Alarmed, Brad quickly reacted by grabbing Jody’s arm to maneuver her protectively behind him. His abrupt action served to remedy the time warp she’d just imagined. To Jody’s dismay, he scanned the place where Fiona stood and found nothing that should cause such a reaction.
Trying to keep her face a blank slate, she returned her gaze to the little girl. Flabbergasted, Jody stood stock still. She had no idea how she’d be able to come up with a plausible explanation for her actions.
Her gift had remained a highly guarded secret from anyone associated with Fur Baby. To keep her personal life from interfering with her professional life, she believed her psychic abilities must remain undisclosed. The two just weren’t compatible. There wasn’t anything she detested more than deceit, but Fiona had left her no choice but to do some quick damage control. She’d have to lie her ass off. Not being creative enough to be a good liar, she didn’t need a crystal ball to recognize she was in a world of hurt.
Trying to regain her mental balance, Jody forced herself to take a deep breath and closed her eyes. In her mind’s eye, a vision of the Tasmanian Devil whirling like a tornado and damaging everything in its path popped up in rare cartoon style. She briefly wondered if the little devil referenced her current unbalanced state or just Fiona herself. Either way the premonition didn’t bode well for Jody.
Feeling even worse about the situation now, she opened her eyes just in time to see little Fiona’s chin drop to her chest. Her tiny body swayed back and forth as she wrung her hands together. Her first instinct was to rush to the kid and give her a hug, but she forced herself to stay in place. Even without children in her life, Jody recognized the little girl’s body language as a telltale sign that she knew she’d done something terribly wrong. More importantly, she knew she wouldn’t be getting away with the offense.
Her only hope was that the fear she felt for herself could and would override the compassion she felt for Fiona. If that couldn’t happen, the consequences would be disastrous. The tenderness Jody felt for Fiona and her situation had to be put aside—for now. The little girl’s presence caused an enormous red flag to wave where only peace and serenity should be found. The child’s blatant disregard for rules and boundaries would ultimately cause Jody’s whole world to implode.
Now, unfortunately, she would have to find a way to fast-talk herself out of this awkward predicament. Above all else, she didn’t want Brad thinking she had her very own Darryl. That would never do. He wouldn’t be able to trust her again. Fear of the unknown would certainly have him believing she’d gone off the deep end and embarrass him in front of his clientele. Hell, he’d probably never refer another client to her again. From what she could tell, her actions had already sparked a good case of the hibbie gibbies in him. Careful not to give anything away, she watched him as he watched her. Though nonchalantly, he seemed to be carefully examining her as if she were one of his furry patients.
The best defense is a good offense, her mind shouted at her. Be nonchalant, it instructed. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d get out of this mess by bluffing her way through. She could only hope whatever popped into her mind would be more believable than a make believe Darryl.
“Are you all right? What scared you?” As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, Brad’s face reflected genuine concern, making her feel like a real sleaze ball for the lies she was about to tell.
Her eyebrow shot up questioningly. Offering a puzzled expression, she snorted a little louder than anticipated. “Of course, I’m all right.”
A flashback of a pet rat that made a run for freedom from the veterinarian’s office next door and ended up in her waiting room crossed her mind. Everyone, including customers, had found high ground on the closest available waiting room chair. They’d all remained atop their perches until the little furry escapee had been caught. Nope. That won’t work. She dismissed that excuse as fast as it crossed her mind. Cassi and Kim would insist she shut down the business until they found the pesky little critter. Clients were due to arrive any minute now, and she didn’t want to lose their business.
With her mind a complete blank, no response befitting her outburst revealed itself. Dammit! Trying to remain outwardly calm, every ounce of energy she had left focused on keeping her eyebrow from nervously twitching. That embarrassing little tick was a dead giveaway when she dealt with too much anxiety.
When the uncomfortable silence had Brad’s facial features scrunching up, she had to force herself to remain calm and not make a run for the door. Her lack of verbal response had started to grate on his nerves. She didn’t need to have a spirit nearby to tell her how perplexed he was by her actions. His body language spoke volumes. “Something scared you,” he remarked, expecting some sort of reasonable answer.
She bit her upper lip, trying to think of something, anything, to tell them that would ease their concerns. Doing everything she could to ignore Fiona standing there as bold as you please had her focusing all of her attention on Brad’s shirt. Her inability to think of a reasonable response was quickly leading her right smack dab in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. In an effort to get her body under control, she glanced down at her hands which wouldn’t stop shaking. That was the moment she realized her finger, still at attention, continued to point at the child no one else could see. Hoping no one noticed the offending digit, she lowered her hand as unobtrusively as possible as the heat of embarrassment covered her face.
As the quiet seemed to stretch on indefinitely, the tick-tock of the wall clock shouted at her to come up with a decent lie. Her co-workers brushed themselves off and waited for an answer. She only wished she could think of one. She had nothing!
Brad leaned in close to Jody and examined her pupil reactions. She could almost hear his doubt for her sanity running through his mind. He thinks I’ve lost my marbles. Who could blame him?
