Baby, It's You by Jane Graves Page B

and Marc knew for sure that the chaos had only begun.
    “Are you serious ?” he said. “Your own father cleaned out your bank account?”
    “It looks that way. He’s a signer on the account. He can do that.”
    “Why is he a signer on your account?”
    “It’s an old account from when I was in high school.”
    “And you never took him off it?”
    “It was never a problem before. And if he emptied my bank account, you can bet there’s no way he’ll turn in a claim for the damage on the car and then hand the check over to me. He’s trying to force me to come back to Houston. He thinks if I’m broke, that’s what I’ll do.”
    “My God,” Marc said. “Is there a part of your life your father doesn’t control?”
    Kari was silent.
    “You said your only credit card is charged to the hilt. Is that right?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Do you have any cash?”
    “Not much.”
    “Can you pay your hotel bill?”
    “Barely.”
    “You can’t even feed yourself, can you?”
    She sighed. “Not for long.”
    “And now I’ve chased away the only person who could get you back to Houston?” he said, his voice escalating. “Why didn’t you stop me?”
    “You told me I shouldn’t go with him!”
    She was right. That was exactly what he’d said. And it was because nothing made him angrier than to see a man treat a woman that way. Nothing. So what else could he have done?
    Kari stood there looking lost. The goofy little rag mop whimpered, then licked her chin. “Do you really think I should have gone with him?” she said quietly.
    Marc twisted his mouth with irritation. “No,” he muttered. “No! Of course not. That guy’s an asshole. You shouldn’t get within ten miles of him. But that means you have a big problem.”
    “I know.”
    “So what’s your plan now?”
    “Well, I was thinking about that before Greg and Jill showed up.”
    “And?”
    “Nothing came to me.”
    Then she was silent. At least her mouth was silent. Those gorgeous green eyes wouldn’t shut up. And he couldn’t turn her away any more than he could ignore a kitten in a snowstorm. Or, more accurately, a dirty bride in a rainstorm.
    “Did Gus give you something to eat last night?” he asked her.
    “Yeah.”
    “You said you slept in. Did you miss breakfast?”
    She sighed. “Yeah.”
    “Come with me.”
    “Where are we going?” she said.
    “To Rosie’s for lunch. I’ll buy. But by the time we finish eating, you’re going to have a plan. And then you’re going to put it into action.”

Chapter 5
    W hen Marc stepped into that parlor and told Greg to take a hike, he’d seemed like a superhero to Kari. Showing up out of nowhere, standing there with those powerful arms folded over that big, broad chest, skewering Greg with that intense warning expression—yep. Superhero. Her superhero. And his self-assurance had oozed over and filled her with the kind of confidence she couldn’t have imagined feeling only seconds before.
    But now reality was setting in. Her superhero sat across from her in a booth at Rosie’s Café, looking at her as if there were only certain things he used his superpowers for. Solving her problems in a way she liked didn’t appear to be one of them.
    “No way,” she said as she swallowed yet one more french fry from heaven. “I’m not taking a bus back to Houston.”
    “What else are you going to do? You have no money, no job, no car, and no place to stay. Tell your father to give you your money back. Then get a real job instead of a throwaway one at his company so he doesn’t control you anymore. Tell him you’re making your own decisions from now on. And if the asshole comes within ten yards of you again, get a restraining order. There. You have a plan.”
    “You make it sound so easy.”
    “It is. If that’s what you want, just say it. People will get on board.”
    “Sure. They’ll get on board with you .” She shrugged weakly. “Greg may have been right about me getting another