I heaved a long sigh and ran my hands through my hair. I’d been staring at my laptop screen for hours now, looking for jobs online, and I hadn’t found anything remotely satisfying yet. Seriously, how hard could it be to find a decent, well-paying job that wouldn’t require me to spend twelve hours at work almost seven days in a week?

I had no options. I hadn’t gone to college because I hadn’t been able to afford it, and even now, several years later, the situation hadn’t changed at all. I was still penniless and unable to pursue my dreams. I lived in a rundown building with my aging grandmother, Agnes, and we were literally stuck here. I was taking care of her, and all duties and responsibilities lay on me.

“Come on,” I muttered, punching my touchpad too harshly.

Our apartment, which we’d been renting for years now, was cruddy and pretty ancient. It was so old, actually, that I feared the ceiling would come down on us one day. There was mold everywhere, covering the cracked walls that had transformed from their original white color into yellow, and the musty smell all around was everlasting. My room was so small that I barely had place for my desk, bookshelf, and bed, and spending time in it often felt suffocating.

I didn’t like our apartment in the least, but I didn’t know where else to go. Renting any other place was out of the question, because the prices in Seattle were unreasonably high. This was the best we could find with our limited funds.

“Bree, dear? It’s so late, and you’re still awake?” My grandmother entered the living room, a deep frown twisting her face.

She was near her seventies, grays in her shoulder-length hair almost matching the grayish color of her eyes. They usually glimmered with calm, but now they reflected her concern, and something tightened in my chest. I didn’t like worrying her unnecessarily, so I never complained to her how overwhelmed I was with all the responsibility.

She wasn’t sick or anything. She just grew more tired each day, because her age was getting to her. She moved slower and couldn’t do as much around the house as she could before. She often looked pale, her fragile-looking, wrinkled hands shaking whenever she carried something, and it was difficult seeing her this way. She’d always been enthusiastic and full of energy, but she changed these last few years, and it was a bitter reminder that she wouldn’t always be next to me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, refusing to think about this. “I’m sorry. I’m just searching for a job. We need money, you and I both know it, so I wanted to stay up until I finally found something...” My voice died. I felt like a disappointment. Apparently, I wasn’t able to find even a simple job, let alone keep us afloat.

She came right behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders, massaging the spots that ached the most. She always knew what I needed. Her massage helped me get over the stress and lessened the stiffness of my muscles.

“Honey, it’s okay,” she said in a soothing way. “You don’t have to beat yourself up about it. I’m sure you’ll find a job soon. I have faith in you.”

I sighed and rolled my head in circles, popping my joints. “Yeah? Well, I’ve been looking for weeks now, and there is still nothing. Nothing good, I mean. Some of them don’t pay enough, and others have some absurd conditions. Then there is the issue with the location. I want to be near you so I could come quickly if something happens—”

“Stop worrying needlessly. I’m fine. You don’t have to be concerned about me at all. You’re already doing all you can, and I don’t want to see you so stressed. You need to relax and live your life. You’re too young to worry this much.”

It was easy for her to say that. I knew she only wanted the best for me, and she was in no condition to work, obviously, but I couldn’t relax when everything depended on me. We had no one. My parents weren’t even worth mentioning.

My mom had drug issues, and nobody knew where she was, doing whatever she could to get her next fix. I’d never gotten along with her—not that I wanted to really. She’d never been a proper mother figure to me, missing for the most part of my childhood. My grandmother had been the one who took me in and treated me like I was her own daughter, and I was eternally grateful to her for that.

My dad, on the other hand, was never in the picture. He’d left my mother and me when I was two, and he never looked back. I only knew his name. I’d never even seen his picture, and I had no clue about his whereabouts. I preferred it that way, though. I couldn’t bring myself to think about him or care.

“What about you? Why are you still awake?”

“I said to myself I was going to read one more chapter and go to bed, but that one chapter turned into ten, and before I knew it, they were having their happily ever after.”

I turned to look at her, cracking a huge smile. My grandmother’s weakness was her historical romance novels.

“I guess that the bad guy received an eternal punishment for his wrongdoings in the end?”

She nodded, her face showing her satisfaction with the story’s conclusion. “Dead and buried.”

I erupted into laughter, wishing I could get lost in those fictional worlds too. I could be able to escape the everyday stresses that way, but unlike my grandmother, I wasn’t that easily distracted.

“If only the real life was so magical.”

