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Chapter Sixteen
Derek sat at his desk, only half reading a report from central headquarters. His mind was on his run in with Kylie the night before. Despite his best efforts, he was definitely developing feelings for her. If she wasn’t staying in Camden though, he was only setting himself up for hurt.
He wasn’t getting any work done, so he ran next door to pick up some new hamster bedding for Taco.
Audrey was sitting behind the counter flipping through a magazine when he pushed open the door.
“Hey Aud.” He waved before heading to the house pet section and selecting a bag of shredded cotton hamster bedding.
“How’s Taco doing?” she asked as she rang up the sale.
“Crafty as always,” he said. “Oh hey, do you have any of those hamster balls so the little guy can run around without being on the loose?”
“We don’t, but I can order you one.” She got out the order notebook.
“Thanks. And did Kylie ever ask you about doing pony rides at the fair?”
“She did, and I said I’d do it. She told me all about what the two of you are planning.”
“Well, it’s not us two, really. There’s a group of us.”
“Uh huh.” Audrey nodded knowingly. “She even told me something she hasn’t told you yet.”
His heart stopped for a second, wondering what Kylie would’ve told Audrey in confidence. About the dancing in town hall? What Kylie really thought of him? When she was leaving to go back to the city?
Audrey took a flyer from behind the counter and showed it to him. The bright pink paper was printed with the Toronto skyline and read:
Shop the boutiques of Toronto without ever leaving Camden!
High end, designer, and knock off brands of clothing, bags, and footwear!
Secondhand. Proceeds to fund next week’s Victoria Day Weekend Fair!
Friday evening, Harrington’s Bookstore Café.
“I don’t understand,” he said, reading the flyer over again.
“She knows you don’t have the funds to run this fair. So she’s selling her clothes to raise the money.”
“What? You mean Kylie? She’s selling her clothes?” He couldn’t believe it.
“Yes. Like, allof them. She has a ton,” she said. “We sorted it all last night, and we figure she can make around four thousand dollars.”
“Whoa. That’s a lot of clothes.”
“You bet. And all name brand type stuff. I’ve already bought a few things off her.”
He was floored. Kylie was literally giving the clothes off her back to help him. She clearly wasn’t as attached to her fancy stuff as he thought. “Why would she do that?”
“I was wondering the same thing. I mean a girl doesn’t give up her Jimmy Choos for just any guy.”
“Huh?” He looked up from the flyer to see Audrey with a devilish grin. “Oh no. It’s not like that.”
“Sure, Derek.” She put her hands up in defense. “Whatever you two say.”
He left the store and brought the hamster bedding back to the station, but he still couldn’t settle at his desk. Kylie was doing the most generous thing he’d ever seen, he needed to say thank you. He forgot about his paperwork and left the station to visit the café.
Her black apron was covering relaxed jeans and purple T-shirt. As she was chatting with a couple of customers, her glossy brown messy bun bounced on top of her head.
