Chapter 8
Remy honestly didn't know what he'd said or done to make Ephie decide to come back with him to Nocturne Falls. He'd been fully prepared to put on the hard sell, to beg her if he had to, even tell her that he wanted to make things right with her, that this could be their second chance.
None of that had been necessary.
Maybe he'd missed something. Maybe Ephie had read more into something he'd said or something her mother had said … or something her mother hadn't said.
Women were not the easiest beings to understand. Even when you had over two hundred years of experience with them.
He wasn't going to do anything to change her mind about going. Getting Ephie out of New Orleans was all that mattered.
He smiled. "That's great. I welcome the company. And it'll be nice to show you the town. And to catch up."
Ephie was watching Leonie. Looking for her reaction maybe? Ephie nodded. "Yes, it will."
He went back to his food. Shrimp and grits of this magnitude were not to be wasted. But he kept his eyes on Leonie, too.
Her face reflected almost nothing. She had to be pleased. This was what she'd wanted. Ephie away from the possibility of danger. And yet, Leonie seemed impassive. She knew her daughter better than he did. Maybe being happy would cause Ephie to change her mind.
He shook his head and sighed. Women were so complicated.
"What was that for?" Ephie asked.
"What?"
"You just sighed and shook your head."
He thought quickly. "Just thinking about the drive."
Leonie laid her fork across her plate like she was done. "The early start you'd hoped for is gone, I guess. My apologies for that. You'll still leave tonight, though?"
He nodded. She already knew he would. They'd discussed it. "My plans haven't changed." He glanced at Ephie. "As soon as you're done, we should get to your place so you can pack."
She used the edge of her fork to scoop up the remaining grits. "Like I said, it won't take me long. We can go when you're ready."
Leonie finally smiled, but she kept her lips closed, and her eyes held concern. "I hope you have a safe trip. I look forward to hearing about it. You'll call or text, won't you, Ephie? To let me know you're all right?"
Remy wasn't sure that was such a great idea. If Turner was really as connected as Leonie believed him to be, wasn't it possible someone in his organization was tracking Ephie and Leonie through their phones? If so, Ephie ought to turn hers off or they'd figure out she was leaving.
But how was he going to explain that to her without giving everything away? The answer was, he couldn't. He'd just have to be extra vigilant.
Ephie nodded. "I'll text you. You're really all right with me going?"
Leonie gave her daughter the same tight smile again. "You're a grown woman. You can take a trip if you like. I think it might be good for you. I don't know the last time you got out of the city."
"It's been a while," Ephie said softly.
He ate the last of his food. She wasn't having second thoughts, was she? Time to move, if so. He pushed his chair back. "That was a great meal, Ms. Moreau. Again, please let Alphonso know how much I enjoyed it."
"I will. It was lovely having you both here." Leonie got up.
Ephie stood, too. She spoke to Remy. "I just need to get my purse, then we can go. You can follow me."
"All right."
As she left the room, Leonie glared at him. She kept her voice low. "Anything happens to her and it's your neck, you understand me?"
"Loud and clear," he whispered back.
Ephie returned, purse in hand. Leonie walked them to the door. She kissed Ephie's cheek. "Have fun. Be safe. Love you."
"Love you, too, Mom," Ephie said.
She and Remy went down the steps to their cars. "So weird," Ephie muttered.
"Why?" Remy asked.
She looked at him like he was an imbecile. "My mother is fine with me going away with you and you don't think it's weird?"
He shrugged and acted like it wasn't strange at all. "You heard her. She knows you're a grown woman who can do what she likes. Would it have made a difference if she'd told you not to? Would that have changed your mind about coming?"
Ephie put her hand on her car. "It probably would have made me want to go even more."
"So either way, you were going to do what you wanted to do." Best to let Ephie think it was her idea. "Seems like your mother has just decided it's easier to go along. Go along to get along."
"Maybe. But why now after all these years of trying to dictate my life?"
"I can't answer that. I haven't been around."
"Yes, I know." She opened her car door and got in. "My place isn't far."
"I'll be right behind you." He knew they had a lot to talk about. He supposed they'd be doing that on the way to Nocturne Falls. He wasn't sure he was looking forward to that conversation, not after hearing the tone of her voice.
Her apartment building was new, maybe only a few years old. Modern lines but not so modern that it stuck out too much from the buildings around it. They parked and went up in the elevator to the fourth floor.
As they stepped off, she got her keys out. "I have a lot of work to do. I shouldn't be going on this trip."
She was definitely having second thoughts. "You can work while you're there. As much as you need to. I promise, I won't be in your way. I sleep during the day anyway."
"True." She unlocked the door and opened it, going inside. She stopped suddenly. "Oh. Jean-Luc." She spun to face Remy. "I can't go. I don't want to leave my cat."
"Bring him along. I like cats." He looked past her but saw nothing. In fact, he saw no sign of a cat anywhere in the apartment. "Are you a big Star Trek fan or what?"
"Why would you ask that?"
"Well, you named your cat Jean-Luc."
She shook her head. "His name has nothing to do with Star Trek."
Remy still didn't see a cat, although Leonie had mentioned one. A ghost cat that was supposedly pretend. Remy went along with it, not wanting to upset Ephie. "Where is he?"
