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With two quick braids, Maisie pulled a sweater on and Callum his favorite sweatshirt. The signs were a bit crooked, but each kid held a pitcher up as they smiled.
“Okay, you crazy sales people, I’ll be inside if you need me.”
“We’ll be back ready to make more lemonade in no time mommy,” Callum said.
Her heart warmed with his optimism. Glancing up and down the nearly abandoned street, between the slight nip in the air she prayed the sun starting to come out would tease people into taking a walk or go for a drive. Otherwise, two heartbroken kids would be all she had at the end of the day.
Amber walked back into the house, pulling up her social media up on the phone. She’d been recently friended by a few of the parents from the soccer team. Her fingers typed out a message then erased it. The smiling faces trying to pull in sales, but she didn’t know how much to share.Hey, lost my job, come by and toss my kids a buck for some lemonade on a fall day.Ugh,Kids gone crazy and want to make a little money this fall.No. Thirty minutes and a dozen different ideas finally had her peering out the window to see the sadness on both faces. But what tugged at her heart was they hadn’t abandoned the dream of selling enough lemonade to make a difference for their family.
Literally turning lemons into lemonade this weekend. Callum, the little man of the house decided he’d set up a lemonade stand to help our family. While heartbroken for a moment, the smiles on the kids’ faces tell me everything will work out. He may not know what the bills are, he and his sister are willing to put in a long day to do what they can for our family. Stop by for a cup or just to tell him what a big man he is and thank his sister for helping out. Loving my kids so much today.
The post loaded and Amber sat by the front window with her laptop open. Searching for jobs and keeping an eye on the kids. Her yard conscious neighbor stopped over after he’d finished raking the front and had a drink. Giving her a toast before walking away. The single sale may be all they got that day, but they were dutiful when they did it. Maisie less enthused than Callum, but that was to be expected.
Two hours had passed. A kid on a bike and woman walking a dog had offered a little boost, but with a sigh, Amber went to refill her coffee mug and prepared herself to help the kids bring their stand in.
A low rumble had her stop mid pour and return the carafe to the coffeemaker. By the time she made her way to the front door, the rumble was a roar as bikes rolled down her street. Then they began parking and wrapping around the street. Her heart stopped as both kids were standing in awe of the men and women dismounting their bikes and approaching the stand. Cash in hand. No fuss, no muss, just a line along the sidewalk of leather, heavy boots and the type of people most would cross the street to avoid.
Gooseflesh erupted over every inch of her body and she had to fight back the tears. Coming more from the excited faces of Callum and Maisie were frantically pouring cups in anticipation of the sales.
Mountain, Red and Roadkill were at the front of the line.
Amber approached them. “Oh. My. God, what is going on?” she asked unsure if she’d slipped into an alternate universe.
“Mountain saw your post about Callum and is it Maisie?” Red asked.
“Yes,” Maisie chirped up.
“And we shared it along with the story of what you did for us. Not all the bikes are being ridden by Steels, but friends of the road nonetheless.”
“Lil’ Bit asked me to buy enough lemonade to fill this travel mug for her,” Roadkill said as she passed the mug to Callum who filled it up for her with the help of Maisie to avoid spilling. “Perfect, she’s housebound, but didn’t want to miss out.”
“I’ll take a glass, and one for my bride,” Red said passing a twenty to the kids.
Maisie dug in Callum’s mason jar for change.
“No need sweetheart,” Red said. “That seems about the right amount for two cups and a travel mug to me.”
“Really you guys,” Amber said. “This is all too much.”
“Not even slightly,” Red assured and stepped away.
Now, Mountain approached the table. Towering over the kids, he clapped his massive hands together then rubbed them. “So, what all do you have?” he asked.
“Just lemonade,” Maisie said.
“But it’s the best in Montana,” Callum boasted. “Made it myself.”
“I’ll take one, but I might come back for more. Don’t want to hog it all,” he said dropping a five in the jar and walking over to Amber.
“Don’t you want your change?” Maisie asked.
“It’s a tip for your smile,” he replied and brought the cup to his lips.
“Maybe you should have tried it before tipping,” Amber suggested.
“Why? Kid said it’s the best in Montana,” he replied. “Can’t trust the salesmen, who can you trust.”
A flash of red and blue followed by a single siren made Amber turn to see three Sherriff’s cars in the middle of the road. Fear crept up her spine thinking the kids were going to be crushed in a moment if any of the people lined up were in trouble.
