by Jenny Hale
“I’m not sure we can get it out of the ditch. You’ve dug yourself into a pretty good hole. But if you want to try, we can. Worst case, I can drive you home in my truck.” He stood up, lifting her coat off the chair and handing it to her. Then he went over to the closet and pulled out a shovel.
Lila wasn’t any closer to answers, but Theo had used the word “we,” which was a start. She put her coat on and followed him back out into the cold.
When they got to the car, she stopped him. “I’ll tell you what. We get this car out and you tell me what’s going on. All of it. If the car’s stuck, then you’re off the hook.”
His gaze shifted to the tires, half buried in dirt and snow. “You’re always making deals…”
“Do we have a deal?” she asked, ignoring his attempt to sidestep her suggestion.
He shook his head disbelievingly. “Deal.”
While Lila got in the car and wound down the window so they could talk to each other, Theo dug a pretty good trench at the front and back of the two stuck tires. Then he stepped away.
“Put it in reverse and hit the gas lightly,” he told her.
Lila complied; the engine moaned but the wheels rocked backwards a bit.
“Okay, now put it in drive,” he said.
Lila shifted.
“Got it in drive?”
Lila gave Theo the thumbs up.
“When you hear me yell ‘go,’ hit the gas. It’s definitely in drive, right?”
She checked again. “Yes.”
“Don’t run me over.”
“I won’t.”
Theo walked around to the back of the car. “Go!” he yelled.
Lila hit the gas just as Theo grunted loudly, pushing the vehicle. It strained forward, the wheels spewing snow, dislodging itself but not completely out of the dirt. He dug another trench around them. “Let’s do it again. Ready?”
Lila nodded.
“Now!”
Lila hit the gas while Theo pushed, and suddenly the car felt light, releasing from its spot and sliding onto the street.
“Oh! We did it!” Lila said excitedly, the idea of having Theo to herself making her nervous and excited at the same time.
Theo rolled his eyes as he came around and got into the passenger seat, winding up the window. “I can’t believe I lost another bet.” He blew on his hands to warm them up. “Well,” he said, “I hope you’ve got time tonight. You’re gonna hear quite a story…”
“I can’t wait,” she said honestly.
Lila drove off with Theo, and she couldn’t get back to the cabin fast enough.
Twenty-Four
“What do you have to eat at your place?” Theo asked from the passenger seat of Eleanor’s car. “I never had lunch, and it’s nearly five o’clock.”
“I don’t have a whole lot,” she replied.
“We could grab some dinner and take it back to the house.”
“Oh, yes,” Lila said, making the turn back toward Pinewood Market. It had a kitchen where they prepared the most delicious-looking meals, and Lila had wanted to try one ever since that first day she’d stopped in with the girls. “We can grab a bottle of wine too, since it’s a date,” she teased.
Theo raised his eyebrows, but couldn’t hide the fact that he enjoyed her banter.
Lila pulled the car to a stop in the lot outside Pinewood Market. The display windows were all aglitter with white lights and tinsel, and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was playing over the speaker outside. “Do you know what you did that you’ll never live down?” she asked with a devilish grin, as they got out of the car and walked toward the store.
He faced her. “There are so many things,” he said. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“You admitted that you love Christmas,” she stated dramatically. “You are in sooo much trouble now.”
“Oh no.”
She grabbed his hands and lifted his arms, spinning underneath them as if they were dancing in the snow. To her surprise, he gently grabbed her waist and began to sway, taking her hand, pushing her outward, and twirling her back in with perfectly smooth movements. Then he let her go and opened the door.
Flabbergasted, Lila followed him in. “You know how to ballroom dance?” she asked, shuffling up beside him as he made his way to the back of the store. He plucked a menu from the holder on the counter and held it out so she could read it with him.
“My mom made me take lessons as a teenager, before she decided to run off after another lead singer and never come back.”
“Oh,” she said, her pleasure fading. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not,” he said matter-of-factly. “She was a disaster—confusing for a young guy. It took me a long time, and a lot of therapy, to learn that it was her and not me that caused her to leave. But she did give me the ability to dance with you on the front porch of the local market… if that’s a good thing,” he joked, handing Lila the menu. “I think I’ll get the salmon and creamed spinach soup. What about you?”
“The filet with asparagus sounds really good.”
“Excellent.” He turned to the woman behind the counter, who was clearly trying to figure out his story while she put in their orders.
“So, white or red wine?” he asked, pulling a bottle out of the fridge next to the counter.
“Both,” she said with a grin.
He eyed her.
“You said it’ll be a long story. We’re going to need two bottles.”
Theo raised an eyebrow and grabbed a bottle of Sangiovese, setting it on the counter. Then he got out a bottle of Chardonnay. “Both of these too, please,” he told the woman, handing her his credit card.
After leaving the market, they made the short drive along the meandering road to the cabin and carried the steaming containers inside. Lila bustled into the kitchen and dished up their dinners while Theo made a fire.
He dropped the last log on the blaze, which crackled and spat, and then dragged a finger along Charlotte’s stocking, which was still hanging from the mantle along with the others. “Are your friends coming back?” he asked, on his way into the kitchen to join Lila.