"Probably sleeping on the bed. You really wouldn't mind if I brought him?" She set her purse on a small table in the tiny foyer.
Remy actually wasn't sure how great it would be to travel with a real cat, but this one was pretend and he had to get her out of the city. If she'd had a ten-foot boa constrictor, he'd have answered the same way. "Not a bit. I think it'll be fun to have him around."
Ephie smiled. "Okay. Thanks." She looked around. "Jean-Luc, where are you? Bebe, come here."
A beautiful little white cat came running from the back of the apartment, meowing loudly.
"There you are. Hi, bebe."
So the cat was real after all. Remy laughed and crouched down. "Hello there, little man." The cat was handsome. He had one green eye and one blue eye. Remy held his hand out, and the cat sniffed it, then rubbed against Remy's fingers.
"You can … see him?"
Remy looked up at her. "Of course I can see him and feel him. Why would you think otherwise?"
"Well, because Jean-Luc is a ghost."
Remy picked up the cat, who immediately snuggled against him, butting his head under Remy's chin. The ghost thing made no sense now. The cat was obviously real. "You mean because he's all white? I don't get what you're saying."
"No, I mean because he's a ghost. I found him in a cemetery. Half the time he's invisible or see-through, because I guess materializing takes effort."
"Um … okay." Remy held Jean-Luc out. The cat looked as solid as could be to him. "Does he look transparent to you now?"
"No, but he was when he came running out. It's how he almost always looks to me." She suddenly frowned and put her hands on her hips. "He must be trying to impress you. I don't know why he couldn't do that around my mother."
"I have no idea." Remy hugged the cat to his chest again, scratching his chin and neck. "But he's sweet, and I'd be happy to have him at my place."
Ephie shook her head. "I feel like I'm in some alternate universe."
Remy put the cat down. Jean-Luc hopped up onto the back of the sofa and looked longingly at him, probably hoping for more attention. Remy took Ephie's hand. "Maybe you are."
"I don't think—"
"I noticed you still have the ring I gave you and you're still wearing it." He lifted her hand. Seeing the ring on her finger had touched him deeply. Given him hope.
She nodded. "I couldn't just get rid of it."
It amazed him how her beauty had increased over the years. How she'd grown into it. She was something to look at. The grace with which she moved made it almost impossible to look away. He held her hand in his, lifting his gaze from the ring to look into her eyes. "I'm very happy you didn't. I always wondered what happened to it."
She drew closer to him. "Did you ever wonder what happened to me?"
He couldn't tell her the truth, that he thought about her nearly every day. She'd run again. And he couldn't let that happen when staying here meant putting her in danger. So he nodded and reluctantly let her hand go. "There were definitely times you crossed my mind."
For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she gave him a quick smile. "I should get packed. I'll just be a minute."
"Okay."
"Make yourself comfortable." She turned and went down the hall.
He stayed where he was, looking around the place. It was nice. More modern than he'd expected. A large desk took up the dining area. He scratched Jean-Luc. "Do you need to pack, little cat?"
Jean-Luc closed his eyes and purred.
Remy picked the cat up again, this time cradling him in his arms like a baby. Jean-Luc put one paw on Remy's jaw. Remy smiled. "I already said you could come."
Remy carried the cat with him as he wandered through the space. He checked out the windows for any sign that Ephie was being watched but spotted nothing unusual.
He glanced down the hall. No sign of her yet. He set Jean-Luc down on the sofa and went back to the foyer. He dug her phone out of her purse and turned it off. He would have preferred removing the SIM card, but she'd notice that.
This way, he hoped to buy them some time. Enough to get out of the city undetected. Of course, that advantage would disappear the moment she turned the phone back on.
Maybe he should pull the SIM card, but how would he explain that when she realized what was up? There would be nothing he could tell her but the truth.
And according to Leonie, Ephie would have a meltdown.
He put the phone back in her purse. Jean-Luc chirped at him. "Okay, come on." He picked the cat up again.
There weren't many women who would welcome a death threat, but Ephie didn't seem like the type who'd be left helpless by such news. Nor did she seem fragile. Did Leonie really think that of her daughter? Or had she fed Remy a story to get him to do her bidding?
"All set," Ephie called out. She emerged from the hall with a suitcase in one hand and a large tote bag over the other. She'd changed into flat canvas shoes, jeans, and a striped top with a pale blue, zip-up hoodie. "Just need to pack up my computer and I'm ready."
"Great. I'll take the suitcase down to the car, then come right back up." That would give him another chance to have a better look around outside.
She narrowed her eyes at him, but there was a curious sparkle in her gaze. "Have you been holding Jean-Luc this entire time?"
"Pretty much."
She laughed. "Are you trying to steal my cat?"
Remy shrugged. "He likes it."
"Jean-Luc, you little traitor," she teased.
Remy gave Jean-Luc some extra scratches. "Don't you need a carrier for him? And what about food and a litter box?"
She shook her head. "He's a ghost. He doesn't need any of those things. At least he hasn't yet."
"Huh." Remy glanced down at Jean-Luc. "You might be just about perfect, little man."