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. “Promise 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.