CHAPTER 10

EMILY GESTURED to the waiter to clear their breakfast plates. Across the table, Gregory sipped a mimosa. They’d met here, at the little café overlooking the Pacific, to celebrate their victory in matchmaking. Of course, Gregory had ordered champagne—tempered with orange juice simply in deference to the early-morning hour.

She hadn’t argued. She’d wanted to share this moment with him, even though she knew that their victory wasn’t yet complete.

She took another sip of her own mimosa and sighed.

Gregory reached across the small table to brush his fingers over hers. “Emily? What’s wrong?”

She forced a smile. “Not a thing, Gregory, darling. I’m simply watching the ocean and thinking about the passage of time.”

That, in part, was true. So much time. She’d loved her husband, Clark, of course, just as Gregory had loved Martha. But they’d both been gone for years, and she and Gregory had wasted so much time.

She didn’t want to waste any more.

“We were right, you know,” Gregory said, still focusing on the children. “Mel’s quite taken with Kyle.” He rubbed his mustache. “As fast as they started dating, it should be no time before they’re engaged.”

Emily took a sip of her mimosa, stalling for time as she tried to decide how to answer. Their plan had definitely been a success so far, but she had to wonder if the victory was entirely legitimate. She’d tried to call Frances yesterday, but her sister had avoided her calls. That had been the usual state of affairs years ago, but lately they’d been getting along so much better.

Frances’s hesitation had gotten Emily thinking, and she’d come to only one conclusion—Frances had slipped up. The woman had never been as good an actress as Emily. If Kyle had even an inkling of the strings the three of them had been pulling, he would have hounded Frances until she told him everything.

Which would explain why the children were suddenly so cozy. Their sneaky little grandchildren were trying to turn the tables on them!

In truth, though, Emily didn’t mind. The only question was whether to tell Gregory. About that, though, she decided to keep her own counsel. Even more, she decided to do everything she could to move both schemes along.

“Emily?” he repeated, a hint of concern in his voice. “You do think it will work out, don’t you?”

She studied him, thinking less about their own scheme and more about the grandchildren’s. Finally she nodded. “Yes, darling,” she said. “I think everything will work out perfectly.”

* * *

MEL WAS CURLED UP on her sofa in ratty old sweat-pants, a Robert Ludlum novel resting on the cushion beside her and To Catch a Thief playing in the background on the television. Gramps was in the armchair, his eyes glued to the screen despite having seen the movie at least a hundred times.

She’d been bummed when Kyle had told her he had to meet with clients that night, but now she was enjoying herself. She hadn’t had the chance to spend much time alone with Gramps in the past few days, and she was looking forward to gracefully interrogating him about Emily.

“You and Kyle seem to have hit it off,” Gramps said, keeping his eyes on the screen. Mel fought a smile, realizing that he’d jumped on the interrogation bandwagon.

“So have you and Emily.”

His whole body seemed to come alive. He sat up straighter, his eyes lit up and he seemed to lose ten years. She wondered if she looked that alive when she thought about Kyle, and promptly pushed the idea away. This was about Gramps. She already knew how her story with Kyle was going to end.

“Emily’s a lovely woman,” Gramps said.

She licked her lips, not sure how much to reveal, then decided she had nothing to lose. “I want the scoop. How come there wasn’t anything between you two before now?”

He didn’t answer at first, and she started to wonder if she’d crossed the line. Then he said, “Emily was already a huge star when I knew her, and I was playing bit parts. A character actor with a questionable reputation. That didn’t stop us, though, and we went out a few times. I wanted more. I think she did, too, though she never specifically said so.”

“What did she say?”

“She said no.” He smoothed his thinning gray hair. “But the studio made her say that. Her persona was simply worth too much.”

“What about later? Grandma passed away five years ago.”

Gramps merely shrugged. “Where once we were young and foolish, now we’re old and stupid.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Foolish and stupid. Okay. Got it. But are you still stupid? Or are you going to do something about it now?”

