Something tightened in my chest.

“…Sweetheart, where is she now?”

“In the bathroom. The door is closed as—”

The call dropped.

Let me tell you who we are.

I’m Judy. Sixty-one. Widow. Tea drinker. Worrywart. I live on the same street I’ve lived on for 30 years.

My daughter, Emma, is 36. Sharp-minded. Kind. Quiet. She works at the library. Likes crossword puzzles and doesn’t talk much about feelings. Or her late husband, Mike.

He died in a car crash two years ago.

Emma never dated again. She’s tough but still healing, I think.

I lost my husband, Bob, five years ago. Stroke. He was gone before I got there.

Since then, it’s been us girls. Emma. Lila. Me.

We don’t live together, but it feels like we do. I’m over at their place more than my own. Lila’s got a drawer full of crayons and pajamas at my house. I bake. Emma brings books. We trade meals, hugs, and tired smiles.

That’s why I knew something was wrong.

Lila’s voice wasn’t normal. Too calm. Too quiet. Too grown.

And her words… “She’s pretending she’s not scared.”

My hands shook as I stared at the phone screen. The call was gone. I tapped redial. No answer. I called again. Straight to voicemail.

“Emma?” I said out loud, like she could hear me through the air. “Answer the phone.”

I sent a text.

“Everything okay? Call me. Please.”

Nothing. I waited 10 seconds. That was all I could stand.

I ran to my car and gripped the wheel like it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart. The sky outside had gone that deep blue just before night settles in. Streetlights buzzed to life one by one. I barely saw them.

I ran a red light at Broad and 7th. Didn’t even slow down.

Call again, I told myself. I did. Still no answer. Texted again.

“Emma, please. Lila called me. I’m coming over.”

Nothing. My chest was tight. My thoughts were louder than the engine.

Was someone in the house? Was Emma hurt? Was Lila hiding?

I’d never heard her sound like that. Lila. My baby girl’s baby girl. So quiet. Like she was keeping a secret.

And what was it she said?

“She’s pretending.”

Pretending to be okay? Pretending for Lila’s sake? Or pretending for someone else?

A car honked as I sped through another light. I didn’t care. Every second felt like too many. My knuckles were white on the wheel. When you love someone that much, fear doesn’t wait its turn. It barges in. Loud. Ugly. Fast.

By the time I pulled into their driveway, my heart was thudding like I’d run the whole way.

The house was dark. No lights in the windows. No porch light. That porch light is always on.

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I parked half on the grass and jumped out. The front door came closer with every panicked step. I knocked once. Then tried the knob.

It turned. Unlocked. I pushed it open.

“Emma?” I called.

No answer.

“Lila?”

Nothing.

I stepped inside. Cold air. Quiet. The kind of quiet that doesn’t feel peaceful. The kind that feels wrong.

The living room was empty. The curtains were drawn. The couch had Lila’s favorite blanket tossed over the side, like she’d been there recently.

I moved down the hallway. My shoes were too loud against the floor. The sound of water echoed softly from the back of the house.

The bathroom.

The door was closed. My phone buzzed in my hand—finally.

I looked down. Spam.

I cursed under my breath and stepped closer. The water was still running. My heart beat so hard I thought it might break something.

I raised my hand to knock—

And then I heard it. A scream. High. Sharp. From a small throat.

Lila.

I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe. I threw the door open—

And froze.

Emma was bent over the toilet, slamming the lid shut like it owed her money. Her hair was falling out of its bun, and she was holding a mop with both hands like a baseball bat.

Lila was backed into the corner, eyes wide, pointing up at the ceiling like she’d just seen a ghost.

They both turned toward me like I’d broken into their bunker during the end of the world.

“Mom!” Emma gasped.

“Grandma!” Lila squealed.

I was breathless. “What’s happening?!”

Emma blinked like she’d just noticed me. “Why are you—what are you doing here?”

“You weren’t answering. Lila called me.”

Emma stared at me for a beat, like she was still processing.

“I thought—” I swallowed hard. “I thought something terrible happened.”

“I mean…” Emma looked down at the mop in her hands. “Something did happen.”

She pointed toward the toilet. “Two of them.”

I took a shaky step forward. “Two what?”

“Spiders,” she said. “Big ones.”

I blinked.

“Spiders?”

“Tangerine-sized,” she muttered.

My legs felt like they gave out and stood up again all in one motion.

“I drove here like a maniac,” I said. “You didn’t answer. The house was dark. The call cut out. Lila said—”

Emma looked at Lila, still frozen in the corner.

“She called you?”

“She used your phone,” I said. “Right before the line cut.”

Emma looked back at me, then down at the mop.

She sighed. Sat down on the toilet lid like she’d just run a marathon.

The tension didn’t leave the room—not yet. My hands were still shaking. My knees still locked.

I looked down at Lila, who hadn’t moved from the wall. She was still staring at the ceiling. Eyes wide. Mouth tight. She didn’t say a word.

Emma finally stood up, brushing hair out of her face.

“Well,” she said, still holding the mop, “that was ridiculous.”

Lila slowly crept over to me, still wide-eyed. She looked up and said, “Mommy was pretending.”

Emma turned. “What?”

“You said it was no big deal,” Lila said softly, “but you were whispering, ‘oh no, oh no,’ under your breath. I heard you.”

Emma let out a breathy laugh and covered her face with one hand. “Okay. You got me.”

She looked at me, a little sheepish. “I didn’t want to scare her.”

“You didn’t,” Lila said proudly. “You just looked… funny.”

We all laughed then. Not a big laugh—just the kind that comes after the adrenaline wears off and you realize everyone’s safe.

Emma shook her head. “I can’t believe she called you.”

“She was worried,” I said.

“She’s five.”

“She’s clever,” I said.

Lila beamed.

I didn’t tell them that I’m just as scared of spiders. Always have been. Always will be. My husband, Bob, used to take care of them. Now? I use the vacuum and say a prayer.

We made popcorn after that. Sat around the kitchen island in our pajamas, eating salty handfuls and laughing at nothing in particular.

The bathroom stayed closed. None of us wanted to check again.

Later that night, I stayed over. Emma offered, but she didn’t need to. I was always going to.

Lila had already dragged her sleeping bag into the guest room before I finished brushing my teeth. I tucked her in, folding her favorite blanket over her shoulders.

Her curls were still a little wild. Her cheeks pink from all the excitement.

She looked up at me, voice soft. “Next time,” she whispered, “I’ll call before the spiders show up.”

I smiled and kissed her forehead. “Good plan.”

I didn’t tell her the truth—that I probably would’ve screamed, too. Some secrets are just between grown-ups.

As I sat on the edge of the bed, watching her drift off, I thought about how love works. Sometimes it looks like bedtime stories. Sometimes it’s scrambled phone calls and running red lights. Sometimes it’s just showing up when someone’s pretending not to be scared.

And sometimes? It’s snacks in the kitchen at night. Just us girls. Making it work.