One of the bigger ones I’ve seen.” He threw Mia a look that seemed to be apologizing for doubting her.
“Do you have a lot of them around here?” she asked, afraid of the answer. Of all the things she’d worried about prior to moving to Texas, giant honking spiders hadn’t even made the list. Which clearly had been a serious oversight on her part. She should have realized that when people said “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” that included the massive goddamn spiders.
“I wouldn’t call it a lot.” Josh handed the jar back to Birdie. “You see ’em every once in a while, mostly out in the woods. It’s rare to find one inside.”
Thank god for that. Hopefully Mia wouldn’t have any more terrifying visitors. At least not of that particular species.
Birdie stroked the jar like it contained a beloved pet. “Poor thing must have been lost to make a web in the shower like that.” Mia gave a full-body shudder, and Birdie glanced at her, seeming to notice her injury for the first time. “Oh honey, what happened to your head?”
“I bumped it on my way out of the shower and Josh was kind enough to bandage it up for me.” Mia gingerly touched the Band-Aid on her forehead. “I hope you don’t mind, he loaned me your robe since I wasn’t exactly dressed.”
Birdie’s smile took on an enigmatic twist. “I’m glad you two have made each other’s acquaintance. You’re in good hands with Josh.” Her eyes twinkled with affection as she patted her nephew on the arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to introduce Imelda to my bean patch.”
As Birdie took her new prize outside, Mia turned to Josh with her eyebrows raised. “Imelda?”
He shrugged. “Birdie loves all god’s creatures, great and small.”
“She seems like a real character.”
“Yeah, she’s great.” A fond smile curved his lips as he watched his aunt through the window.
“She lives here alone?” Mia hadn’t seen any evidence of anyone else around the house.
Josh nodded. “Always has. It was her parents’ house—my grandparents on my mother’s side. I try to come by as often as I can to help out with odd jobs around the place.”
“Is that what you were doing in the yard when I crashed into you?”
“I was dropping off some leftover fertilizer.” His lips pressed together, as if he was suppressing a smile at the memory. “Can’t say I expected to run into a screaming woman in a towel.” He stopped fighting it and let his smile break free.
“Believe me, it wasn’t how I’d planned my evening to go either.” Mia’s cheeks burned as she basked in the warmth of his smile. “Thanks for saving me.”
“You saved yourself just fine.” He inclined his head. “Other than some minor head trauma, that is.”
She clutched her balled-up towel and slid off the stool, deciding now was a good time to make a graceful exit—before she said anything to embarrass herself. “Thank you for the first aid.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “It was nice to meet you, Mia.”
“Likewise,” she mumbled and headed for the door, her pulse jumping at the sound of her name on his lips. She paused on her way out, glancing back one last time from the doorway as she hugged her towel to her chest. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“I guess you will.” The look on his face made her stomach swoop.
Outside, Mia waved good night to Birdie as she took herself back up to her apartment—hopefully now spider-free.
As she hung her towel up in the bathroom, she realized she’d probably left the shower running in her panicked flight. Birdie must have turned it off for her when she’d come up to retrieve the spider. Warily, Mia peered into the shower and saw that the web was also gone. Birdie must have taken care of that for her too.
Thank god for Birdie. She’d already earned the title of Best Landlord Ever.
Mia took off the borrowed robe and hung it on the outside of the closet door so she’d remember to take it back tomorrow. After changing into a comfy oversized T-shirt, she flopped down on the bed.
It was still light outside, the late summer sky just beginning to turn dusky at eight o’clock. As she stared at the ceiling, her hands clenched the familiar comforter beneath her. The air conditioner hummed and chugged across the room, drowning out all other sounds as it labored to cool her one-room apartment.
I’m lucky to be here, she reminded herself. I’m lucky to