“No,” Lila said, trying not to let it get her down. “Charlotte’s in LA, and Edie’s tied up with some big project at work. Piper probably could, but it wouldn’t be the same without all of us.”
“You’re close with them,” he stated, picking up their plates and carrying them to the table.
“Yes. They’re my best friends. I don’t have anyone else. My parents are both gone, and they’re like my family.”
He nodded, thinking. “I gave them a hard time, but they seem like good people.” He pulled out Lila’s chair.
“Wait, the wine,” she said, still standing.
“I’ll get it,” he told her, motioning for her to take a seat. “White or red first?”
“Red, please.” She liked this new Theo—dancing, suggesting dinner, lighting fires. She was afraid to blink, for fear she’d open her eyes and realize the whole thing had been a Christmas dream.
Theo poured their wine and handed her a glass, as he sat down.
She took a sip, the rich floral flavor of it making her feel festive. “So, where do you want to start?” Lila asked.
“Are we jumping right into explanations?”
“Yes. I think it’s best to get them out of the way first, so I can tell you it will all be fine and we can enjoy ourselves.”
“It might not all be fine, Lila,” he said seriously. “But I’ll let you hear it.” He stabbed a slice of his salmon, his jaw clenching as he looked down at it, clearly debating how to begin. “Well, I think the first thing I should tell you is that I’m married.”
Lila, who was cutting a piece of her filet, stopped cold. “What?” Amidst all the updates she’d gotten from Piper and Charlotte, this was something entirely new.
“On paper.” He took a sip of his wine and leaned on the table. “I was engaged to a woman named Alexa.” He took a long, meditative sip. “I d
idn’t want a big wedding. For me, it was about celebrating us as a couple and both of us had families in the public eye, so a huge event would’ve been a complete circus. We would’ve had to hire choppers to do surveillance, guards at every drive… It would’ve been a nightmare.”
Lila remembered Charlotte telling her about Alexa’s family wanting to sue him for the wedding. “But you planned a big wedding anyway?”
“Yep.” He lifted his shoulders and let them fall, doing a little stretch as if to ease his growing tension. “We’d only known each other a little less than a year, but there was pressure from both sides of the family to get married. My dad had invested in a shady business of Alexa’s father’s—something to do with a real estate development he was heading up. My father had overpromised, and when he couldn’t come up with the money, and Alexa had been so intent on getting married, he wanted me to sort of smooth things over by going along with the wedding she wanted. And I didn’t know this at the time, but Alexa’s father didn’t want us out of arm’s reach until he had his money. He also knew that my recording studio, Winding Alley Music, was doing so well that he’d eventually get his money back if Alexa and I split, which he’d placed a heavy bet on. He didn’t like me from the start because I didn’t have Ivy League schooling and a country club card in my pocket. It put a crazy amount of pressure on both of us.”
“I can only imagine,” Lila said. She added more wine to his glass and then took a sip of hers, the alcohol loosening her tight shoulders.
“We didn’t tell anyone, and we ran off to Fiji and got married. I still remember the doubts I had, even as I said, ‘I do.’ I should’ve stopped, but I just didn’t. When we got back home, Alexa’s mother went hysterical and told her it was a disgrace to the family not to have a huge celebration. She really put Alexa through the wringer. And truthfully, Alexa had wanted the big wedding. Looking back on it now, I think she resented me for not agreeing to that lavish ceremony right away. Her mother told us we could still do the wedding and no one would suspect they weren’t our original vows. Next thing I know, I’m having caviar tastings and choosing calligraphers for the wedding stationery.”
“Wow.” Lila couldn’t imagine the burly mountain man she knew doing anything like that. “That doesn’t seem like you at all.”
“It isn’t.” He took another drink from his glass. “To top it all off, Alexa and I were already drifting apart. The excitement was gone for her, and I got a hard dose of reality when I figured out that she’d never really loved me for me. Once I saw through her, I couldn’t bear to pretend. But by the time I realized I was in too deep, I already had a wife and wedding commitments. We were barely even speaking by the wedding, but she refused to cancel—breaking it off would upset a whole lot of people, and ruin her family’s reputation. I knew I had to come clean. I couldn’t live like that. And I wasn’t going to be with Alexa just so she could take half of the business to hand over to her father. Even though, given our little trip to Fiji, that was a real possibility. So I sold Winding Alley Music, and I didn’t tell her. I basically gave it away. I didn’t need it, and I didn’t want my name attached to any questionable business practices. She was furious, claiming she’d never marry a ‘washed-up musician,’ as she called me. After I sold Winding Alley, and before the big wedding, I left her, came here to Pinewood Hills, and opened the coffee shop, never looking back.”