Since a lie—any lie—refused to surface, she had no choice but to prolong the awkward silence. As he continued his examination, she kept her secret locked behind her tightly shut lips. There was no outward indication that her mind currently reeled at a thousand miles a minute. Trying to come up with a believable explanation for her behavior had her brain feeling as though it would overload at any moment.
Brad finally took the initiative and spoke up. “I didn’t notice before, but you have bags and dark circles under your eyes. Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
A whoosh of breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding liberated from her burning lungs. Jody had to restrain herself from jumping up and down like a lunatic. She could’ve grabbed his shirt and kissed him for giving her the excuse that had so completely eluded her. I’m such an idiot! No sleep. That’s perfect.
Trying not to show her relief, she took a brief moment and glanced away before finally turning her attention back to Brad. He scanned the area in question one more time before his gaze came to rest on her once again. “You’re starting to scare me. What’s going on? Please answer me.”
The tone of Brad’s voice told her in no uncertain terms that her non-responsiveness had quickly shifted his concern to impatience. She opened her mouth to let the fibbing begin but clamped it shut again before she could answer him. Her heart suddenly sank as a thought tickled the back of her mind. If what had just popped into her head proved to be correct, the fear of her secret being exposed would be a moot point. There’d be no option left but to reveal the truth. Panic held her in the uncomfortable silence a little longer.
Scrutinizing the three living people in front of her, she had to figure out how to broach the subject of Fiona. If her theory proved wrong, she’d need deniability. Please let me be wrong about this.
Since Fiona had shown up at her workplace, the child might have some connection to one of the people standing in front of her. That association would certainly explain the little girl’s appearance, here, of all places. As much as she hated the thought of unveiling her abilities to these people in this way, for the kid’s sake, she had to take the
risk and ask.
“Do any of you, by chance, know a little girl by the name of Fiona?” Mentally crossing her fingers, Jody hoped she was grasping at straws. Fiona hadn’t paid any particular attention to the people in the room, but the chance she had some kind of association with one of them was a definite possibility.
The confusion crossing their faces told her everything she needed to know. Fiona wasn’t connected to any of them. Not even distantly. Now all that was left to do was backtrack and get herself out of this mess. At least, with Brad’s help, she had a plausible explanation.
Feeling like all the drama could finally be put to rest, she tried to ease everyone’s fear for her with a lopsided smile. “I just had a…” Unfortunately, when Fiona heard her name, the little girl perked up and considered it her invitation to speak. Rushing over to Jody, the kid’s tiny fist started pelting on her already sore knee time and time again. “I want to talk to my mommy and daddy. I want my mommy!”
Chapter Five
Oh, God! Trying her best to ignore Fiona’s outburst, she slammed her eyes shut. Her hands clenched. Her teeth ground together, leaving her face in a painful grimace. Doing everything in her power not to give Fiona’s presence away, the muscles in her neck bulged from the strain. Please! I’m begging! Just let me keep myself together until I can get rid of Brad and go to the back room, safely away from Cassi and Kim.
“Oh my God! She’s having some sort of fit! Quick! Kim, call 911!” Cassi’s piercing, panic-laced cry instantly pulled Jody out of her internal struggle.
Horrified the situation had gone from bad to worse so quickly, Jody screeched, “No! No! I’m fine!” If she didn’t pull herself together soon and give them a plausible explanation, she’d find herself in a straight jacket.
As the little girl continued to bang on her leg and cry, she did everything she could think of to refocus herself. Gauging by the expressions on everyone’s faces, the confusion, and concern for her well-being had grown by leaps and bounds with every moment that passed. And why wouldn’t they be upset? She was acting like a freaking fruitcake! She had to end this and get the hell out as fast as possible.
“I just had a bad night last night. I didn’t get much sleep, and I’m a little distracted today. I hurt my knee and bumped my head this morning when I tripped over some clothes on the floor.” As if to prove her injury, she agilely rubbed her head at the crown. “And I’ve got a terrible headache. I think it might be a migraine coming on.” Pleased with herself and her acting abilities, she added a little groan to make her whopper more believable.
Moving quickly, Brad nudged her down onto the chair and examined her scalp. “I don’t feel a bump, but let me take a closer look at your eyes.” He pulled a penlight out of his pocket and tilted her head up. Shining the light in each eye, he seemed happy with what he saw.
“No concussion,” he announced, as he stood back and took in her whole face this time. Only then did he seem satisfied.
Kim chimed in. “You work too hard, Jody. Cassi and I are here. You need to go home and take the rest of the day off. Plus, you have that art gallery show tonight for your friend. You need to feel better for that.”
Jody sucked in her breath. Feeling as though the world had just crashed in on her, her hands cradled her face in horror. “Oh, my God. I forgot about the art show tonight.” The panic she’d felt earlier just doubled. She had no idea what to do about the show. She had to go to support her dear friend, Terry. He’d always been there for her when she needed him.
If she showed up in this condition with Fiona in tow, she’d more than likely end up committed—or at the very least, heavily medicated in some depressing hospital room. Forcing herself to be objective, she recognized the fact she wouldn’t be able to control the little girl. She certainly hadn’t been able to up until now.
