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She wondered what might’ve happened if they had gotten together in high school. Her curiosity mixed with something else. Longing. She’d been so enamoured with him back in school.
“We can walk over to Nicks if you’re still going?” he said as they were finishing the cleanup.
“Thank you, but that’s okay. I can head over myself in a minute.”
“I know this is only Camden, but everyone in town is going to know you had this sale and are walking around with a giant pile of money,” he said.
“Fair enough. Let me get my bag.”
Kylie locked the door to the café. The few main streets of Camden were lit with lantern style lampposts along the sidewalks. The night was cool, and she wrapped her sweater tighter around herself.
“Thank you for doing all this,” he said. “Selling your clothes seems a bit extreme though.”
“Yeah, I know. Honestly though, it kind of feels good to get rid of them.”
“Why’s that?”
“If I hadn’t spent all my time and money trying to live a life that really wasn’t me in the first place, I wouldn’t have lost a job I loved.”
“I’m sorry you did. I bet you were amazing at it. But I’m also glad. If you had stayed in the city, I’d still be stuck trying to figure out how to get public support against the water treatment plant.”
“Oh, I meant to tell you,” she said, “Pete made up a fact sheet about the water treatment debate, and we passed them out at the sale. Anyone who had questions, I told them to talk to you, so don’t be surprised if you have some calls coming in.”
Derek stopped. His gaze was so open, like he was drinking her in. She shivered, remembering their closeness in town hall.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” He looked directly into her eyes.
Her stomach fluttered. “You’re not so bad yourself you know.” She put a hand on his arm but immediately drew it back. The touch having sent a spark of electricity through her fingers.
“I mean,” she stammered, “you’re already working full time and parenting, but you still took on town council and are working for the good of the town. It’s amazing.”
“I know it may seem ridiculous to you,” he said. “But I really love this town. It’s my home.”
Her stomach twisted. “It’s my home too.”
“I’m sorry, Kylie, I didn’t mean—”
“No. It’s okay. I’m the one who left. Sometimes I wish I’d never stayed away.”
“Really?”
“I missed out on so much.” A sob welled up in her throat. “I guess I never appreciated how great my friends here were until I came back.”
With that she continued down the street, hiding her face. Even in the dark evening, it was hard to speak the truth. Derek grabbed her arm and spun her back to face him.
He placed his hand on her cheek. The touch was heavenly, and she rested her hand on top of his. Closing her eyes, she relaxed into his palm. He closed the distance between them and put his other hand in her hair. When she opened her eyes, he was watching her with lowered lids.
“Is this okay?” he whispered.
She nodded and leaned in until their mouths met. A light kiss. Then she slipped her arms around his waist, and he pressed his lips more firmly onto hers. After a moment, they pulled apart. He was grinning at her like the cat that got the milk.
Her breath hitched. “We should get to the party.”
“We should.” He nodded.
After a pause, she pulled him close again and brushed her lips against his. He returned the kiss, weaving his hands up through her hair. It was soft and sweet at first then became more urgent. She slid her arms up his chest and caressed the hair at the nape of his neck.
Coming to her senses, she let go and stepped back. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea. I don’t want to confuse things.”
“Too late for that I think.” Derek moved in and wrapped his one arm around her waist, while placing his other hand gently on her cheek, meeting her lips with his.
She melted into him, letting her guard down. She kissed him back, and came undone, because there he was, and he wanted her too. Somewhere in the back of Kylie’s mind, a voice of warning told her to be careful before her heart got crushed. But as their kisses grew longer and more passionate, that voice grew quiet.
