It was kind of stupid for me to start getting jealous over it.
Chapter 11
Jade
It was stupid to get jealous over. It wasn’t even like I was interested in Alyssa like that, so I had no reason to feel anything about something as predictable as Abby taking Alyssa on a date. I probably should have seen it coming when Alyssa mentioned Abby joining her for the hike yesterday, and then seeing Abby all dressed up at the Birdhouse… the pieces of the puzzle were already all there.
Guess it was on me for starting to feel attached to someone. This was why I hated pretty girls. They barely had to lift a finger, and people would lose their minds and start acting weird, winding up one-sidedly feral. Myself included. So when I saw Abby sidling up close to Alyssa and playing with her dress, batting her eyelashes and flirting, I’d excused myself from the chat with Daniela and slipped outside. Felt stupid for a minute for having volunteered to drive her home, thinking she was probably leaving with Abby tonight, but then I’d spotted her on the terrace clearly spiraling, and everything had just happened from there. I held the passenger side door for her as she climbed into my Jeep, and I hoisted myself up into the driver’s side door and shut the door to where Alyssa was looking calmer already, her eyes focusing more sharply.
“Doing okay?” I said, and she ducked her head, blushing a little.
“Sorry, I was just smelling your car. That’s a weird thing to say.”
“Probably just smells like cake and pastry right now.”
She laughed. “It’s not that. I mean, there’s a little bit of that, but you know, just… I guess it makes sense. You probably haul a lot of candles around in here.”
Oh, yeah. She had commented on how nice the car had smelled. I’d kind of gone nose-blind to the scent inside my car a while ago, but it did smell like candles, now that I thought about it. My signature style was more woody, earthy and spiced—cozy scents. So even though I made and shipped all kinds of candles, there was a predominant theme that lingered in the car.
“Candles and trees,” I said. “I’ve hauled a bunch of saplings around in here.”
“Have you really? What is it you do, exactly?”
“Public works operator for the local government. If this town were bigger, I’d probably be solely on road duty, filling potholes, but luckily, most of my work is with the parks and forestry.”
“That’s so cool,” she laughed, eyes sparkling. Starting to get a bit more of herself in them. Wondered if she was going to start feeling better and want to go talk to Abby some more again instead. God, I was being stupid. “So you’re like a park ranger.”
“Kind of. You know jobs are a bit fuzzy around the edges out here in the middle of nowhere. So yeah, you’re smelling a combination of candles and the various plant babies I’ve hauled back and forth. And probably some pastry too.”
She took a long breath in, closing her eyes and letting it out slowly, her shoulders sinking. “It’s nice,” she said quietly. “It’s very… calming.”
I stopped, gaze lingering on her. She was clearly in a nervous state ever since she left Sawyer, fight or flight reflex fully activated. I knew better than anyone how scent could be grounding.
I’d drive a little slower than usual. Maybe she needed a little extra time in the car.
“You can relax, put some music on if you want,” I said, opening the center glove compartment. “It’s mostly indie stuff, folk pop. Straight to Daniela’s?”
“If you wouldn’t mind… you spoil me, honestly.”
“Like I said, it’s on the way.” I started the car as she went rifling through the CDs in the center compartment.
“It’s cool you have CDs. Physical media and all that. I just have Spotify, but I feel uncool saying that.”
“There’s just something about being able to hold the physical manifestation of something I like,” I said. “Probably a good thing I didn’t get into vinyl, or I’d have a problem.”
She put on a Hozier album, and it started playing as she shifted back into her seat, closing the glove compartment and relaxing so much she seemed to shrink a full few inches. “So,” she said after a second, “you feeling okay? Having talked to Daniela and all that… you seemed to get along well.”
“Mm.” I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, keeping my eyes on the road. It was dark out, dark and quiet. My favorite kind of drive. Alyssa seemed to enjoy the music kept low and atmospheric like I did, and I was grateful she wasn’t the type to crank it to eleven. “I’m glad she didn’t try to lay into me this time.”
She frowned at me. “She’s been laying into you?”
Shouldn’t have said anything. I shrugged. “Just because she wants me to get back to the Birdhouse, back to the community…”
“If she’s been pressuring you, that’s not fair on her part,” she said. “I can talk to her.”
“Please don’t. This is what I mean. I don’t want to screw with your friendships. Especially not for the sake of mine when I’m halfway out the door.”
“Right…” She looked away. “I just don’t want you to feel like you’re alone in it.”
