Free Everything by Melissa Pearl

little one.” I ran my knuckle gently down Angel’s bright red cheek, wiping at a stream of tears. “Uncle Leo’s going to get rid of the mean old spider, okay?”
    I threw Jody a reproachful frown before bending to my knees and checking under the coffee table.
    “There you are, you little critter.”
    Popping back up, I raised my hands and spoke slowly to the terrified woman on the couch. “It’s okay, he’s under the table. I’m just going to get a paper towel from the kitchen, and then I’ll get rid of him for ya.”
    A tear popped free as she nodded. It was an effort not to tell her what I really thought. She was being bloody ridiculous! The spider could fit onto two quarters easily. It was hardly the biggest insect I’d ever seen. She’d bloody die if she came to Australia.
    “Paper towels are by the—”
    “Yeah, I see ‘em.” My eyes skittered over the kitchen as I reached for them. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink. A burnt piece of toast was propped up against the toaster, a half-eaten jar of baby food was sitting next to it and then sat a row of bottles, smelly formula still lining the interiors.
    I forced myself not to comment as I made my way back into the lounge.
    Thankfully the spider was still under the table and a slow little bugger, so I caught him easily, squishing him in the paper towel before searching the kitchen for the rubbish bin. Jody sucked in a breath as I lifted the overflowing bin lid and went to drop the remains inside. I glanced at her face and smiled.
    “I’ll throw this out at my place, shall I?”
    She closed her eyes and stepped down off the couch, her foot landing in a pile of laundry. Clean or dirty? I wasn’t sure.
    Angel was still crying, but she was down to a hiccuping sniffle as opposed to a scream. I winked at the baby, making a clicking sound out the side of my mouth. Her eyes popped wide as she looked at me, her lips curving into a grin while a long dribble oozed from her mouth.
    Jody wiped it with the back of her sleeve, then proceeded to wipe away her own tears.
    “Sorry about that.” She grimaced. “I’m not—It’s a phobia I’ve had forever, and I know it’s totally insane, but I can’t control it. They just...they scare the crap out of me.”
    “It’s all right.” I smiled, wishing I hadn’t given her that reprimanding glare before. “Phobias are real. My sister-in-law is absolutely petrified of heights, freezes up like a statue. It took Kev over an hour to coax her down from a high-ropes course once.”
    “Why was she doing a high-ropes course?” Jody was horrified.
    I shrugged. “She was trying to conquer her fear. Didn’t work.”
    “Obviously.” Jody huffed out a short, dry laugh.
    She still looked pretty damn pale. It made the smudges under her eyes that much darker. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can stick around if you need me to.”
    “Oh, no, that’s fine.” She waved her hand in the air. “I’m just gonna put Angel down for a nap and get cleaning.” Her cheeks splashed red as she pointed to the kitchen and then over her shoulder to the living area. I think a whirlwind must have passed through. “I’m a little behind today.”
    Just today? Some of the mess seemed kind of stale. How did she live like this? I’d be out of my tree trying to function in this kind of chaos.
    “Yeah, yeah, no worries.” I nodded, giving her what I hoped was an encouraging smile as I said goodbye and let myself out. I turned to look at her one more time before I left.
    Her shoulders were hunched, and I noticed her swipe at one more tear as Angel’s fussing increased in volume.
    With a small frown, I closed the door gently and headed back to my piano.
    Maybe Jody wasn’t coping as well as I thought she was. 
     

 
    Chapter Fourteen

    Jody
     
    Okay, so the spider thing was freaking embarrassing. Not to mention the state of my apartment. I didn’t miss the slightly shocked expression on Leo’s face. I could have died.
    I wanted to