Page 19 of I Still Love You (Citation Needed)

“No, the shop area isn’t great, but we have a whole workshop set up in the basement with an elevator. We even have a kitchen down there for Zach’s classes. Not that you’ll need it but it’s the perfect space!” Carrie said, and I imagined her jumping up and running around her spaces to get ready for us. “I don’t think there’s going to much of a delay. You should come over when you’re ready.”

Carrie was right, Mason always had a back-up plan. When he had proposed, we were on Cape Cod in early January to work on our dissertations before the semester began. He had picked a cabin that was easy for me to get around and planned his proposal for three different situations. He was able to get reservations at a restaurant, but he was worried that it wouldn’t be accessible so he had a backup restaurant in mind. Even then he prepared for the possibility of a snowstorm preventing us from leaving. His original plan went off without a hitch, but that night in bed we drank the champagne he had bought for his snowstorm plan. How had he not planned that well for his own future?

“My plan was that I would make a fire and pile all the blankets on the floor so we could cuddle and watch the snow fall,” he explained.

“Is that why you brought so many blankets?” I asked him, looking at the massive pile on the couch.

These cabins were popular beach spots in the summer. The property had twelve of them and a pool for guests to use. It was steps away from the beach as well. It was a great space in the summer, but you didn’t spend lots of time inside. The owner had been smart, and half of the cabins could be used in the winter. They were large single rooms with a kitchenette and a fireplace. The bathroom was large since this specific cabin had been designed for accessibility. I imagined us revisiting this spot every winter if we didn’t move here after graduation. Those dreams were dashed and remembering it now made me sad.

Mason always having a contingency plan was his effort to feel secure. I should have known at the time that his need for security would be how he made all his decisions. I had learned that there was no security in the world. I had to fight for everything since my accident. I was never going to look for security and have back up plans because sometimes none of your plans mattered. The only time I had forgotten this was when I was with Mason and planning our life together. It would all fall apart in six months.

Chapter Fifteen

Carrie Woodhouse waved from the open door of The Stash as I wheeled from the hotel to her shop. Lizbeth was behind me, picking her way around the snow, but I was happy with how easy it was for me to navigate between the hotel and store. Even though I had skis for my wheels, I hadn’t needed to do anything special to make sure my chair could navigate through the piles of snow. There weren’t many cars out to watch for either.

“I think you’re going to love the space. We did this huge renovation a few years ago and this was the exact thing I hoped to use it for,” Carrie said as she led us through the warm and inviting shop.

I loved looking at all the yarn on display but resisted the urge to reach out and touch it. I could see how knitters and crocheters got sucked into buying so much of it. The inviting smell of toasting bread and bacon made it even harder to resist curling up with a blanket we passed as Carrie led us to an elevator in the back of the shop.

“I appreciate you opening so early on a Sunday,” Lizbeth said. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about the basement space when Mason and I brainstormed emergency plans when we were getting organized.”

Carrie waved her hand to dismiss her. “I’m glad Mason asked me about this last night before the storm started. Zach and I live right upstairs! It’s our pleasure. He was here already to make food for the cafe. Now he isn’t going to waste any of it. By the way, he decided to do waffles for breakfast. He’s got a few vegan and gluten free mixes he wanted to try. He and Humberto have been making breakfast sandwiches for the few people who have come in so there may be extras of those for anyone who wants something with protein.”

“That’s fantastic. I’m so glad you were able to help us out,” I said as we got on the elevator.

“I was ready to go as soon as we woke up and saw all the snow,” Carrie said. “I hope the delay and location change doesn’t create too much chaos.”

The doors of the elevator opened into a large open room in the basement.

“Wow,” I said, my eyes wide as I looked around.

As Carrie had mentioned, the demo kitchen dominated the space outside the elevator. That made sense. It would make it easier to carry food up and down for events with the elevator right there. Even now, food was set up for those of us who needed it.

“Thank you!” Carrie said, standing straighter with pride. “A lot of different people gave us input into building this space a few years ago. We’ll keep the food in the kitchen area. There’s the big collaborative space in the center of the room but there are also smaller rooms. The walls are glass but pretty soundproof.”

I moved through the room, looking at the spaces we would work in. There were bins of yarn stored in bookcases in every room, but for the most part, the tables were clear and seating was abundant.

“Oh, we can also adjust the height of the tables,” Carrie said as she went to a table in the middle of the room and pressed a button on the side. “It’s great to transition between kid and adult classes. Mason teaches people to edit Wikipedia and likes to have them at standing height so people can move around.”

The elevator opened again and Mason entered with Zach, who I recognized from the other meals he had catered this weekend. He was lean with blond hair. They were both carrying trays of food and they placed them on the island in the kitchen. My stomach clenched as Mason and I made eye contact. It was clear that he had built a life here and was happy even if he was about to lose his job. Seeing him utilize his position in the community to help even more people was a sign that the man I had loved wasn’t gone. If Lois hadn’t moved the goal post for tenure, he would still be happy here.

“This is my partner, Zach,” Carrie said as the man walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I don’t know if you got to meet him this weekend.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I feel like we’ve circled each other for years,” he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

I laughed. “More people in my life keep coming to Lacock.”

I didn’t add a line about how I often encouraged them to skip this city. It was too rude to say that to the people not only welcoming us to their space and accommodating us, but these were the people working to make Lacock more accessible. I wished they had been doing this when I was here.

“We’ve got a few different waffle mixes ready for people. I’m going to get the waffle makers so people can make their own when they want,” Zach explained as he set up. “Plus, I’m going to bring the extra bacon and eggs down here for those interested.”

I nodded but was more focused on what Mason was doing. He took half the waffle mixes, all in different color pitchers, and put them on the cart. It so happened that the cart was low enough for me to reach. Next, he pulled out plates and other utensils, putting half on the cart and the other half on the kitchen island.

Carrie beamed with pride about her space and awareness of people’s various needs. I was sure she might come off as self-congratulatory and a bit narcissistic, but I liked Carrie’s energy. She seemed to want to make her community better. I couldn’t blame her for taking pride in her success. I didn’t forget it was Heather who had warned me about Carrie. There were too many signs that it was Heather I should mistrust, so her assessment of anyone was suspicious.

Carrie went over to Mason once everything was set up. “If you need anything else, I’ll be upstairs and I’ll be back to deliver lunch with Zach.”

Mason gave her a hug. “You’ve been so flexible. Thank you.”