For days, now, she’d been reliving that kiss, dreaming about it. Imagining Kyle’s hands stroking her body and his lips pressed against hers. Now that she was here, though, standing right next to the man, she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t let herself get involved with him.
He knew her secrets, knew about her past. And that would never do. The whole reason she was looking for a legitimate job, the whole reason she’d walked away from the family business, was so that she could start over fresh. A clean slate.
She wanted a life where no one ever looked at her with suspicion. And that life wasn’t with Kyle Radley.
She shook her head, frustrated with herself. Once again she was getting carried away.
She cleared her throat and fought the urge to nibble on her thumbnail. “So, um, where do we start?”
For just a moment she saw disappointment reflected in his eyes, but he shifted quickly enough to professionalism. Five minutes later they were at a small conference table, copies of the police reports relating to the break-in spread out between them.
“And now the insurance company is insisting that we’re negligent,” Kyle explained. “Their attorney has informed me they’re going to file a suit for indemnification in six days.” He pointed to a wall calendar, showing a big purple circle around August 12.
“So you want to prove it’s not your fault.”
“Basically,” he agreed. “What I want to do is prove that the thief didn’t just waltz in. That the system did its job, but that the burglar was extraordinary.”
“To show that your company wasn’t negligent,” she said, thinking out loud, “that you didn’t simply pawn off a sucky security system.”
“Right.”
“And if we can’t prove that?”
“Then my business is going to tank.”
“Well, so long as there’s no pressure on me in my new job.”
He met her grin, then rested his hand on top of hers. A simple gesture, it still sent sparks shooting all the way down to her toes.
She opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say, but she never found out because the chime sounded in the reception area.
“Kyle?” Miss Emily’s voice.
“Back here, Grandma,” Kyle said, rising to his feet.
“Kyle, darling,” she said, gliding into the room. Her gaze found Mel right away, and a smile bloomed on her face, her eyes dancing with such delight that Mel couldn’t help but feel flattered.
“Grace! Darling, it’s so good to see you.”
“Thanks, Miss Emily,” Mel said, standing up. “Actually, Grace is an, uh, nickname. My name’s Melissa Tanner.”
“Well, it’s still a pleasure to see you again, my dear,” Miss Emily said.
“Actually, Kyle and I are working together now.”
“Fabulous.” She clasped her hands and looked so delighted that Mel almost had to laugh. ApparentlyMiss Emily was as much the matchmaker as her grandfather. Which reminded her…
“Miss Emily,” she began, “it occurred to me that you know my grandfather. Gregory Tanner. He was a bit player in some of your movies. When I mentioned meeting you, he said that years ago you’d actually been acquainted.”
For just a moment Emily looked quite befuddled. Then her face cleared and the perfect smile returned. “Gregory Tanner. Of course. I remember him well. A darling man.”
“He seemed very fond of you, too.”
“Gregory Tanner,” Kyle said.
Mel turned his direction, curious about the musing tone of his voice. “Do you know him?”
“Only by reputation. Now I remember the story.” He turned to his grandmother. “Gregory, The Cat. All those Hollywood stories about the dashing cat burglar. I used to read all about him in the boxes of fan magazines you kept in the attic.”
