anyone."
My frown deepened as I tried to figure out what she was talking about. I was also briefly distracted by her saying Daddy and thought again about asking her why, then realized that had nothing to do with anything. "You not knowing her doesn't mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean she isn't capable of creating trouble. Trust me, she is. Of that I have no doubt."
"And you always run away from the smallest sign of trouble, is that it?"
"What? No, of course not."
"Well, you are a runaway bride. You tried to run away a few weeks ago. And now you're running again—"
"That's not the same thing. Not even close." I didn't hide my irritation at the accusation—or the fact that maybe Jacqui had a small point. I didn't like it because that wasn't who I was. I didn't run away from trouble—
Yet that was exactly what I was doing.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Morgan
I was still trying to think of a way to defend myself against Jacqui's accusation. The idea that she—or anyone else—thought I might be taking the easy way by running away bothered me. It shouldn't...but it did.
But I wasn't going to be given a chance to explain, not if Jacqui had her way. She was still watching me with her clear gaze and I had to struggle not to squirm under her scrutiny.
"Let's forget everything else for a moment and focus on the fact that your bag is packed and you were walking out when we got here." Jacqui moved over and carefully lifted my bag, pulling it out of my reach. I didn't miss the slight rolling of her eyes and I was certain she thought I was woefully under packed and unprepared for a life on the road.
"What about it?"
"Exactly where are you planning on going, cher?"
"The bus station."
"Hmm. And what time is this bus you're so eager to catch leave?"
"It doesn't matter—"
"When, cher?"
I bit back a sigh, thought about lying, then realized that Jacqui probably already knew. After all, we'd had a similar conversation a couple of weeks ago, the first time I'd tried to leave.
"Tomorrow morning."
"And what do you plan on doing between now and then?"
"Does it matter?"
"If you think you're going to wait there then yes, it does."
"I'll be fine."
"Don't be so naive, cher. You might think you have street smarts, and maybe you even do, but you need to reconsider your plan."
"Fine. I'll figure something else out."
"I have a suggestion. I'm positive it will backfire but my conscience won't allow anything else."
I folded my arms in front of me and frowned. I wasn't really big on trust right now, especially not from the two women who were, once again, stopping me. "What?"
"And there's the sass." A wide smile spread across Jacqui's face. "There's hope for you yet."
I refused to jump at the bait—if that's what it was—and narrowed my eyes. "You said you had a suggestion?"
"Yes. Come back to my place. You can stay there until your bus leaves in the morning."
Addy gasped behind me. "Jacqui, you can't—"
"Of course, I can." The older woman looked back at me, her expression almost daring me to turn down her offer. "I'll even drive you to the station myself—if you still want to leave."
"Why wouldn't I want to leave?"
"Because staying at my place means we'll continue with this conversation and your misplaced worries over the battle-axe." She hefted my bag and gave me a small smile. "Do we have a deal?"
I wanted to say no. If I was smart, I would say no. Absolutely nothing good would come of continuing this conversation. But Jacqui was right about one thing: I didn't think hanging out at the bus station was a good idea, or even if it was allowed. The last thing I wanted to do was wander the streets of New Orleans at night, dragging a bag filled with all my belongings behind me.
There was nothing to like about her offer but—"Okay, fine. We have a deal."
"Wonderful!" Her smile widened before she turned toward Addy. "You'll join us, of course. It'll be just like that one night you stayed over yourself. Remember? After you and your father had that small disagreement?"
There was something in Jacqui's tone of voice that made me take a cautious step back. The bright flash of understanding in Addy's eyes only added to my sudden wariness. They were up to something, both of them—a suspicion that was concerned when Addy suddenly laughed.
"I do! We had so much fun that night, didn't we?"
"Hmm. Some more