn’t seem encouraged. “It would take a lot. I’m clearly not great at giving people what they want these days.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. My friends and I loved it from the website, and while it wasn’t quite what we thought it would be, it’s still a great place to stay. We’ve loved being here.”
“Lila, dear,” replied Eleanor. “That’s kind of you to say, yet everyone has left but you, and you’re sitting here with the plumber because your cabin is full of water. Not exactly the vacation spot you were hoping for, I’m sure.”
“She’s actually sitting with a barista, if you want to get technical,” Theo said, obviously trying to lighten the mood, which warmed Lila’s heart. He started strumming again quietly.
Eleanor looked happier after his comment. She closed her eyes and swayed to the gentle lilt of music before taking a sip of her drink.
“We’ll figure it out,” Lila said. She wasn’t sure how, exactly, but she was going to do everything she could to save Fireside Cabins.
Twelve
Lila stood next to Theo’s old Ford truck, bundled up to her chin to keep warm. She had her hands on her hips, staring at the roofline of her cabin after their chat with Eleanor, her breath puffing out in front of her from the cold. “These cabins would be so pretty if they were decorated with Christmas lights.”
Theo didn’t protest, which wasn’t like him. She’d expected some sort of shrugging-off, but he’d remained quiet.
“I guess it’ll take more than Christmas lights to get this place going again,” she carried on, but he hadn’t seemed to hear her, his eyes on his phone.
“I have to go,” he said abruptly, his face like stone. He ran around to the other side of his truck, getting in and starting the engine.
“I’m coming with you!” she said, climbing up inside and shutting the door. The sight of his face just now had scared her, and there was no way she was letting him go without knowing what was happening. “What’s the matter?” Lila asked.
“I have five missed calls and a text from Rex on the cell phone his dad gave him to use for emergencies when he’s out on the farm. He said he’s lost in the woods behind his house and doesn’t know how to get home.”
“Oh no.”
“Judd and Trudy are probably still working in the fields and aren’t answering their phones. They probably think Rex is playing in the yard near the house like he always does.”
Theo pulled out, hugging the curves of the private drive as they made their way through the hills and down to the main road. He was quiet, focused, both hands tightly on the wheel as the truck whooshed past the frozen evergreens, the sky an inky black without a star to be seen. Lila shifted in her seat, her feet hitting a pair of work gloves on the floor, and stared at the white beams from the headlights shining on the dark asphalt of the road.
“You seem to know Rex really well,” she noted, eyeing him to judge his level of worry.
“Yeah. I give him guitar lessons.”
“You’re a music teacher too?” she asked, surprised.
“No. I just help Rex. I was playing my guitar when Judd was teaching me how to repair the plumbing, and he asked if I’d show Rex how to play. Judd offered to waive the charges for any future plumbing on the shop in exchange.”
“Did Rex give an indication in his text about where he could be?”
“Not really.” Theo’s jaw clenched. He was noticeably worried. “He just said, ‘Come quick. My leg is hurt.’”
“Oh my gosh.” Lila clasped a hand over her mouth. “It’s freezing outside. We have to find him.”
“We will,” he assured her, although she had no idea how he could be so certain, given the immense expanse of woods surrounding the property. “If he has to go to the hospital though, the nearest one is twenty miles away.”
“So Rex is out in the wilderness, all alone in the dark?” Lila felt a swell of panic, thinking of Rex trying to manage by himself with an injured leg.
“He’s too young to be by himself. Actually, why don’t you text him now to let him know I’m on my way?” Theo fished his phone from his pocket, put in his Touch ID, and handed it to Lila. “Tell him