Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale Page 0,99
wasn’t a liar. While Theo had tried to warn Lila, the enormity of the situation really hit her now. Was she really ready for all this?
Thirty
Lila had slept from the time Theo left all the way through the night, and she’d spent the whole day walking around the cabin on autopilot. She’d gotten ready, made coffee, turned on the Christmas lights, thrown a log into the fire, and settled on the sofa, her mind completely empty of solutions. She hadn’t moved from that spot except to nibble on some leftovers, but her appetite was nearly nonexistent.
As she watched the sun set out her window, her eyes on the pink haze peeking through the grey clouds rolling in, she knew she had no way to fix this. She and Theo would just have to endure his divorce together and face whatever came their way. Would their new relationship be able to withstand this level of anxiety? She had no answers. No answers, no place to live, and no job—her life in boxes sitting in an apartment she still hadn’t totally moved out of.
Breaking the silence, Theo burst through the door. “I know you want to be alone,” he said. “But I need you to get into my truck and come with me.”
“Why?” she asked.
Theo took her hands and pulled her to a standing position. “Trust me.” He walked her to the door and handed over her coat.
“Where’s Smash?” she asked, slipping on her boots, confused by his behavior.
“You’ll see.” He opened the door and they headed to his truck, where he motioned for her to hop in. “I’ve been busy…”
She’d never seen him this happy and animated. His fondness for her radiated from his face as he looked at her, her worries disappearing in that moment. She realized that in their short time together they’d shared more of their thoughts and feelings than she and Razz ever had. Despite what lay ahead of them, he’d broken his walls down and let her in. That meant everything. “Aren’t you worried at all about Alexa?” she asked.
“Nope. I don’t care what she says about me or us. I’ve got my attorney working up the divorce papers.” He put the truck in gear and pulled out of the drive. “I’ve also got him filing restraining orders against her for both you and me, along with the divorce paperwork.”
Theo drove the short distance into Pinewood Hills with an enormous smile on his face.
“What is up with you?” Lila said with a laugh.
He glanced over at her happily. “Well, I had something I wanted to show you when you got here yesterday, but Alexa put a slight kink in my plans.” He pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the coffee shop.
“What are we doing here?” Lila asked. The lot was full of cars, the windows twinkling with Christmas lights from inside. The for-sale sign was gone and the coffee shop had a new sign on its roof. Painted on a long plank of white painted wood in black letters, it said, Fireside Coffee. She’d been so consumed with her thoughts that she’d totally missed it when she’d driven by yesterday. “Fireside Coffee—like the cabins?” She twisted toward him, excitement bubbling up.
“Eleanor suggested it,” he said with a smirk. He put the truck in park and ran around to her side, opening her door.
Lila got out and gasped when she realized what was positioned to the side of the building. “Is that a sleigh?” she asked, pointing to it. “A sleigh pulled by reindeer?”
“It’s what you wanted, right?” He took her hand and led her to the front door, opening it for her.
Christmas music poured through the doorway as she entered, and she found out why the parking lot was full. Every table was filled with people, drinking coffee, eating cakes and pastries, while Smash strummed a guitar as he sang the lyrics of the festive tune on a makeshift stage in the corner. He paused to wave to her from beside the biggest Christmas tree she’d ever seen. It was brimming with white lights and sparkling ornaments.
Theo whispered into her ear from behind her, “I didn’t sell the coffee shop. I never agreed to the offer.”
She turned around. “I wasn’t serious when I said I wanted all this,” she said, soaking it all in.
“It doesn’t matter. I’d give it to you anyway.” He took her hand. “Come on. I’ll make you a coffee. I have almond milk…”