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Derek wondered what time Kylie had arrived and started working while he was still asleep at Adam’s. She not only kept her promise to run the fair, but she seemed to be more dedicated to it than he was right now. She was a professional at this, and he was acting immature. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure why he ever thought she’d ditch the fair. Maybe he just didn’t want to face her and hoped she wouldn’t show. Well, two could play this game. He would be as professional as her.
While Steve set up his barbeque station, Linda directed the first band to the stage for their sound check, and Derek and Bob helped Audrey put up the temporary corral at the end of the field. Audrey didn’t say anything to him about Kylie, but her cold glare must have meant that Kylie told her about his blow up.
He managed to avoid Kylie until the pet store’s booth had to be relocated away from the dance studio booth, and everyone was needed to carry all the displayed pet stuff.
It was his fault. Kylie never finished her map, and Derek didn’t even think about dogs being next to loud music and twirling children.
“Thanks Derek,” Jim, the pet shop owner, said. “I don’t know who put me beside the dancers, but no one would’ve brought their dogs over for treats.”
Kylie glanced at Derek, probably waiting for him to admit his mistake. He almost kept his mouth shut out of spite, but she’d worked so hard on this event it wouldn’t be fair to let her take the blame for any organizational issues.
Plus, the guilt of how he’d yelled at her was eating at him.
“Sorry Jim, that was my bad.” He shrugged.
Kiley nodded and left the booth.
Shortly after, folks started arriving. There were families, groups of teens and kid packs, and a shuttle bus from Meadowbrook Manor. Dr. Aphra arrived and Derek and Pete took her around the field, stopping to talk with people about the water treatment plant.
The field filled up fast, and it seemed like most of Camden was there. There were lines already at the pony rides and face painting. The high school student council had set up a small midway that had the largest crowd so far. The first band of the afternoon was starting up. Derek wasn’t much of a punk connoisseur, but they sounded good to him.
Brad Martin came into view a few meters from him, and before Derek could spin away Brad caught his eye and rolled over. “Derek, can I talk to you?”
He really wasn’t up for getting chewed out by Kylie’s big brother. “Hey, Brad.”
Brad crossed his arms in front of him. Man, he had huge biceps. The dude was intimidating even without the scowl. “I didn’t want to get involved in whatever is going on with you two,” he said. “But Ky worked her ass off for this event, and you treated her like crap. You better not come crawling to her for help with this stuff in the future.”
“Well, it’s not like she’ll be around for me to crawl to, is it?” He couldn’t help biting back.
“She’s really excited about her job in Hampton, and if you make her miserable here—”
“Hampton?” He had to have misheard.
“Yes. Her job in Hampton.”
“Wait. I thought her job was in Toronto. Didn’t you offer her a job at your company?”
“I did, but she turned me down so she could take this other one.”
Everything froze.
Oh. No.
“Wait,” Brad’s brow furrowed, “you thought she was moving back to Toronto?”
He nodded.
“And instead of asking her about it, you chose to pick a fight?”
He nodded again.
Brad guffawed. “Good luck fixing this one, bro.” And he wheeled away.
The bottom dropped out of Derek’s stomach. He was free-falling with no safe place to land.
