Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,76

have any money anyway. She thinks that’s why he was stealing from his own company.”

“None of this sounds like him,” Lila said, shaking her head in confusion, her heart racing.

“I figured you’d say that, so I asked why he wasn’t ever arrested if he stole from his company and everyone knew about it. She said Alexa thinks his dad paid off the police department. They got that new wing at the department, and suddenly the family accountant declared it was just an oversight and paid the taxes, and everything was wiped clear. But Theo’s dad cut him off from the family inheritance and he ran.”

“Then why would his dad be looking for him now?” Lila asked. It didn’t make any sense.

“I’m not sure. Maybe his dad found out he’d stolen more money or something, and he wants to get it back. I don’t know.”

“This seems so crazy. Why would Theo steal money from his company if he was a millionaire already?”

“Nikki said there have been rumors that Theo overspent extravagantly and ran the family finances into the ground… I think you’re too kind, Lila,” her friend said gently. “If he cut you off, then it was probably a blessing. Who knows, his phone may have been disconnected—can he pay the bill?”

Lila sat, shell-shocked. She didn’t know what to say. Theo sounded worse with every bit of new information she’d gotten. And even though it went against her gut instinct about him, she was at a loss for how to feel.

“So you’re telling me that the man we met who runs a coffee shop, gives free guitar lessons, and watches Rex all day and night as a favor—that guy is an overspending, lying thief who stole from his own father? I just don’t buy it.”

“We don’t really know him, do we?” Charlotte said.

Lila shook her head, feeling lost. With a sinking feeling, she finished up the call with Charlotte and walked into the kitchen, thinking, when she noticed a tiny slip of paper tucked beneath a candle on the counter. She picked it up and smoothed it between her fingers. It was the fortune she’d gotten from the confectionery when she’d visited with the girls and Eleanor. Lila scanned the words: When faced with a choice, choose to believe. It’ll change your life. In that moment the sentence spoke to her—even though there were so many things piling up against Theo, she still prayed by some miracle none of it would be true.

Wanting to go for a walk and clear her head, she put on her big coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck, her mind racing the whole time. None of it added up. Was she in denial? She was a pretty good judge of character, and while Razz had been a disaster, a part of her had known that going into the relationship. But Theo was different. It was as if he had some sort of split personality.

She opened the front door and stopped cold. Sitting on the porch of the cabin, in the freezing temperatures, was a giant Christmas bouquet with at least twenty red roses and sprigs of holly, spruce and baby’s breath. It was the most incredible bouquet she’d ever seen. Lila looked around, wondering if the delivery had been to the wrong cabin, but she was sure no one was renting the others. After all, she’d just helped Eleanor fix them all up.

Lila carried the bouquet inside and set it on the kitchen table. She took her coat back off and dropped her scarf in a lump on the chair, before plucking the card out of its little envelope. It read, You know, you made me like Christmas. And I didn’t mean to ruin yours. Enjoy the holiday. Love, Theo. She held the card to her chest, her skin tingling with joy.

The handwriting looked similar to the scrawl she’d seen on his ledger book at the coffee shop, which meant that he’d gone into the florist’s himself… Lila turned the card over and read the name: Hutton’s Flowers. With a quick search on her phone, she was able to get the address. But then she paused. Did he want to be found? If there was even a slight chance that he did, it was worth trying to find him. She grabbed her coat again and ran out the door, heading straight there.

Twenty-Three

“I know that it’s not usual protocol, but can you please give me the address of the person who ordered my flowers for