Chapter 27
Since her conversation with Sylvie in the Clucky Ducks ladies’ loos, it was as though something inside Alyssa was starting to unlock.
She’d spent days going through all the emotions, from frustration with herself for running from her hometown without letting Sylvie and Devan explain, to deep regret for what could have been.
She’d moved the jigsaw pieces around in her head, wondering if her parents could have been less self-centred and have tried to reconnect them, or whether Sylvie’s dad could have been less of a drunken shit.
But her conclusion was always the same. Life was life.
It dished out its lessons and you just had to learn from them.
She was sad for the things she’d missed – but like Mrs Halfpenny’s lost idiot on the roundabout, she couldn’t go backwards.
There was only ever onwards. It wasn’t always easy to list her reasons to be cheerful, but with a lot of deliberation, a bit of allotment Tea and Sympathy, and a treat or two of tiramisu, she was getting there.
It was gutting that she hadn’t been around for Sylvie, but at least Devan had been.
He’d done a selfless thing, and being a doting parent to Emmalina was a much worthier cause than their teenage crush.
And another thing had occurred to her, since Sylvie’s words.
Perhaps the nineteen-year-old Beryl hadn’t been rejected or unloved in the way she’d always thought – at least not by her friends.
If that was so, maybe she’d constructed her new persona for all the wrong reasons.
Was she ready to let down a few walls and dare to be herself? And would the right people accept her?
These novel thoughts could be the only reason Alyssa was now bouncing along the road, wearing ‘clothes you wouldn’t mind getting bodily fluids spilt on’ as the app had bizarrely suggested, on her way to Love Task Four.
Wait, she was bouncing? It had been a long time since her trusty flowered army boots had seen her being that energetic.
If she was honest, this was the first time she’d been actively looking forward to seeing Devan for one of their tasks, even if that felt confusing.
Since Sylvie had revealed her relationship with Devan had been a front and he hadn’t made her pregnant, each time Alyssa played things over in her mind, Devan emerged as a good guy, rather than the liar and cheat she’d spent years wrongly casting him as.
And, as unnerving as it was after all this dormant time, she could almost sense her feelings for Devan growing, like a strange, untamed thing. Part of her wanted to run for the hills or deny it. And she was a long way off believing in a thing called ‘love’ – or perhaps even trust.
But was her heart slowly coming back to life? God, she’d better warn her ribcage.
She took in her surroundings as she walked, which she found herself doing more and more lately, rather than ignoring the loveliness in case it had a chance to seep in.
It was one of those postcard-perfect streets with Cotswold stone cottages, some with thatched roofs and pretty rose bushes.
Birds sang from hedgerows, and she could hear the distant trickle of the stream they used to dip their toes in, as children.
A place that invited you to relax. To stay.
Alyssa shook her head. If she was going to let these unusual feelings keep growing like the roots of an apple tree, she would have to talk to Devan about what Sylvie had said.
Could she do that today? And what kind of dangerous new world might that lead to?
Life had been much safer before she’d started bouncing along, appraising people’s perennial bushes.
But she couldn’t forget what Mrs Halfpenny had warned about shutting people out and staying lonely.
‘Oh!’ Devan stepped out onto the pavement in front of her, making her jump. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you yet.’
He’d just emerged from the front garden of a quaint-looking cottage. Did he live there?
‘I wasn’t expecting to catch you checking out my foliage.’
He winked at her and moved in for a swift kiss on the cheek. For once, she was angling her face towards him, with zero impulse to throttle him.
‘Ohhhh,’ she heard herself say again, kind of stupidly.
It was just a peck. His lips had touched her for one single second.
That strange spark couldn’t actually have happened, unless he’d spent the morning rubbing a balloon against his hair to make himself electric.
She cleared her throat. ‘I mean, hi! I was on my way to the task. You know. In my best outfit for getting splashed in bodily fluids.’
She winced. That really did sound awful. And why was she acting like some sort of weird, love-drunk puppy? She was not going to start conceding to herself that the L word was a thing.
To her relief, Devan just laughed, linked his arm through hers, and continued to walk with her along the road.
Wow, they were arm-linking now? Though as her latest spicy dreams kept reminding her, they had spent a whole night temptingly close together on the camping task, even if it had mainly been about survival.
‘Any clues on what the bodily fluids thing is about?’ He gave her a gentle nudge. ‘Shooting a dodgy porn movie? Clearing up geriatric wee?’