She brushed her hand across my cheek, pouring all her love into this gentle touch. Her eyes held mine with warmth and care. “It will be one day. I’m sure that everything will come into its place soon.”

I surely hoped so. I wanted to make a life for myself and do what I loved. I was smart, and I wanted to be able to go to college and be a teacher one day, like I’d always wanted, but money was still an issue. I liked working with children, and I had a passion for teaching. It would fulfill me.

“How can you be so sure? I mean, I get it. I have to stay positive and strong, but it’s so difficult when we’re struggling so much. I’ve been without a job for so long, and our savings are almost completely depleted.”

“You’re smart, Bree. You’ll find the answer. I remember waiting for a job for more than five years! Imagine that. Those were different times, and if there wasn’t your grandfather, Thomas, we wouldn’t be able to survive at all, but I believed things would be okay in the end, and they were.”

Her eyes clouded for a moment at the mention of my grandfather. He’d died from cancer before I even met him, so all I knew about him came from what my grandmother had told me. According to her, he was a kind man who liked to help everyone, and people liked him. He was a sailor, often away from home, but their marriage was always strong—their love never dying, just like in the romance stories my grandmother constantly read.

Maybe that’s why she read so much, trying to remind her of her own great love story.

“Do you miss him, Granny?”

She sat on the sofa next to me. “Every day, but I know he is in a better place, so I don’t feel sad. I have so many fond memories of him, and they are enough.”

I took her hand. “If only people nowadays could have the kind of love you and he had. I feel like love isn’t what it was before.”

She squeezed my hand. “Love is the same, honey. You just haven’t found the right person for you. You’re such a beautiful girl, and I have no doubt that some prince in a shining armor will come soon and sweep you off your feet.”

I returned her smile. “You think? All I’d been seeing lately are some immature jerks who don’t even know what they want in their life.”

“There are those kinds of people too, yes, but don’t dismiss all men as unworthy.”

So far my experiences with men weren’t positive at all. My first boyfriend cheated on me, and my second boyfriend was an alcoholic. Then I had a series of short relationships that didn’t lead anywhere because I wasn’t able to build any deeper connection with them. All they cared about was themselves. Their career. Their families. Their lives.

It was never about me, or us. So much for men putting women first. Not in my experience, not yet anyway.

“I wish I could meet someone as sweet and thoughtful as your Thomas. Someone as romantic and caring as him.” Maybe this mystery man would even help me with a solution to my epic financial problems.

Ha. As if.

“Oh, you will. I already imagine you with six children, two dogs, and a gorgeous looking husband in a huge house next to the sea.”

“Granny, your imagination knows no boundaries.” I shook my head. “That happens only in movies.”

“Now that’s where you’re wrong. It happens to those who believe, so you should believe in it.”

“If you say so.”

She was right, though. Lately I was feeling down and slightly pessimistic, which wasn’t usual for me, maybe I should listen to her more. She always gave me good advice and only wanted the best for me.

“I know so.” She tapped my hand and stood up. “Alright. I’m ready to go to bed now. I hope you won’t stay much longer out here.” She caressed my hair. “You need your beauty sleep, gotta find that prince, right?” She winked at me.

I snorted. “Don’t worry. Let me just finish this and I’ll go to bed too.”

“Okay. I love you, Bree.”

My heart swelled and I smiled at her. Seriously, why was I so worried about everything when I had her next to me? I had this wonderful woman who loved me more than anything, and she was always there to cheer me up and support me, no matter what I did or how bad things were.

“I love you too, Granny. Thank you for the advice. You’re right, I know you are. Everything will be okay. Things are a bit complicated now, but they can’t be like that forever. Right?”

“Absolutely. That’s the spirit. Good night.”

“Good night.”

I watched her leave, feeling better. I looked back at my screen, rubbing my tired eyes. I’d been without a job before and we’d managed, so I had to believe something would come up soon. Nothing came out of negativity and doubt. Nothing good anyway.

I went to one more job search website and skimmed over its contents, thinking about that mysterious guy who would sweep me off my feet, like my grandmother had said. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was like and when I was going to meet him.

My insides churned with anticipation. What if he was going to ride up on the horse soon? What if the right man for me was right around the corner? Could I really be able to experience the love my grandparents had shared?

Several minutes later I decided to hit the sack, giving up on my search for now. I turned off my laptop and dragged myself across the small apartment, unusually exhausted. Tomorrow was a new day.