Chapter 2
“Lemonade on a hot day! Cool and refreshing, and you’ll be supporting a good cause! Who wants to come get some nice, fresh lemonade?”
Diana Ramos paused to wipe some sweat from her forehead, her throat parched.
She’d be the one who needed some cool, refreshing lemonade soon enough – as if she hadn’t already been sampling her own merchandise, after spending all morning standing in the hot sun, calling out to passers-by about her fundraising efforts for the local pre-school.
At least I’ve raised a bit of money, she thought, glancing down at the small cash box that sat on the table next to the free samples.
People here in Girdwood Springs were pretty generous, after all, and they all knew the pre-school had been in need of a new playground for quite some time. But it was also a small town, and there weren’t many funds available for things like that.
It was true that Girdwood Springs was thriving from the tourists that came through to experience the enchanting beauty of the mountains that surrounded it and the charm of the town itself, but the number of people who actually lived here was pretty small, and the number of kids who attended the pre-school Diana taught at was smaller still.
But despite that, I know people are donating what they can, Diana thought, as a car full of visitors pulled up.
As soon as the kids hopped out, she saw them excitedly pointing over at her lemonade stand – and, thankfully, the parents allowed themselves to be pulled over to where she was standing behind her sales table and its red-and-white checkered tablecloth, which was weighed down with jugs of ice-cold lemonade, the condensation on their smooth glass sides twinkling in the sunlight.
Despite how hot and sticky she felt, Diana did her best to plaster a wide smile on her face.
“You must be thirsty after a long drive – how about some lemonade? All proceeds go toward rebuilding the Girdwood Springs Pre-School playground. You can read about it here if you like.”
Diana held up the small pamphlet she’d written up about why the pre-school she taught at was in such dire need of a glow-up, but the slightly harried-looking father of the family waved it away.
“No, that’s fine – but we’ll take some lemonade. Four cups.”
“Coming right up!”
Four cups, that’s another eight dollars, Diana thought as she reached into the ice box for some freshly chilled lemonade, sitting beneath the table. Every little bit is a step closer to a new playground. Gotta remember that.
She’d taught at the pre-school for six years now – and it was both her job and her passion.
She loved it. Sure, it was a little tiring, and funding was always a little short.
And it wasn’t like she got paid a ton. But knowing her students always arrived and left with huge smiles on their faces made it worthwhile – more than worthwhile. It made her heart sing with joy.
“Here you are – four cups.”
She smiled as the family lifted their drinks to their lips, gulping down the ice-cold lemonade – before their eyes widened in surprise.
“Wow – I guess the food really does taste better out here,” the mother of the family said as she stared almost in awe at her empty cup. “That’s the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted!”
Diana laughed. “Well, I like to think of Girdwood Springs as a pretty special place,” she said, and it was true. And it was also true that the lemonade was pretty good.
“I don’t suppose you could tell us the secret ingredient,” the woman joked, but Diana simply had to laugh at that.
“No secret – just good old-fashioned lemonade, I promise,” she said. “But I hope you enjoy your stay here. Thanks again for supporting Girdwood Springs Pre-School!”
The family moved off, the kids excitedly tugging at their parents’ hands as they moved down the street, seemingly enraptured by every shop window they passed.
Diana couldn’t blame them – Girdwood Springs was a little bit like something out of a fairy tale, with its quaint, colorful buildings, and brilliantly blooming flowers and green-leaved trees lining the sidewalk.
Not to mention the abundance of shopfronts that seemed to attract children like magnets, displaying everything from painstakingly detailed model railways to row upon row of dazzlingly striped homemade candy.
It's like a dream for children, Diana thought with a smile, but it can be a bit of a nightmare for a parent’s wallet!
Not that Diana would have changed a thing about it.
Girdwood Springs had been a wonderful place for her to grow up, even if it had been a bit dingy and run-down back then.
She hadn’t fully appreciated it until she’d returned a few years after graduating from college, being welcomed back with open arms by the townspeople she’d known all her life, even if the town itself was far from glamorous.
And now…
Well, now, Girdwood Springs was undergoing something of a renaissance.
