But unless she could figure out a way to pay those property taxes, she might have no choice. Because the one thing she wanted even less than returning to that life was seeing the house sold out from under them. Not only was this house all she had left of her parents, but it was the home she shared with Gramps. She wasn’t giving it up. No matter what.
She knew a lot of girls her age might balk at living under the same roof as their grandfather, but Melhad lost her parents in the blink of an eye. One of these days Gramps would go, too, and she wanted to have shared as much as possible with him before then.
“And one more toast,” he said, lifting his glass. “To new beginnings and bright futures.”
“I’ll drink to that,” she said, “especially if by ‘bright’ you don’t mean under the fluorescent lights of some fast-food restaurant.”
“I don’t, indeed.” He took a sip of his drink, and she did the same, then immediately spit it out, unable to swallow through the burst of laughter.
“Gramps! This iswater.”
“Well, of course, Melissa. I’m certainly not going to imbibe before the cocktail hour.”
She rolled her eyes, and then, just to show him, she slammed back the rest of her drink, then fixed him with her best stare. “Personally, I like my mineral water shaken, not stirred.”
He shook his head. “James Bond. Really, Melissa, you’re not even challenging me. Can’t you come up with a more obscure film?”
“Not in my jammies, I can’t.” Besides, at the moment she wasn’t feeling particularly sharp. For that matter, lately she’d been feeling like quite a loser. After all, how hard could it be,really, to find a job?
Apparently, it was pretty damn hard.
“What?”
She scowled. The man knew her too well. “I’m just wondering what I bothered with all that school for. I mean, it took me forever to finish my bachelor’s, and for what? So I can pound the pavement looking for a job that’s not there?”
“You’ll find one,” he said. “You already did. You had a perfectly fine position at that rental agency.”
“Perfectly fine until I got laid off.” Budget cuts, and she’d been the first to go. The downside of being low on the totem pole.
The sad truth, though, was that she’d secretly rejoiced the day she’d gotten her pink slip. The job had been duller than dull, and she’d taken Gramps all the way into Los Angeles for a fabulous dinner, just to celebrate her freedom.
At the time, she’d assumed the job would be easily replaceable. Little did she know.
What shedidknow was that she couldn’t continue as a cat burglar. It was too risky. Too illegal. It simply wasn’t right. Even more, she hated living a constant lie.
But could she help the fact that no other job offered the thrill she got from inching her way into someone’s locked room? Pathetic, she knew, and she’d turned over a new leaf. Melissa Tanner had gone straight as an arrow. If she got the urge, she’d take up bungee jumping. But cat burglary was off-limits. Totally and completely.
Gramps stood and crossed the room to her desk. He put his glass down and turned to face her, his gaze serious.
“Grandpa?”
“Maybe it’s time for you to give up the pretense.”
She swallowed, afraid he was going to call her out, accuse her ofwantingto be a thief. “The pretense?” she repeated, hoping she sounded innocent.
“The job situation,” he said. “Why don’t you simply take some time off while you evaluate your options and figure out what you need to do?”
A lovely idea, but hardly practical unless he was going to suggest thieving as a way to pay her bills. And she knew he wouldn’t do that in a million years. Gramps knew better than anyone the perils and pitfalls of a life of crime, and he’d pushed her out of the profession with all the force he could muster. The only other time he’d shown such determination had been when he’d taught her the skills that had kept her from ever getting caught.
“Gramps, I appreciate the thought, but even if I could convince the county that they don’t need those silly old taxes, we still have food and a car payment and other expenses.”
She hated laying it out like that, especially when she knew that Gramps had no money to help her out with. He’d long ago run through his savings,and social security didn’t make payments to retired thieves.
She sighed. “I just need to find a job. Since I’ve already run through all the usual channels, I’m thinking I’ll try to find something that has a little kick to it. Maybe the Parks Service. I mean, that has to be interesting. Or maybe at one of the amusement parks. Adventure. Excitement. My cup of tea, right?”
“I’m sure you would get immense job satisfaction out of running a cotton candy machine, but before you make a new career plan, at least take a look at my birthday present to you.”
“It wasn’t a watered-down martini?” A weak joke, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. Without reason, a finger of dread had begun to tickle the back of her neck, and she wondered what Gramps was up to. He’d always talked about wishing he could help her be more financially independent. But surely he wouldn’t have gone and done something stupid. Would he?
