Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,8
enough to keep them entertained for an entire week, and now this place was falling apart.
“There was no way for you to know,” Piper replied, consoling her.
“We paid our hard-earned money for this.” Edie’s expression was serious as she waved her hand, as if to showcase the sad line of frost-coated shrubbery, barely surviving in a bed of wet mud. “I’m going in and demanding that we get a refund. I’d rather go back to Nashville and stay at a hotel where we can drink twenty-dollar-a-glass champagne at a rooftop bar. There’s no way we’re having our vacation in these conditions.”
Edie marched up the cinderblocks, wobbling on an unsteady step, the other women filing in behind her. They gathered around the door and Edie knocked. When no one answered, she knocked harder, exhaling in frustration.
The door finally opened, and just as Edie opened her mouth to say something, she stopped.
An old woman with a kind smile and bright green eyes was standing on the other side, and from the look on her face, she was positively delighted to see them. She clasped her hands against her large bosom and peered out at them tentatively, as if the mere sight of them would bring her to tears.
“Hello,” she said warmly as a tabby cat snaked through her legs, purring before it jumped down from the porch and scurried across the yard. “I’m Eleanor Finely. I’m so happy y’all came to Fireside Cabins today. I’ve been working hard to get things ready for you. Let me just grab my coat and I’ll show you to your cabin.” She waved them in. “Come inside and get yourselves out of that dreadful cold.”
Lila led them in. The house didn’t feel much warmer than outside, despite the fire in the old stone fireplace. Next to it was an upholstered chair, an open book with a pair of reading glasses on its arm, and a wadded afghan in the seat. The interior was traditional cabin décor—all wood with beautiful, bucolic charm, but the cushions and throw pillows were dated, and there wasn’t a shred of Christmas to be seen. What was with this town? Did nobody celebrate Christmas?
“What should we do?” Piper whispered to Lila. “That woman seems so happy we’re here.” Her expression reminded Lila of the way a child looked up to a parent, except she wasn’t exactly sure what to do herself. “Maybe we can hike the trails and hear about all the history in the area?”
Lila shrugged in response and eyed Edie.
Edie laughed quietly at the ridiculousness of the situation, putting her hands up as if to say, “I have no idea.”
“Let’s just take a look at our cabin,” Charlotte whispered. “Once we’re on our own, we can decide our next move.” She quietly shushed them as Eleanor came swishing down the hallway in her coat and hat, carrying a set of keys.
The elderly woman slipped on a pair of boots lined up next to the door. “Follow me,” she said, heading out to the front porch. “Watch your step,” she warned as she stepped over a broken board. “I’m planning to get someone to fix that once the weather clears up.”
There was a lot more to fix at this cabin than that one loose board, but Lila smiled politely at her. “We’re excited about the nature trails,” she said, trying to stay upbeat.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, dear,” Eleanor said. “They’re closed due to so many downed branches.”
“All of the trails?” Edie asked.
“We had a storm about a year ago…” Eleanor added.
“A year ago?” Edie glared at the others.
Charlotte elbowed her lightly, clearly feeling sorry for the old woman.
“Yep,” Eleanor said. “My cat Presley is the only one who walks them now.”
“Is he named after Elvis?” Piper asked.
“Actually, yes. My late husband found the cat as a kitten when it was curled up inside his dress boots, which he’d left outside the front door by accident. They were blue and suede,” she said with a grin.
They crossed the yard through the icy cold to another cabin, taking a steep path up the hill. When they got to the top, Lila couldn’t take her eyes off the sweeping view in front of her. She could see the town down below, and the endless expanse of hills that surrounded it. With the newly fallen snow, they glistened under the rays of the sun that had only briefly made its appearance. The porch on this cabin was at least intact, and two rockers made of