Between an influx of tourists passing through on their way to the ski fields, and some enterprising long-time locals and newcomers alike, the town had been revitalized – to the point where Girdwood Springs was becoming something of a tourist destination itself.
And if there was one person who could be said to be the one who had been responsible for kicking it all off –
“Hey! Diana!”
Diana turned her head, spotting the figure heading down the sidewalk toward her and waving madly.
Speak of the devil and it will appear, Diana thought wryly, waving back. Probably bearing free cake, she added, noting the box tucked under the figure’s arm.
Sylvie – proprietor of Sylvie’s Sweets and Bakery, and in many ways the heart of Girdwood Springs – was notorious for handing out free samples of her to-die-for cakes. Not that Diana was complaining per se, but she was going to have to buy some larger pants if things kept going the way they were!
“Hey Sylvie,” Diana said warmly as Sylvie arrived, the latter trying and mostly succeeding at pulling away some loose strands of hair that had become stuck to her face with sweat.
It really was the hottest day they’d had so far this year, and it had caught everyone by surprise.
A good day for lemonade sales, but not a great day to be the one doing the selling!
Sylvie pulled the box out from under her arm, and Diana groaned good-naturedly as she opened it up.
“I’m not going to be allowed to say no to this, am I?” Diana said, and, as predicted, Sylvie shook her head.
“Not at all,” she agreed. “I thought you’d need something to eat while you were out here doing all this worthwhile work, and you can sell the rest of them. Think of it as my little contribution.”
“Thanks, Sylvie,” Diana said. “I really do appreciate it.”
And she did. Sylvie’s generosity was unparalleled… as was her baking.
She peered into the box.
“Blueberry mini muffins,” Sylvie said. “Gale’s just had a big crop of blueberries come through, so they needed to be used up… and who doesn’t love a blueberry muffin?”
“Who indeed,” Diana murmured, picking one up and biting into it. There was no point in resisting – Sylvie would probably wait here all day if she didn’t eat one. And, Diana had to admit, she was hungry.
“Mmm. That is so good,” she said as she chewed, unable to stop herself from talking with her mouth full. Not only was the muffin soft and sweet and cooked to perfection, with a crunchy dusting of sugar on top, but the blueberries practically exploded with juicy flavor in her mouth.
Sylvie’s husband Gale was their local nurseryman and market gardener, responsible for all the amazing fresh produce and abundant plant life in Girdwood Springs these past few years.
Diana had no idea what his secret was, but everything in Girdwood Springs tasted better than anything she’d ever eaten anywhere else.
She hadn’t been surprised by the family’s reaction to the lemonade earlier – Gale’s lemons were out of this world.
“It is pretty good, if I say so myself,” said Sylvie, around her own mouthful. “Blueberries just taste like summer, right?”
“Definitely.” Diana eyed off the box of mini-muffins – it would be so easy to pop another one in her mouth, but then it would be just one more, then one more.
While all the locals would understand if she said that she’d eaten all of Sylvie’s muffins instead of selling them, she still didn’t want to have to be the one to tell the kids that her gluttony was the reason they weren’t getting a new playground!
“Thanks, Sylvie,” she said. “I’m sure they’ll sell like… well, like the world’s most delicious blueberry muffins. Oh, wait!” She slapped her forehead, before pouring out a cup of lemonade. “I can’t believe I didn’t give you anything. Here.”
Shaking her head as Sylvie opened her purse, she practically forced the drink into her hands. “No, none of that! If you get to give everyone free samples constantly, then this is the least I can do. No arguments.”
“No arguments,” Sylvie said as she accepted the cup and took a sip, but there was a twinkle in her eye that Diana wasn’t quite sure she liked. She sighed in contentment. “Thanks, Diana. Just what I needed.”
“Well, it was hard to go wrong when the lemons were so amazing,” Diana replied. “Please pass along my thanks to Gale – there’s no way I could’ve done so well without them.”
“I’ll let him know,” Sylvie said. “But the lemonade would’ve been great either way.”
Diana leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “The secret… is sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.”
“Now, why didn’t I think of that?” Sylvie laughed. “You learn something every day.”