Page 4 of Not Your Enemy

“Jade, do you want these photo albums, or should I save them for your sister?”

She put down the documents she was holding and walked over. Looking over my shoulder, she examined the open pages I held up for her. I couldn’t help but notice how good she smelled. She was still just in her T-shirt that she slept in, so I doubted she had put on perfume or anything. But it was like a woodsy amber scent. Very warm and friendly, so unlike anything I would have expected.

“Jana isn’t going to want pictures of me and her; she’d probably burn or trash them. Just put them with the books; I’ll take them.” She walked away, seeming completely unfazed by how close to me she’d been standing. So close that I could feel her body heat against my back. Maybe I was the weirdo for thinking anything of it.

Shaking myself out of my trance, I thought about her words. She was right; there was nothing in me that thought Jana would want photos of her and Jade. It just felt like something to ask about. Jana liked to share accomplishments with her parents, but other than that, she wasn't close to either of them. So even the family photos would most likely be unimportant to her. But Jade wanted them, and I wanted to understand why. My guess was it felt like the right thing to do: to keep them and not toss away any memories their parents had preserved for them.

By the time lunch rolled around, I had packed up all the books and photo albums. There were a few pictures left on the walls that I hadn’t touched yet because I needed something to wrap them in. Like the albums, I assumed any family photos would go in Jade’s pile. Other than that, all we needed was to clean out the desk. I was unsure if that would be considered a team effort or just a Jade thing.

“Hungry?” Jade asked, heading out of the room. I followed her, stopping when she started walking up the stairs.

“Sure. Want me to make us something?” I asked.

“You made breakfast, so I can make lunch. I’m going to shower and get dressed, and then I’ll head back down.”

I took a seat at the bar, waiting for her to return. While browsing my phone, I checked my messages. When I got here last night, I’d texted Jana, but she still hadn’t responded. Her boss kept her busy even on the weekends sometimes, but it was still unlike her not to text back for so long. I contemplated calling her but decided against it. She was most likely busy, and God forbid Jade walked in and I had to politely end the conversationto appease her.

When she finally made her way to the kitchen, she’d left her straight hair wet and hanging down her back. It looked black and made her mossy green eyes pop even more than they already had. She had on leggings and another T-shirt, this one a navy color that fit tightly to her torso. Something about her “I don’t give a fuck” mannerisms enticed me, despite my better judgement.

“I’m thinking sandwiches. That okay, princess?” That nickname was really getting on my nerves.

“Fine. Please don’t call me that,” I said, trying not to sound as annoyed as I was.

“It fits you so well, you don’t like it?” she asked, her voice full of false concern. I couldn’t see her expression since her back was turned toward me.

“No, it seems very condescending. What do you mean, ‘it fits me so well?’ You don’t know me well enough to make an assumption like that.” Maybe I should’ve bitten my tongue, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

“You just seem very high-maintenance. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.” High maintenance?

“What have I done that made me seem high maintenance?” I asked, emphasizing the last two words.

“Well, for starters, you have your strategies and plans, your need to control what time things get started and how soon they wrap up. Then you have your manicured nails and eyelash extensions. There’s also the makeup you’re wearing when you knew you’d be spending the day packing boxes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all actually quite adorable.”

I was both offended and perplexed by her words. Adorable? I’d never been called that in my life. Did she mean it in a petty way, or does she actually find me adorable? Why can I only focus on that when she made several other statements about her thoughts on me?

“You know, I don’t appreciate your trying to size me up. Maybe I’m too much for you, but I have done nothing to deserve your disliking me.”

I shouldn’t have said anything, been the bigger person and all that. But dammit, she was going to make me explode. It just felt too much like high school, being picked on for the way I looked, my size, my style choices. People saying things that sounded nice when they were actually being fake. I didn't enjoy being the center of attention for that very reason.

Putting down the knife and bread she was holding, she faced me fully with that intense gaze of hers. “I don’t dislike you, Libby. You seem sweet, and I do not know how you’re friends with my sister. I’m just trying to figure you out, loosen you up a bit. Maybe I’m too much for you, though. I’m sorry.” Well, now I feel like an ass because that seemed genuine, and I keep forgetting that she just lost her dad. She has to be going through a lot.

“I’m sorry, I overreacted. I just don’t handle sarcasm well. The whole adorable thing kind of ticked me off,” I blurted out, trying to make up for my harsh words.

“For what it’s worth, I wasn’t being sarcastic. You are…adorable.”

Chapter 4

By the end of the weekend, we’d settled into a routine. I make breakfast, Jade makes lunch, and we kind of did our own thing for dinner. We wrapped up the office on Saturday afternoon and finished up the two hallway closets on Sunday. Unfortunately, there had been a ton of stuff in the storage closets that took us hours to sort through. Jana had told me her mom was an art collector, and I guess I assumed incorrectly when I thought that just meant wall art. The storage closets alone had hundreds of wrapped figurines, trinkets, and statues that would all need to be appraised.

After my shower on Sunday night, I snuck down to the kitchen to grab a late-night snack. It felt like I was being spoiled having access to a filled kitchen like this. I’d intentionally left my kitchen bare so that I wouldn’t give in to my cravings. But when in Rome…

Jade sat at the bar with a glass of wine and a book in front of her. She was back in that oversized band tee she wore to sleep in, with her hair in a high messy bun. My face heated as I took her in. She made me feel nervous, as if I wereunder a microscope. But she also made me feel warm, like butterflies in my stomach type of warm. Before I could analyze my thoughts, she turned to face me. Her plump pink lips tipped in a smile that I returned quickly.

“What are you reading?” I asked, making my way over to the pantry.

“It’s a book I enjoyed growing up. I found it in one of the storage closets we looked through today.” She blushed, and it was charming to see her like that. Embarrassed to be caught reliving her childhood memories as if that was a crime or something. Before I could comment on that, she spoke again. “Would you like a glass of wine?” That sounded good. Plus, a midnight snack always tasted better once you were a little tipsy.

“Sure.” I gave her another smile, which she returned. “So, are you off work for the next couple of weeks?” I asked while she poured me a glass of Chardonnay. I leaned back against the counter across from the bar and thanked her when she handed me my wine.