I have a lot of drafts saved in this book leave me alone.
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"It's so nice of you to come up to Winnipeg to spend a week with Hope." Canada smiled as he sat next to Shelby a green-wooded bench at the Assiniboine Downs, where Derby Day was currently taking place. Canada and Hope still didn't hang out as much as they did when they were a couple, but when Matthew found out the American would be alone while Hope, Annalise, and Taylor worked, he offered to accompany her.

"Well, it was nice of her and her family to let me stay with them." She urged as she read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. She did not like being complimented- besides, she wasn't the supposed to be the nice one in the group.

Canada nodded as Shelby turned the page. That's when he caught sight of her hand, gleaming with a sheen sweat and flushed red from the heat.

"Sun's beating down today, eh?" Canada ventured, glancing up at the sky. There was not a cloud in sight and the sun was bright. Where Shelby and Matthew sat, there was no shelter from it's rays.

"Yeah, it's pretty hot." Shelby nodded.

Canada pursed his lips. Shelby's skin was getting rather red not just on her hand, but her cheeks, arms, and legs. "You're gonna get burnt, bud." He stated matter-o-factly.

Shelby shook her head. "I don't burn."

"Then why is your skin getting red?" Canada inquired. He just barely succeeded at kept sarcasm out of the question.

"Oh, I'm more prone to burn while I'm on my medication." Shelby waved the question away, not lifting her eyes from the page. "It's fine as long as I wear sunblock."

Canada's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you wearing sunblock?"

Shelby blinked, finally looking up from her book in realization. "No, I'm not."

Canada chuckled. "Come on, let's go find a seat in the shade."

Unfortunately, the other race-watchers had the same exact thought earlier than Matthew and Shelby. All the benches along the building were filled with the elderly and families with children. Shelby suggested that they just go back to their seats, but there was no sign of the sun letting up, and Canada did not want Shelby burning herself when it was only the second day of her visit. This left them stuck standing in front of closed off doors, well within the shade, and well surrounded by people.

Shelby was not too excited about the situation. She wanted nothing more than to sit down, where she could draw in her sketchbook that she had decided to bring along, or continue reading her book without making her arms ridiculously heavy, but she had to admit, the shade was nice.

About an hour passed of standing in that spot. Nothing eventful happened, save for Shelby getting nervous about a security guard standing by her (she had come into the event following Hope and Annalise into the employee entrance, and she was convinced that everyone else had paid to enter, while she had not). It was until after the first race something else happened.

The man who had been sitting next to Shelby for the duration of Matt and her being there, stood up from his walker. Shelby had mentally pegged him at late 60s to early 70s, and figured he wasn't in the best shape considering he had a cane held in place between his seat and the handles on his walker, on top of having a walker. The whole time, he had been glancing at Shelby, but this time, he stood and turned to her. Shelby glanced at him, her anxiety shooting up.

"Would you like sit down?" He offered, gesturing to the seat on his walker. Shelby's mind whirled with shock. This elderly, crippled old man literally just stood up to offer her the seat on his walker.

"Oh, I'm fine, sir." Shelby assured him with a kind smile. "But thank you."

The man nodded and sat down, and Shelby turned away, flustered.

Canada glanced down at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Canadians are way too nice." She whispered, clutching her sketchpad and book to her chest.

Matthew let out a small laugh. "Welcome to Canada."

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Actually, my "welcome to Canada" was getting flagged in immigration for coming to a foreign country to visit someone I had never met in person.

But that's for another time.