There, in her cash box, was a twenty-dollar bill thatdefinitelyhadn’t been there before.
How’d she manage that?!
“Hey!” she yelled at Sylvie’s retreating back, but Sylvie just waved without looking back and kept walking.
Diana sighed, even as a smile crept over her face. Girdwood Springs really did have the most generous people she’d ever met.
It was with renewed vigor that Diana got back to work, squeezing lemons, handing out muffins, and serving thirsty patrons. The stream of customers continued to flow, and the bills in the cash box increased steadily as the day wore on. Friends and strangers alike dropped in looking to quench their thirst or lend a hand, and the hours flew by.
Eventually the sun began its inexorable mid-afternoon descent across the sky, and the customers started to dissipate as people started thinking less about cold drinks, and more about upcoming dinners.
And not a moment too soon – Diana was down to her last jug of lemonade, her once-bountiful lemon stocks now reduced to an enormous pile of sad-looking peels.
“Phew.”
She sank down gratefully onto her folding chair, allowing herself a taste of the lemonade – whichwaspretty darn good, if she did say so herself – and counting out the bills from her cash box.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
There was still a long, long way to go, but she couldn’t let herself dwell on that – she had to concentrate on how far she’d come. The other pre-school staff were all holding their own fundraising activities as well, so maybe once they’d all pooled their profits, they could…
Well, there’d still be nowhere near enough. But it was a good start. Maybe they’d be able to at least scrape together the money for the materials soon, and then it would just be a matter of fundraising enough extra money for the labor required to make it happen. Perhaps there was a local company that would be willing to do the work cheaply in exchange for the publicity?
She was so caught up in her musings that she didn’t even notice the customer approaching her until a shadow fell over her. Even then, she took a moment to enjoy the coolness of the sudden shade before her brain clicked into gear.
Startled, she looked up…
And up…
That guy is…reallytall,she thought, swallowing hard.
Maybe it was just because she was sitting down?
No, he was definitely tall. Andbuilt.
And wearing shorts and a tank top, and carrying an oversized backpack, and maybe just abitsweaty, which normally Diana wouldn’t have cared for at all, but for some reason in this instance it just made her jaw drop ever so slightly.
Yowza.
He was the complete opposite of the guys she usually noticed, whose appearances tended to be what she would describe ascerebralif she was feeling generous, andnerdyif she was feeling less so. And there was nothing wrong with that!
But something about this guy was awakening a part of her that she hadn’t even known existed. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
Even when she’d seen the other tall, gorgeous hunks that seemed to have been congregating in Girdwood Springs over the past few years for some inexplicable reason, she hadn’t been attracted to them. She’d been able to recognize that they would generally be considered hot, but they weren’t her type.
Until now.
“Uh…” The handsome man scratched at his lightly stubbled jaw, and Diana tried not to melt right off her chair. “I was going to get some lemonade, but I didn’t realize you were closed for the day.”
“No we’re not!” Diana shot to her feet before her brain could catch up with the rest of her, slamming into the tableand sending the jug rocking precariously. She grabbed at it with one steadying hand while picking up a cup with the other, and managed to pour out a serve without spilling ittoomuch.
The man watched on, bemused, as she thrust the cup at him. “We’re definitely still open! Here you are! On the house!”
Wait, what? Since when do I give up my principles for a gorgeous face and a hot body?!
But it was too late – she couldn’t exactly go back on her offer of a free drink now. She resolved to add an extra two dollars from her own purse afterwards.
Obviously confused, the man blinked his eyes – his gorgeous, dark, infuriatingly long-lashed eyes – and looked down at the pamphlets.