“So what did she say when you left?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there to see. She’d refused to speak to me until the day of the wedding, when she had to. I told her to have it her way and left her a note.” He shook his head, disgusted. “She’s been trying to press charges—for what, I have no idea. There are no grounds to press any charges. It makes no sense. I think she just wants to get me in a room so she can give me a piece of her mind, even if it’s a lawyer’s office. She wanted to sue based on a set of laws called ‘Heart Balm’ laws that claim that by leaving her before the wedding, I was in breach of contract, and that this breach caused her anxiety and humiliation. Those grounds aren’t even valid in Tennessee, but she was using her one-time residence in New York to bring the charges. I doubt they’d stand, but the legal bills for representation would eat away at precious funds. Last I heard, she’d hired a private investigator to find me. She’s so bitter.”
“My God.” Lila couldn’t imagine putting him through that. She stared into the fire, digesting all of this.
Just then there was a knock at the door, interrupting them.
Lila chewed on her lip, deciding whether or not to ignore it, but there was another knock, this one louder. “Just a sec,” she said, placing her napkin on the table and standing up. “Don’t disappear,” she told him with a wink.
Lila opened the door to find Eleanor, holding a gift wrapped in bright red paper. “I wanted to bring this over to you.”
“Come in,” Lila offered.
“Oh my goodness,” Eleanor said, as she reached the kitchen table and saw Theo. “Hello! Lila’s been looking for you—I’m delighted she’s found you. And you two are right in the middle of dinner. I’m so sorry to interrupt.” She set the gift on the table.
“I wanted to do something to say thank you for all your help with sprucing up the place. You truly saved the day. And thank you, Theo, for fixing the plumbing. If I’d known you’d be here, I’d have brought you something too.” She waved her hands in the air. “I won’t stay.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Lila said. “And I’m so happy to help.”
She opened the box to find a brand-new Christmas scarf and mittens set. They were made of the softest large-weave buttercream yarn, with little holly leaves embroidered on them. “These are beautiful,” she said. “Actually, they’re incredible. Where did you ever find them?”
“I knitted them,” Eleanor said proudly. “They’re my own design.”
“Wow.” Lila set them back in the box. “You could sell these.”
“I’ll bet Trudy would like to put a few pairs in the farm’s gift shop,” Theo said.
“Really?” Eleanor asked. “I can make them in about a week.”
“You’re so talented,” Lila told her.
Theo added, “I’ll check with Trudy and get her to call you.”
“That’s wonderful,” the old woman replied, beaming.
Lila’s heart was full at seeing the smile on Eleanor’s face. Now if she could just find a way for her new friend to keep this place…
Twenty-Five
“I love it that we’ve been able to lift Eleanor’s spirits at Christmas,” Lila told Theo, as they settled in the living room with their glasses of wine after dinner. “It makes me so happy.”
“You might be the most kindhearted person I’ve ever met,” Theo said.
“Family is everything to me, and mine was taken away too soon. I think that’s why I enjoy helping people. It makes me feel close to someone.”
Theo took her hand.
“It’s never too late, Theo,” she said.
“What?”
“It’s never too late to fix things with your family. I wish mine were still around, and I don’t want you to regret anything…”
He caressed her palm with his thumb. “You have this innocent outlook on the world, but it’s not always as easy as a phone call. My mother abandoned me. And my father… He’s a complete disaster.”
“Any idea why your dad’s been staying here at the cabins?”
“I don’t know.” He dropped her hand and rubbed his face in alarm. “That’s why I left. And why I went dark—to protect you. I saw him slowly drive by the shop, and I knew he’d figured out where I was. I was hoping to spend the rest of my life alone, away from his warped judgment and bad choices.”
“What happened with him? Would you tell me?”
“Do we really need to get into it?” he asked.
Lila took his hand again and squeezed it gently. “I think that you have a decision to make here,” she said. “If you want to let me in,
you have to let me all the way in.”
Theo took a drink, then held up his glass of wine and looked at it, as if he were playing for time, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. Holding her breath, Lila realized the full scale of what she’d just said. He could get up and walk out right now, and decide not to tell her. Or he could stay.
When he surfaced again from his contemplation, he began, “I owned the production company with my father and I produced some of my dad’s music…”
He was letting her in. The man who hadn’t seemed to let a soul into his world for a long time. Unable to stop herself, she put her hands on his face and kissed him, surprising him, nearly knocking his wine out of his hand and making him laugh. He set down his glass, wrapped his arms around her, and pressed his mouth to hers, the feel of his lips like oxygen, filling her and making her feel like she hadn’t been alive until that moment. Then he pulled back. “What was that for?” he asked.
“For trusting me,” she replied. “Now, tell me the rest.”
He rested his hand on her knee. “So, my finance guy asked me one night if he thought I should change the budget to reallocate funds. When I asked him why, he said it would make sense, since we’d been paying three times the normal amount to my dad in salary for the last few months. When I looked at the books, I found out that my father had been signing business checks in his own name.”
“Why would he do that?” she asked.
“To fuel his overspending habit. He invested in quite a few shady businesses—I’m not sure he knew that at the time. He felt invincible, like he was made of money, and he overcommitted to these people. When he didn’t have what he’d promised, they came looking for him.”
Suddenly, it all became clear—the articles, the media painting him as a bad seed… the press had it wrong: none of this was Theo’s fault. Everyone had been so quick to blame him, and even she had almost fallen for the lies.
“Why didn’t he go to jail for stealing from the company?” she asked.