It wouldn’t take a big leap of faith for the art gallery patrons to believe her odd behavior resembled textbook mental instability. The thought of showing up and embarrassing Terry at his very first show left her mortified. Feeling beaten, she allowed her chin to drop heavily to her chest as her head swayed.
Misinterpreting Jody’s actions, Kim sidled closer and took her hand. Speaking with an edge of authority, she declared, “I’m not going to let you cancel that party tonight. Your friend is counting on you to be there. You’ve mentioned what a big deal this show is for him. Remember? So if you’re going to be a good buddy to him, you have to make an appearance. You need to be there for him.”
She started tapping Jody’s hand, punctuating each word as she spoke. “Whenever you make plans to go out and have a little fun, you always cancel at the last minute. If you ask me, I think you’re afraid to be in public. How the hell are you supposed to meet new boyfriend candidates? How are you finally going to put that asshole that dumped you in the past for good if you keep yourself hidden away like this?”
At the mention of her latest disastrous attempt at a romantic relationship, an involuntary jerk twitched through Jody’s body. Could this fucking day get any worse? Even after a year, she still felt the sting of failure. Her co-workers didn’t know the real reason for any of her breakups. She couldn’t and wouldn’t hide her gift from someone she dated. All of her experience had proven that too much energy was needed to conceal all the dirty little secrets when men were involved. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t because spirits always managed to get in the way. They had a habit of mucking things up with men, even when she’d been up front about her gift.
She’d learned the hard way that constant disruption of her attention was just too much for any man—interested or not. That reason alone effectively doomed her future with a significant other. The last breakup had taught her that the scars left behind were too deep to justify the temporary high the romance itself had provided. For that reason, she’d sworn to herself never to get so intimately involved with a man again. Ever.
Tired of having the boyfriend conversation thrown in her face, Jody’s features grew stern. “Kim, I told you before, I’m no longer open to romance. I’ve learned to live without dating. I’m happy alone.”
Trying to soften the message, Kim clutched Jody’s hand tighter. Her warm touch conveyed strength and nurturing making it difficult for Jody to stay mad. “Everyone’s open to romance, sweetie. You’re a woman. You can’t live without it.”
“Bullshit!” Cassi screeched. “Don’t listen to her, Jody. She’s got the concept all wrong. You can’t live without sex. We’re all big girls here and know that hot, sweaty sex has nothing to do with romance.”
Sneaking a peek at Brad, Jody saw just how uncomfortable this girl talk made him as he grimaced and inched his way back a few paces. Poor guy.
In an attempt to keep the peace, Cassi gently shoved at Kim’s shoulder. “She’s had some hard knocks. Give her some space.”
Showing more irritation than Jody had ever seen from her, Kim shook her head emphatically. Growling softly under her breath, the older woman’s hand flew into the air with authority and declared, “Whatever!”
Jody had to stifle a laugh. Her love life had been an ongoing discussion between her two staff members since the last ugly breakup. Of course, their advice never really worked for her situation since they had no clue the problem laid squarely in her baggage—not the men who had dumped her.
Turning her full attention back to Jody, Kim stated, “Regardless, you’re pretty jumpy today. We both know animals can sense stress and nerves.”
And spirits. They can sense spirits. If she couldn’t convince Fiona to leave Fur Baby, the kid would end up distressing all the animals.
“Go home and get some sleep. You’ll probably feel one hundred percent better after you do.”
At this point, knowing the only way to save face would be to leave, prompted her to give in. “I suppose you’re right. I’m too tense. If I stay, the dogs will just get all worked up and won’t have any fun.”
Kim squeezed her arm and pulled her in for a hug. “Promi
se me you won’t miss that party tonight. You simply must go. Your friend is expecting you to be there for him.”
Jody squeezed Kim a little tighter. “You’re right. I promise. I’ll go.”
Cassi picked Jody’s purse up and held the bag out to her. “Get some sleep. We’ll be okay here.”
Jody nodded as Brad steered her out the door and got her into the car. “Do you need me to drive you home?”
Guilt over her deception crawled through her body and made her want to run and hide. She silently shook her head, hoping he’d just go away.
“Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
Fearing he’d see right through her, she couldn’t make eye contact. “Thanks, Brad, I will.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound as shaky to him as it sounded to her.
Continuing to hold the car door open, Brad appeared to have something else to say, but thankfully thought better of it and just walked away. But it was impossible for her to relax, even a fraction, until he had disappeared inside his clinic.
Finally alone, she laid her head on the steering wheel. She just needed a moment to relax before starting the car for the drive home—just one brief, peaceful moment of quiet.
Fiona’s grief-filled voice piped up from the backseat. “I need to talk to my mommy and daddy right now!” The child’s demanding cry had Jody’s body cringing as if she’d been tied down and forced to listen to fingernails scratching on a chalkboard.
Chapter Six
Terry waited anxiously as the young men unloaded the most important piece in his collection. Nerves twisted his gut, and he tossed back another antacid. He’d just finished pouring his soul into the portrait two days ago, and it wasn’t contracted—yet. The show opened tonight, and he’d fight tooth and nail to have his prized canvas included.
Troubled Spirits Page 3