“Yes.” He nodded, his face serious. “Yes, I am. Are you?”

She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I know what you and Emily are doing, Gramps. And I appreciate it. I really do. But Kyle isn’t the man for me.”

“You don’t need a clean slate, Melissa Jane. Not if the man truly loves you.”

His words seemed to settle around her, but she pushed them away, not willing to hear them, certain that she was right. She kept her voice gentle yet firm. “I know what I’m doing, Gramps. Don’t worry about me.”

“I do worry about you. You’re all I have.”

She lifted a brow. “You have Emily.”

His eyes lit up as he nodded. “Yes, I suppose I do.” His mustache twitched as he smiled. “Apparently I’ll be seeing her on a lot of double dates.”

At that, Mel couldn’t help but laugh.

The lines on Gramps’s forehead crinkled. “What?”

She shook her head, still giggling. “Nothing. I just have that song going through my head now. ‘It takes two, baby….”’

His mustache twitched. “Sorry. I don’t do songs. Only movies. What about Between One and Two?”

“A silent movie? Nah. Maybe Champagne for Two.”

Gramps shook his head, clearly getting into the game. “Two for the Road.”

“Although, I guess really it should be four since we’re two sets of two. So maybe—” She closed her mouth, her eyes wide as she realized that she knew. She knew how to answer the Driskell riddle.

Now she just had to prove she was right.

“I need a favor, Gramps,” she said. “If you have any plans for tonight, I really need you to break them.”

* * *

“YOU WANT TO TELL ME AGAIN what we’re doing?” Gramps asked, stifling a yawn. “Considering you told me you were giving up this life, I know we can’t be casing this house.”

“That’s exactly what we’re doing,” she said. “Of course, this time it’s completely aboveboard.”

Her grandfather’s brows lifted.

“Trust me.”

They were in her car, parked just outside of the Bryant house. If she was right, she knew how the Driskell robbery went down. She got a little thrill from having solved the mystery, but the excitement was tempered by the knowledge that, if she was right, the job she’d agreed to do for Kyle would be over. Time to move on. Time to walk away.

Tears threatened, but never appeared. She knew she was doing the right thing, no matter how hard it might be. No tears. She just had to buckle up and get past this.

It was a little past three in the morning, and the street lay silent. A fine mist of dew had settled over the car, and Mel hugged herself, pulling her hooded sweatshirt more tightly around her.

Gramps looked at her over his glasses, but didn’t say anything.

She couldn’t meet his eyes, so she concentrated on rummaging through her fanny pack, checking her supplies. The solution was so simple she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before. After Gramps’s casual words had planted the seed, she’d pulled out her copies of the schematics. Yup. Just as she’d thought. She now knew exactly, without a doubt, how the thief had gotten in.

“Okay,” she said. “This is what we’re doing.”

After she walked him through the plan, he took off his glasses and peered at her. “And you think that will get us through the system?”

She nodded. “I’m sure of it.”

“If you’re right, you know what that means?”

She drew in a breath and nodded again. “I know.” If she was right, she was going to be delivering some seriously bad news to Kyle.

She opened the door to the van. “Let’s go.”

* * *

FOR THE THIRD TIME in the last three minutes, Kyle stopped pacing his office and glanced at his wristwatch. Ten-fifteen in the morning. And no sign of Mel.

He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. They’d spent the evening apart because he’d had dinner with clients, but the time away from her only accentuated how much he wanted to be with her.

He wanted her. Permanently. Forever. And as soon as they figured out this Driskell problem, Kyle intended to let Mel know in no uncertain terms that the time for playing games was over. She might not want a relationship, but he intended to fight her on that. He’d win, too.

His first priority, though, was Ethan Driskell and the damn insurance company. His gaze darted to the calendar. Time was almost up; the lawyers would serve him with a lawsuit the next day. He needed Mel in his life, yes, but he also needed her help.

So where the hell was she?

He was dialing her cell phone number for the third time when the chime sounded. He stepped into the reception area, expecting to see her. Instead, he saw Brent.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Sorry,” Brent said. “I had things to do.”