Well, that last option would certainly dampen the flames. Maybe she’d better hope for that one.
‘Just to be clear, I’m not available for low-quality porn. Or any quality porn,’ she added quickly. ‘No porn happening today. Or any day! I don’t even own nipple tassels.’
God, she was rambling nonsense. The sooner they got to their hopefully un-kinky destination, the better.
‘Any idea what this task is about?’ She gave him a gentle nudge back, enjoying the feel of her shoulder against his and the way it brought them closer.
‘Handy that it’s apparently on your doorstep, so you could pretty much roll out of bed.
’ And back into it, her wayward brain added, trying not to dwell on how their last task ended in a just one sleeping bag situation.
If she couldn’t keep her mind and body in check, it was going to be a long day.
‘No clue. But we seem to be here.’ He stopped outside the address they’d been given, and they both looked up. ‘Hartglove Animal Rescue Centre,’ he read. ‘Where no stray is turned away.’
‘They obviously haven’t met us yet,’ Alyssa replied, praying they did turn away big snakes and hairy tarantulas, because they were fears she was absolutely not ready to face. Being around Devan with a confused heart and diminishing reasons to be mad at him was challenging enough.
‘How are you around mammals giving birth?’ The spiky-haired young woman behind the desk of the animal rescue centre, whose name badge said ‘Hedgehog – She/Her’, seemed flustered.
‘I don’t have any experience of it,’ said Alyssa, hoping it was just a random question and that she’d soon be petting bunny rabbits or feeding cute kittens.
‘I … erm … prefer to steer clear of the business end,’ said Devan, running a hand through his hair, his cheeks pinkening. ‘When it’s not strictly my business.’
‘Today, everything’s your business,’ said Hedgehog, throwing them both ‘Save Hartglove – I’m Sow into You’ T-shirts and rummaging under the desk for further supplies.
‘It’s all hands on deck, because there’s only us three, and all of this.
’ She pointed to a long, complicated-looking spreadsheet.
‘Vet’s on her way from Taybury to check on our mini pig, Nicole Pigman – the Sow.
She looks like she’s ready to give birth, but she’s making a fuss about it.
Much more of a diva than her celebrity namesake, and not nearly as good at singing.
’ A look of love spread over her face. ‘She’s a beauty though.
She’ll steal your heart, if you let her. ’
‘I know the feeling,’ said Devan, almost to himself.
Alyssa dared a swift glance at him. He looked adorably flustered.
‘I mean, being no good at singing,’ he added quickly. ‘Bet the pig’s better than me.’
‘Riiiiiiight,’ said Hedgehog, glancing between them, sensing who knew what, and grinning.
‘This is your fourth love task, isn’t it?
’ She checked her notes. ‘Teijo’s running late, but he says the app has chosen this task to help you work on trust, communication and your spirit of commitment.
And if you end up helping N-Pig to spurt out the world’s cutest pig babies, you can throw vulnerability, emotional support and a whole lot of heart-eye emojis onto the list. Prepare to fall head over heels. ’
‘I’m in full control of my heart-eye emojis,’ Alyssa confirmed. Though she wasn’t sure how true that was today.
‘Miss Heart, Teijo wanted your thoughts on the app’s choice of task and the importance of the relationship ingredients it aims to help you with.’
Alyssa didn’t feel her usual compulsion to rally against ’Appy Together nor to reel off her usual derogatory jibes. In fact, she might even wear the horrific-looking T-shirt. She settled on: ‘I’m open to seeing how it goes.’
‘It’s a miracle,’ Devan breathed.
‘Teamwork, guys,’ Hedgehog reminded them. ‘Your mission today is bigger than yourselves. Can I trust you to work together?’
‘Team Alyvan,’ Alyssa joked, snapping a few selfies with Devan for social media, even though she usually made sure he was nowhere near her pics. ‘You and the animals can count on us.’
Their first job was to check on Nicole Pigman.
‘Wow, Hedgehog wasn’t exaggerating about feeling heart-eyes towards this beauty,’ said Alyssa, surprised to find the small pig so endearing.
Nicole had the cutest baby-pink skin with a smattering of black spots, and a downy layer of cinnamon-coloured hair that had perhaps inspired her near-celebrity name. She’d made herself a nest of hay in her indoor pen, and was lying on it, looking entirely worn out.