You can say that again,Natasha thought to herself.
“— but now that we’re getting more tourists passing through and more custom, the town has really started to thrive. I always wanted to come back here anyway, but when I heard the mountain had become popular with skiers, I knew it was the right time. So I jumped at the chance!”
Natasha shook her head. The secluded mountainside having been discovered as a great place for family holidays suddenly made all the changes she’d seen around town make a little more sense.
“The diner we used to go to…” she started, only for Sylvie to cut her off with a laugh.
“I know, right? It used to be a total dump! But since Eula took it over she’s really made something of the place. You didn’t see any rats scurrying around the trash cans, right?”
“No, I did not,” Natasha said, joining in Sylvie’s laughter. “Wait – Eula? You mean Mrs. James, who used to do substitute teaching sometimes?”
“Yeah – that’s exactly who I mean. Apparently it was always her dream to run a diner – and remembering how we used to behave in class, I can’t exactly say I blame her for wanting to get out of teaching – so when she heard the old owner was selling up for a song, she went for it. You shoulddefinitelytry the chili dogs. They’re out of this world.”
“I will, if you recommend them,” Natasha said sincerely. “And there’s a garden center now too…?”
“As run by my husband, Gale,” Sylvie said, giving Natasha a quick, slightly shy smile. “You could say he has a bit of a green thumb. I get all my herbs and spices from our garden. I can’t keep a cactus alive, but Gale… well, I guess you could say he has a talent.”
“Oh, you’re married? Congratulations!” Natasha said – and she meant it! But at the same time, she couldn’t ignore the little pang of envy in her heart. She’d never had much time for relationships – she’d been married to her job. The few she’d had had been as disappointing as they had been short-lived.
“Thank you,” Sylvie said, her smile growing wider. “Believe me, it was the last thing I expected – but Gale happened to come into town and… it was pretty much love at first sight.”
“That’s amazing, truly,” Natasha said, returning Sylvie’s wide smile. “It seems like a lothaschanged around here, you included!”
Sylvie laughed. “Oh, you haven’t seen the half of it yet! We even have open-air movie nights out here now. Do you remember Kira?”
“Kira Dearborn?” Natasha asked, cocking her head. She did – Kira had been outdoorsy and athletic at school, so not one of the girls Natasha had spent a lot of time with. But she did definitely remember her always winning every sporting event, even against the boys.
Sylvie nodded. “Yeah – well, she became a ranger for the park area, and a few years ago she married a guy who… well, I guess you could call him a movie buff. But together they run movie screenings in the picnic area of the parklands. If you’re in town, you should come. You’re just in time – spring is just starting, so the movie nights will be starting up again in a couple of weeks, once things warm up!” Sylvie cut herself off abruptly, shaking her head. “But listen to me, rattling on, and I haven’t even asked howyou’redoing! Are you on vacation? What brings you back to Girdwood Springs after all this time?”
Natasha swallowed. In the excitement of seeing – and hearing about – how much Girdwood Springs had changed, she’d forgotten about how reluctant she was to talk aboutwhyexactly she was taking time off from her job. She’d left the city to avoid running into anyone she knew – only for the first person she spoke to turning out to be someone she’d grown up with.
“I… Uh. Well. I guess you could call it a vacation,” she said, realizing she was really raising more questions than she was answering by phrasing things like that. Certainly, Sylvie was giving her a curious look. “To be honest, it’s a bit of a forced vacation,” Natasha forced herself to say, even as embarrassment welled up within her. But she had always thought of herself as an honest person – lying just didn’t come all that naturally to her. “I got a bit burned out at my job – I work in marketing, by the way – and, well… I thought I’d come see how the old place was doing. I’ll only be here for a month, though.”
“Well, a month is plenty of time to take a rest and catch up with everyone and see what’s changed,” Sylvie said with a bright smile, clearly sensing that Natasha was just alittleuncomfortable and not pressing her too hard for details. “And believe me, everyone’ll be glad to see you again. You’ll be more than welcome at the movie night – there’s some flyers by the door, so make sure you grab one! Oh, and –”
Pausing, Sylvie ducked down behind the counter, opening the glass-fronted cabinet containing all her beautiful little cakes and confections. She selected a few, placing them in a box before wrapping it all up in brown paper.
“Here,” she said, pushing the box across the counter to Natasha. “On the house. Consider it a welcome back present.”
“Oh, no – I couldn’t do that!” Natasha protested, shaking her head. “You have to let me pay for these – they’re so beautiful, and it must have taken youhoursto make them –”
“It did, but believe me, it’s a labor of love,” Sylvie laughed. “You remember how I always wanted to be a baker? Well, trust me, I’m living the dream.”
“Are you really sure?” Natasha asked, still reluctant to take something for free, but also seeing that Sylvie wasn’t going to be easily persuaded out of her gift. “I mean, Idohave the money, I promise –”
“Oh, I’m sure of it!” Sylvie said. “But it’s not really about that. And anyway, this is just a sample – I’m pretty sure you’ll be back for more once you try these.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re right,” Natasha said warmly, finally reaching out to accept the box from Sylvie’s hands. “This place looks – andsmells– amazing.”
“Well, definitely don’t be a stranger!” Sylvie said, as Natasha began to turn back toward the door. “And welcome home!”
Home.
The word echoed through her in an odd way as she walked back to her car, the sweet-smelling box of cakes in her hands. Had she ever really thought of Girdwood Springs ashome?
She’d only ever wanted to get out of here as fast as she could when she’d been young – and now, the place had changed so much she barely recognized it.
As she started her car, Natasha recalled Sylvie’s words:I’m living the dream.