“Things to do?” Kyle repeated. “I’ve been working my ass off.”

“You said you were going to hire an office assistant.”

“I ended up hiring a consultant instead.”

“A consultant?” Brent asked. “What the hell for?”

“To do your job. Figure out how the breach occurred.”

“Who’d you hire?”

“You met her. Melissa Tanner.”

At that, Brent actually laughed. “Give me a break.”

“She knows what she’s doing. She used to be a thief.”

“Really?” Brent frowned. “Well, I guess I wrote her off too quickly. More than just eye candy. The woman definitely has a more interesting side.”

“You’re on thin ice, buddy. Especially since she’s the one who’s been helping out while my partner—the man who actually owns an interest in this company—skipped out to Vegas.”

Brent scowled. “I didn’t leave town. I told you I wouldn’t, and I stayed.”

“I tried to reach you,” Kyle said.

“I’ve been having a rough time of it, okay? I just needed—”

Kyle never found out what he needed because right then, the door opened and Mel walked in. Brent took the opportunity to step back into his office, and she watched him go, her face hard.

“Mel? Where have you been?”

She pulled her gaze away from Brent’s office door to look at him, her mouth drawn into a tight line.

“What’s happened?” Fear rose in his chest. “Are Emily and Gregory okay?”

“They’re fine,” Mel rushed to say. She drew a breath. “But you need to see this. Now.” She passed him a file folder, her face completely unreadable.

Something in his gut twisted and he knew this was it. She was going to leave him. He wanted to call her on it, to beg her to stay, but the folder burned in his hand. He drew a breath and opened it, knowing it wasn’t going to be good.

He skimmed the pages once, then read them in detail two more times. He knew in his gut that her report had to be right, but he didn’t want to believe it. Finally he closed the folder and looked at her.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Brent and Driskell were working together?”

“An insurance scam,” Melissa said. “I finally realized there had to be two people involved, and Gramps and I checked it out last night.” She licked her lips, her eyes darting to Brent’s office door. “It was an inside job. I finally realized it had to be. There was no way to get through the system. Not unless there were two people who were intimately familiar with the setup.” She drew a breath. “I think you need to call the police in on this one.”

“Shit.” He ran his fingers through his hair. Her report would save him from the insurance sharks, yes, but it didn’t save him from the knife of betrayal that Brent had wielded so skillfully.

He stormed to Brent’s office and shoved the door open. Brent was at his desk, rummaging through the drawers. When he looked up, surprise and guilt flooded his face. “You son of a bitch,” Kyle said, the words a growl in his throat. “How the hell could you do this to me?”

Mel was behind him, her hand on his shoulder, as if she was afraid he’d rush into the room and rip Brent’s head off. Yeah, well, he just might do that.

“Do what?” Brent said, his eyes darting between Kyle and Mel.

Kyle tossed him the folder. Brent skimmed the pages, then looked up, all color drained from his face. “Who put this together?”

“I did,” Mel said from behind him.

“Dammit, Kyle,” Brent said, “you’re going to believe her? I’m your partner, man. You said it yourself. She’s a goddamn thief.”

At that, Kyle lashed out, punching his partner in the jaw. Brent spun around, landing on his behind on the hard linoleum floor.

Behind him, Mel gasped, and Kyle turned to face her. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry about what he said. I’m—”

She held up a hand. “No. He’s right. Just like you told him. I am a thief.” She stood up straighter, her shoulders back and her chin high. “And I think it’s time for me to go.”

* * *

“MEL, STAY.”

Kyle caught up with her at the front door, his hand reaching out to hold it closed. “Don’t leave me now.”

Brent was still on the floor in his office, even so, his words echoed in the air. She’s a goddamn thief.

She steeled herself, sure she was doing the right thing. She was a thief. No matter what else she went on to do, that simple fact would always color her life. “I’ve made up my mind, Kyle. Please don’t make this harder than it is.”

“Don’t make it hard? What do you expect? I’m sure as hell not going to make it easy.”

