diff --git a/src/jqueryui-multisearch.js b/src/jqueryui-multisearch.js
index 040d07a..b13b3bf 100644
--- a/src/jqueryui-multisearch.js
+++ b/src/jqueryui-multisearch.js
@@ -686,6 +686,7 @@
              case jQuery.ui.keyCode.ESCAPE:
 
                this._hidePicker();
+               this.optionIndex = -1;
                return true;
 
              default: