Page 291 of Seasons of Love
The couch in front of the fireplace is old but comfortable, and the comforter I bought covers the small tears.
There’s a dining table with two chairs that I found in a yard sale. Once they’re sanded and revarnished, they’ll look like new. That’s a summer job, but they’ll do for now.
I finish the beer and take the bag with my clothes to the bedroom.
Again, it’s a modest room with space for the bed, a chest of drawers, and a chair in the corner.
“Oh shit,” I say when I look out the window. The old curtains looked like they belonged in a crime scene, so I threw them away. I have a new set at home, but I’m sure I didn’t bring them with me. “I guess I’ll be waking up with the sun.”
After putting my clothes away, I head back to the living room.
“So, this is it. For the next two weeks,” I say, doing a three-sixty turn and taking in all the details.
At least there’s plenty to keep me busy. Maybe I should check out the storage shed outside and make sure it wasn’t broken into while I was away. That’s where I store my tools and everything I need to work on the cabin.
I grab my coat, boots, and gloves and head out. The one feature I love about my cabin that none of the other places around seem to have is a wrap-around porch. I guess at some point, the owners expanded the size of their properties and only kept the back decks facing the lake.
It may sound old-fashioned, but there’s something really charming about being able to walk all the way around the cabin. You can set a chair or a bench anywhere you want.
You can follow the sun in the winter or the shade in the summer.
Maybe if I come over a few more times this spring, I can have the cabin fully finished by the summer. The thought gives me a new sense of purpose.
I’m glad to see the lock for the shed is still intact. I open it and grab my toolbox before closing it back up.
When I’m rounding back to the front door, I see the neighbor half-inside the trunk of his car, looking like he’s struggling to get something out.
I set the toolbox by my front door and walk over to help. He doesn’t look like a big person. Maybe it’s the owner’s kid.
“Hey, do you need help over there?” I ask.
The snow slows my steps but not by much, so I’m only a few feet from the guy when he pulls his head out of the trunk.
Pink cheeks and a bright-red nose from the cold, but those same forest-green eyes.
Who did I upset in a previous life?
“Coach!” Bubble says, with the biggest smile, as if he’s just bumped into his best friend. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here…I mean…um, I own the cabin next door.” Fuck. Why can’t I string a whole sentence in the presence of this guy?
“Oh wow, that’s…what a coincidence,” he says, his smile widening. If that’s even possible.
I’m pretty sure if Bubble was connected to a power source, he’d be lighting up the Christmas tree in the Windsor town square.
“I mean, I don’t own that cabin. Have you seen the size of that? But I’m staying there. I know the most generous and stupendous couple, and they let me stay over Christmas.”
The cabin is definitely an upgrade from mine. Up close, I can see it’s been recently renovated. Even the wooden staircase leading to the front door seems new.
“You’re here on your own?” I say tersely before catching myself, but he doesn’t seem to notice my clipped tone.
It’s none of my business what Bubble does or does not do, and with a cabin that size, I doubt someone as outgoing as he will be spending Christmas alone.
“Oh no, my best friend, Juju. She’s coming from LA in a few days, and it’s going to be great. She’s never seen snow. Can you imagine? She’s going to drop dead when she sees all these trees and the white.”
I’m mesmerized by Bubble gesturing at the surrounding landscape, lost in his own bubble. If there was ever a time for his name to fit him perfectly, it would be now.
“It’s quite magical, isn’t it?”