“Kyle, please.”

“Mel, we’re good together. And you’re good. Stay with me. Work for me.” He waved the folder. “This is what you do. Don’t walk away from it. Hell, don’t walk away from me.”

She shook her head. “I can’t stay. You know how I feel. I never made any secret of it.” She drew in a breath. She knew she was doing the right thing, but this was so much harder than she’d ever imagined. “And now I need to go.”

“Dammit, Mel. I love you.”

She flinched. She didn’t want him to love her, and she didn’t want to love him. But she did. And that made it so much harder.

“Stay,” he said, his words filling the silence she’d left. “Stay and work for me.” He cast a glance toward Brent’s door, his jaw tightening with anger. “It looks like I’m in need of a new partner, anyway, and this is the perfect job for you.”

“Perfect?” She felt a swell of anger build in her stomach. “You think a job where I break into houses is perfect for me? It’s not perfect. It’s exactly what I’ve been wanting to get away from. And if you think it’s perfect, then you don’t really know me at all.”

“Maybe I know you even better than you know yourself.”

His words held the force of a slap, and she flinched.

“You love it, Mel. The thrill. The challenge. And, yes, I know your past, but so what? It is your past. I love you anyway. You’re trying so hard to be someone you’re not. Quit trying. Just be yourself. Just be the woman I love.”

His words stung, and she steeled herself against them. “I’m sorry, Kyle,” she said, clenching her fists to keep her determination from wavering. “But you’re wrong. It’s not the job for me. Not at all.” She took a breath, then met his eyes. “I do love you. But that really isn’t enough.”

* * *

KYLE HAD CALLED every few hours for the next two days, but Mel didn’t take his calls. So far he hadn’t come by her house, and she really hoped he wouldn’t. She could steel herself against a phone call, but seeing him up close and personal would just hurt too damn much.

She knew she’d made the right decision, even so, she couldn’t stop crying. God, she was such a mess.

With the back of her hand, she wiped her tears away, then returned to the laptop computer. She’d pulled up the Web sites of various placement agencies and now she scrolled through, trying to find a job—any job.

Her hand stilled over the mouse, and she closed her eyes. The truth was she’d had a great job. Kyle was right, the security consultant gig really was perfect for her. It challenged her and thrilled her. Besides, she was good at it.

No other job even came close in appeal, and yet she’d walked away, unable to face that her secret was out. That he’d shared her background with Brent. And worst of all, the reason he’d been able to spill the information was that he knew the truth about her.

She swallowed. He did know. And he still wanted her. Both in his life and in the job. Hell, he wanted her to be his security consultant because he knew she was good at it. And he knew she was good because he knew about her past.

Was that really so terrible?

She set her laptop aside, then pulled her spare pillow over and hugged it close. Her whole life she’d fantasized about finding a man who didn’t know about her secret. Who thought she was perfect and loved her completely. She’d be a perfect princess; he’d be her Prince Charming.

But he would never really know her.

Kyle knew all her flaws and loved her anyway.

A tear fell, plopping onto the pillow, as if accentuating the truth. She’d made a huge mistake walking away.

A knock sounded at her door. “Come in,” she called, her heart fluttering with the hope that maybe Kyle had come over, begging her to change her mind.

But when the bedroom door opened, it wasn’t Kyle standing there, but Emily and Gramps. She couldn’t help her smile. “Ganging up on me?”

“If it’s necessary,” Gramps said.

“Gramps, I—”

He held up a hand. “No. I want to say my piece, and then you can talk. Agreed?”

She nodded, fighting a smile. She glanced at Miss Emily, wondering if the elderly woman shared her amusement, but Emily was staring at Gramps with pure adoration.

“I’m in love with Emily,” he said.

Beside him, Emily beamed, her hand clasped on Gramps’s wrist.

“Oh, Gramps, that’s wonderful.” Mel scooted off the bed and kissed them each on the cheek, sure that she was beaming just as widely. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“And I’m happy,” Gramps said. He took her hand and squeezed. “I want you to be just as happy.”

“I know. I really do.”

“Don’t misunderstand me,” he went on. “I don’t regret marrying your grandmother. But I never felt as alive with her as I do with Emily.”

He gave Emily a kiss. “I missed out on years by not fighting for Emily. I don’t want you to miss out, too.”

She couldn’t fight the bubble of laughter. “I won’t, Gramps. I’d already made up my mind before you got here.”

His face puckered in confusion, and then comprehension struck and the confusion faded, replaced by a broad smile.

“What are you going to do?” Gramps said.

She hugged him, then stood back, taking both their hands. “The only thing I can do. I’m going to tell him I was wrong. And I’m going to get him back.”

* * *

KYLE TOSSED AND TURNED, trying to sleep. With the lawsuit no longer hanging over his head, he should have felt somewhat more relaxed. But Mel had walked out on him, and that had given him insomnia. Not only had he lost the girl, but now he was going to go crazy from lack of sleep. Hardly a fair trade.

He wanted to be mad at Mel. Wanted to call her names and tell himself that the best thing that had ever happened to him was that she’d left him.

He couldn’t, though. He didn’t believe any of that. He loved her, and he’d lost her, and he didn’t have a plan for getting her back.

He would figure it out, though. He’d been stuck at the office working with the police for the past two days, but he’d tried to call her every chance he got. She hadn’t taken his calls, and he hadn’t been able to camp out on her doorstep.

Tomorrow, though, was a different story. Brent was being arraigned in the morning, and after that, Kyle was going over to Mel’s house, and he was going to talk to her. And if she wouldn’t see him, he was going to talk to her grandfather.

Exhausted, he flipped over in bed again and lay there, his eyes closed as he soaked in the sounds of the house. Just breathing and relaxing. Doing absolutely nothing except wanting her and imagining that she was right there beside him.

“Kyle?”

Hell, he was even imagining her voice.

“Kyle?” A subtle pressure on the bed, and his heart swelled. She was right there beside him. He opened his eyes, smiled when he saw her sitting next to him.

“Do I need to grab you? Or are you going to run away from me?”

“I’m not running away,” she said. “But I’d definitely like you to grab me.”

He did, pulling her on top of him and then rolling them both over until they were lying in bed facing each other. He reached out, stroked her cheek. He wanted to savor this moment even as much as he wanted to cover her in kisses.

“Why are you here?” He almost didn’t want to ask the question, too afraid he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted.

She eased closer, her body pressing close to his. “Because I love you. And because I screwed up. And because I want to be with you if you don’t want to kick me out.”

He couldn’t even answer her. Could only pull her close and cover her mouth with his. She was his. His love. His life. And she was right there in his arms.

Right there…?

He pulled back, fighting a smile as he looked down at her. “The chain’s on the door and the alarm is armed. How’d you get in here, anyway?”

Her grin was wide and open. “How do you think?”

He lifted his brows. “I’m afraid to guess. The last time I suggested that you might be skilled at breaking and entering, you walked out on me.”

Her gaze dropped. “Sorry. I—”

He pressed a finger over her lips. “It doesn’t matter. I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.”

He folded her in his arms and held her there, the rhythm of her heart mixing with his own.

“Kyle?” Her lips were pressed against his neck, her voice soft, almost hesitant.

“Hmm?”

“I think I want that job. Is it still open?”

“For you? You bet.”

“Kyle?”

“Hmm?”

“I want you, too.”

He pushed back to see her face. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. “Sweetheart,” he said, “you’ve got me.”

“Good.” She sat up, smiling playfully. “And you better mean it. Because as you can see, I got into your house, and I can get into your life, too.”

“You’re already in.”

“I know.” She took his hand and held it tight. “And for the record, there’s no way you’re ever keeping me out.”

“Is that a promise?”

She didn’t answer with words, but her enthusiastic kiss assured him it was. And when she joined him under the covers, he knew that he’d found the woman for him…and that she really had stolen his heart.