I trade him vegetables from my garden that his bees help pollinate, for some of the honey his bees make with nectar from my garden. So it all works out perfectly.”
Mia didn’t know how to respond to Birdie’s kindness. The concept of a landlord who brought lunch and housewarming presents was completely alien. Also, holy crap, her nephew’s feta was practically orgasmic.
“You didn’t have to do all this,” she told Birdie around a mouthful of cheese.
“Oh honey, I’m up to my eyeballs in okra this time of year. I can’t pickle it fast enough, and my pantry’s overflowing with the stuff. Believe me, you’re doing me a favor taking it off my hands. And at least now I know you won’t starve before you can get to the grocery store.”
Mia thanked her again and invited her to stay and share the lunch she’d brought, but Birdie refused, insisting she had too much to do that day. On her way out the door, she wished Mia luck with the movers and told her to call if she needed anything.
Once she was alone again, Mia attacked the charcuterie board with enthusiasm and wonderment. Nothing about this experience so far had been what she’d expected. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about sharing a yard with chickens, didn’t know how to handle a landlord who treated her more like a guest than a tenant, and had no idea if she even liked pickled okra, which she now had three large jars of.
One thing she did know: she was a huge fan of this goat cheese.
Whoever Birdie’s nephew was, he was a freaking cheese artist.
The movers arrived only an hour late, and within forty-five minutes they had carried all of Mia’s furniture up the narrow stairs to her apartment and driven away again.
She spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and organizing her new apartment as the mercury climbed higher and the air-conditioning unit in the window struggled to keep up. Occasionally, she caught sight of Birdie working in the yard or coming and going in the old Subaru wagon. Every time the garage door opened or closed, the floor of Mia’s apartment vibrated. She dearly hoped Birdie wasn’t prone to going out late at night.
By seven o’clock, Mia was sweaty, exhausted, and ready to throw in the towel for the day. She’d managed to make up her bed, put away all her clothes, and unpack enough of the kitchen that she’d be able to fix herself a cup of coffee in the morning. That was enough for now.
What she needed was a shower, clean pajamas, and a night’s sleep in her own bed.
The bathroom was cramped, as one would expect from a garage apartment, with just enough space for a sink, toilet, and shower stall. She stepped into the stream of cool water and sighed with pleasure as it hit her skin, washing away the layers of sweat and dust that had accumulated during the day.
At least the water pressure was good. Maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she could get used to country living and country people. She liked Birdie. If the rest of the town was anything like her, it might not be half bad living here. Maybe the next twelve months would pass quickly and pleasantly, a temporary but not completely miserable detour on a career path that would eventually get back on track and lead her to a tenured position at a better school.
Mia closed her eyes and let the water run over her short hair before lathering it up with shampoo. After she’d finished rinsing it out, she opened her eyes and noticed an odd black and yellow splotch on the ceiling of the shower.
Weird.
As she blinked the water out of her eyes, the splotch came into better focus, and she let out a panicked squawk when she realized it was a spider.
The biggest fucking spider she’d ever seen in her life.
And it was only inches away from her head. The thing was nearly the size of her fist and perched in a web that stretched across the ceiling of the shower stall.
Not only was it enormous, it was staring at her like it had skipped lunch and she was a big, juicy fly. She could swear the thing was actually licking its lips. Or it would have been, if spiders had lips.
As she stared in horror, the repulsive thing raised its front legs to expose a pair of terrifying fangs and came at her.