“He might need some therapy, but I’m sure he’ll survive.”
Birdie turned down the music and gave me a quick once-over before replacing her oversized Coach sunglasses. “How was New York?”
“Crowded, loud, obnoxious.” I sighed.
“C’mon, Gyps,” she whined. “You know I don’t like it when you make me ask a million questions. Just tell me about the money. Did you score big?”
I examined my little sister from the passenger seat, wishing for the thousandth time she’d never found out what I actually did to support us. It was my job to protect her, and even if she was nineteen, Birdie didn’t have the skills to survive this world on her own.
She had grown far too excited when talking about my cons with me, and I needed her to know that it wasn’t exciting. At least, it shouldn’t be for her. It was dangerous. In reality, it was the most dangerous job I could possibly pull off, and every time I went into a con, I never knew if I’d come out alive. But I did it for us.
“Where did you get that ring?” I asked, the gleam from her right hand practically blinding me.
She wiggled her finger and shrugged. “Somebody dropped it in the casino.”
She was lying, and I knew she was lying. That ring had to be worth at least twenty grand, and considering I recently put Birdie on a necessities-only allowance, she couldn’t afford it.
“What about the sunglasses? Did you find those on the floor too?”
She smirked. “Of course not. I just smiled and batted my eyelashes, and the sales guy gave me a huge discount.”
“Birdie.” I rubbed my temples, trying to will away the tension. “We’ve talked about this.”
“About what?” She tried using the same tactic she just described by batting her pretty blue eyes at me.
“You’re getting too used to this lifestyle. I don’t like it. You need to cut back and start focusing on your future. On school.”
She pursed her lips and shook her head, strands of blond hair flying around her face. “School is boring. I want to work with you.”
“No.” My jaw clenched. “That will never happen. Never.”
“I’m an adult, Gypsy. You can’t tell me what to do anymore.”
“Then why don’t you act like one and get your GED like you promised you would?”
“Funny coming from you.” She rolled her eyes. “Hypocritical much?”
My attention drifted out the window, watching the cars fly by as we wound our way across Summerlin Parkway. I was so tired of this argument. I knew it, and Birdie knew it, but neither one of us knew what to do about it.
“Look, I’m sorry,” Birdie muttered a minute later. “Are you mad at me?”
I smiled at her because she was always the first to break. I loved my sister more than anything. I think she was the only person I was actually capable of loving. So the question was ridiculous, but she asked it often because deep down she was still a damaged little girl.
“I could never be mad at you,” I told her. “I just want what’s best for you. Always.”
“I know.” She dipped her head to hide her emotion. “That’s why I’m trying to do what I promised. I’m still going to all my classes. Mostly.”
“If you want to get into design school, you need to have your GED. There’s no way around that.”
“I know.” She shrugged a dainty shoulder. “It’s just hard to stay focused while I get through all the boring stuff first.”
“It will get easier,” I assured her.
“What about you, Gyps? What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I leaned my head back against the headrest and smiled at her joke. I was already well and truly grown up. Too grown up for twenty-three. “I want to be rich.”
“Ha.” Birdie snorted. “Could have seen that one coming.”