Free Untrained Eye by Jody Klaire Page A

causing
trouble some place.” Nan narrowed her eyes like she knew Renee was miles away. “When
Lilia did pretty much the same, I started seeing a pattern. An’ Shorty got the
same taste for fleeing.”
    “I thought Lilia left to join the CIG?” Renee was sure that was
noble not fleeing, even if it had hurt Aeron.
    “Sure, but when she was a teenager, she was wilder than Bess an’
we ain’t got a clue where she gets it from.” Something in Nan’s eyes said that she
wasn’t being one hundred percent truthful.
    She had eyes exactly like Aeron’s.
    Aeron. Renee went to lean on her fist, missed and smacked her head
on the table again.
    Yup, that would leave a bruise.
    “Although I love learning about you all, I’m guessing you are here
to tell me something?” She was impressed how sober that sounded. A bit slurred
in places and she was sure that a lot of her s sounds had become “shounds” but
it was a great effort.
    “Shorty is gonna haul attitude your way but I want you to
remember, that no matter what dumb things she does while she’s figuring things
out, she cares more for you than anybody else, including herself.”
    Renee smiled. It was dopey. She couldn’t help it. “It’s a nice
thought, Nan, but—”
    “No buts.” Nan placed a non-existent finger over her lips. It tingled. “You
got some growing to do yourself. So just bear it in mind. You got that?”
    “I’m thirty five.” Renee squinted at her fingers. It was as close
to five as she could manage. “I’m all grown.”
    “Uh huh.”
    Renee tried to fold her arms and missed, punching the edge of the
booth. “You don’t think?”
    “A grown woman don’t get hammered in a bar. She don’t get all
flushed when folks think things of her.”
    Renee stared back up at the ceiling. “Don’t you start, I’ve had
the ‘get over yourself’ talk from Urs . . . ooo . . . oolah.”
    Nan chuckled. “Then consider yourself told. An’ Blondie?”
    She could hear Nan’s voice fading and rolled her head to catch a
few remaining wavy dots. “She’s a flight risk when mad but she got a good
heart. She cares.”
    Renee smiled. “Right, no judgment, grow up, don’t tell her
anything. Check.”
    Somewhere, way over . . . well there, Renee could hear Nan
chuckle. She chuckled too, knowing somewhere in her logical mind that she may
have just become insane.
    “Just,” she slurred to herself. “Been there a while, I’d say.”
    Thinking too much hurt, but Renee made the effort to try and
memorize Nan’s advice. Aeron had attitude. She knew that. She met her in
Serenity Hills when posing as her psychiatrist.
    Aeron Lorelei had a bucket load of it.
    That made her grin.
    There was nothing wrong with being fiery. Nope.
    Aeron was trouble or had trouble with fleeing, she couldn’t
remember. She’d go with trouble? Well, Aeron’s past did give that one credence.
Before she’d been locked away, Aeron had a rap sheet longer than Renee cared to
look too deeply into. Sam had led her into trouble but she got the feeling that
Aeron didn’t need a lot of persuading.
    Trouble. Attitude.
    A flight risk. Lilia had left, and if she wasn’t hallucinating or
crazy then the grandmother had done the same. Which meant Aeron could bolt for
the hills at any moment. Renee wasn’t too sure about that. She’d wanted to stay
in Oppidum. She’d wanted to stay in St. Jude’s. If anything, Aeron was happy to
be rooted, somewhere, anywhere .
    Nope, she’d cross that one off, whatever the Nan delusion or
hallucination said. She peered at her glass. Could tequila make you
hallucinate?
    Aeron had a good heart and she cared. Renee was convinced of that.
Aeron had the biggest heart. She was so sweet and loving that she suffered for
it sometimes.
    “To help her grow, you need to grow yourself.” Renee wagged her
finger in the air as she told herself. “That means try being a professional.”
    She needed to be a good example. A responsible guide and leader.
Someone who