Dollar Runaways

Chapter 6: Havens

THE WAKE-UP call came while I was still deep in slumber. I just rolled back over and closed my eyes again. Mom got up and moved around for a while before she came and said, "Ashley, time to get up."

"Okay," I said and moved towards the suitcase where we had put my clothes.

"Do you want to wear a dress today?" Mom asked me.

"I really hate sitting in that seat with a dress," I told her honestly.

"Oh... Yeah, that is a bit awkward isn't it." She moved around me and dug around, coming up with another skirt.

"That's the same problem..." I started to say before she pulled up the fabric and showed me there was a pair of shorts underneath. "What is that?" I asked. I didn't remember trying it on yesterday.

"It's a skort," Mom said, "outside it's like a skirt, but underneath it has a pair of shorts to keep you from having embarrassing moments with your panties."

I blushed. "I guess that will work," I told her. She found a top to match and sent me to the bathroom to get dressed and brush my teeth. We hurriedly began taking stuff downstairs to the car then. Mom put the booster seat from yesterday in the trunk and installed mine. We ran back upstairs a couple times, but soon I was carrying Kaitlyn and Saige down the elevator in the doll tote while holding Kristin.

"Let's go get a big breakfast at Denny's, and then we'll head off," she told me once we'd put my dolls down in the backseat. I was getting a little tired of her insisting to help me with the harness, but as I looked up, I felt my heart stop.

A distant cousin of mine was walking out of the lobby towards a car and looked right at me with a smile. I had met him last year when my Dad brought us down on a business trip... Thankfully he smiled and looked away, walking on towards the car.

"What?" Mom asked me.

"Don't turn around," I whispered urgently.

I could tell she just caught herself, "What?"

"Eddie just walked by."

I watched mom tense up, but she said, "Did he see you?"

"He looked right at me, smiled, and kept walking. You can go now I think."

Mom quickly moved to the driver's seat, a little shakily, and drove away. Both of us were relieved when he got onto the freeway and drove away from us. "Mom, I hate pretending like this, but I have a feeling it just saved our lives..."

Mom didn't speak from the front, but decided to go on to breakfast as planned. "Why don't you bring Kristin in with you this time?" Mom suggested.

"Why not Kaitlyn or Saige?" I asked.

"Please, just bring in Kristin?"

I sighed, "Okay."

Mom grabbed the backpack that came with her and held it over her shoulder as we walked to the hostess stand.

"Two please," she said.

"Would you like a booster seat for your daughter?"

I felt my face redden up, "That won't be necessary for my sister," Mom said.

I smiled a bit then, glad that she didn't take that offer, and we followed her to a booth. I sat Kristin in my lap and tried to hold her like a little girl would. "Here's a menu for you sweetheart," the lady said as she put a coloring menu in front of me. "And what would you like to drink?"

"Orange juice please," I said.

"You're sure Eddie didn't recognize you, right?" Mom asked softly across the table when our order for food had been taken.