Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,74

It was early, but he’d gotten up much earlier than this to run the coffee shop, so he should be awake…

There was a click on the line and she stood still, ready to talk. But she stopped short when she heard the automated recording: “We’re sorry. The number you have reached is no longer in service. Please check the number and try your call again. Thank you.” The call ended.

Lila dropped the phone, her gaze on the window but not processing the view. She felt sick, empty. She suddenly realized how serious he was about not letting her into his life. He didn’t want to be found. Defeated, Lila slumped down on the sofa in a daze.

After a few restless attempts to nap, to alleviate the stress and her lack of sleep last night—neither of which was improved by the effort—Lila grabbed her iPad. Overcome by confusion, she decided to do an internet search for Theo, to see if she could get any information that would help her better understand the situation. She typed in his name and scanned the list of articles, clicking on one that interested her: “The End of an Era—Perry Dynasty Collapses.”

Lila began reading.

Smash Perry suffers another relapse only weeks after leaving his most recent stint at a rehab facility, which was organized by his son Theo Perry, in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Sources close to the singer tell us he’s currently resting in his Brentwood mansion, but it’s rumored that he is trying unsuccessfully to get sober at home after a public disagreement with the facility, regarding the quality of his care. Reports suggest that his latest relapse is due to the fact that his only son is being investigated on allegations of fraud. Despite putting out a debut record in his teens, Theo Perry asserts he has no plans to continue the family musical tradition, a claim that has evidently caused a rift between father and son.

So that rift was why Theo didn’t want to have contact with his father… But why was his father frequenting Fireside Cabins? Was he looking for the money? She sighed, having got more questions than answers. She rolled her head on her shoulders, trying to let the Christmas lights calm her.

Unable to get this whole thing off her mind, she decided to call Piper to tell her what was going on. She needed to hear a friendly voice. Charlotte was most likely busy in LA, and Edie was less sympathetic over things like this. Piper would listen objectively and give her honest but gentle guidance.

“I keep reading about him, too,” Piper said once they were talking. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long for people to realize he was living just outside Nashville in Pinewood Hills.”

“It is funny that he didn’t go very far,” Lila noted.

“He’s born and raised in Nashville. It’s his home.”

“Yeah…” Lila said. “Makes you wonder if he’s still close.” She took in a deep breath to keep her chest from tightening, her gaze flickering over to the view out the window of the rolling, snow-covered hills dotted by pine trees. “It could just be wishful thinking.” She picked at a loose string on the afghan. “I just want to help him.”

“He’s a big boy. He can handle it,” Piper said. “But you know what I think?”

“Hm?” she said, waiting for Piper’s insight.

“I think it’s more than wanting to help him. I think you like him. A lot. But I still feel like you deserve better than this, Lila.”

Lila didn’t answer—she didn’t know what to say to that.

“And if it makes you feel any better,” Piper added, “I think Theo knows that too, and that’s why he’s cut the cord. He cares enough about you already to let you go before you get mixed up in his mess.”

“What if I can handle the mess?” Lila said. “His life is definitely chaos, but I really don’t think he stole the money—I have to believe that.”

“How can you be sure?” Piper asked.

“Because everything he’s done until now doesn’t fit with that. He didn’t run away somewhere and live in the lap of luxury. He pulled into himself and moved to a modest town to run an even more modest business. It was almost as if he didn’t want anything to do with money.” She remembered his intensity when he’d told her, This is my life. This is it.

“I think you should just be careful, Lila. Take the disconnected phone as a sign that this is a little