middle. He scrolled through the last month of activity on her account and tallied up all the deposits she made.
“Have you been depositing your tips?” he asked after he jotted down the answer. “Because I know you’re not the best waitress, but there’s no way you’re this bad.” He offered a smile, but there was a whole lot of appalled concern in his eyes.
“No,” she said, slightly dismayed at how small the number was. “I mean, yes. Kind of. I deposit most of my tips, but I keep out some for, you know, treats. Odds and ends. That kind of stuff.”
Cole rubbed a hand over his mouth. He didn’t say anything, just nodded and went to work writing down all the expenses he found on the other side of the line. When he was done, that whole side of the paper was filled and Lilah was appalled to see how much she had spent.
“Wow,” she said. “I never even realized.”
“So what I see here is a lot of luxury items,” Cole said, studying the list. “Most of this stuff isn’t even stuff you need. Like this here?” He tapped the line listing her cable bill with his pen. “Just cutting that alone would make a whole lot of room in your budget.”
“Cut out cable?” Lilah was incredulous. “Cable’s not a luxury item!”
“It sure as hell is. And so is Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora Plus,” he said, tapping his pen on each item as he named them. “You cut those things out and you’ll save up a lot of money each month.”
Cole spent the rest of the evening explaining what he would do if he were in her situation and by the time he was done, they had hammered out a plan that looked great on paper but sounded terrible in reality. She was going to cut her cable. Start shopping at a discount grocery rather than Whole Foods. Stop eating out and only eat from home. She wasn’t allowed to buy new clothes. No new shoes. No new nail polish, hair products, or makeup unless she was genuinely out of the stuff she had at home. Not even if it was on sale.
Lilah was dreading it.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Part of her was exhilarated to have a plan. Excited to start on this next, even harder step on her adventure. But more than that, she was grateful for Cole Bennett. A man who had spent the last few hours picking through her budget and helping her hammer out a strategy to get this month’s bills paid soon and next month’s bills paid on time. A man who hadn’t been so set on pleasing her, or afraid to make her mad that he had actually pointed out exactly what she was doing wrong without worrying about getting on her bad side.
Lilah wasn’t sure anyone had ever spoken to her the way Cole had spoken to her tonight. Well, her brothers told her what they thought of her all the time, but they really didn’t count.
“You’re kind of awesome, you know,” she said as they unfolded themselves from the floor.
“Oh, I know.” Cole gave her a silly look and stretched, his shirt pulling tight against his chest in a way that made Lilah feel bad for looking. “You feel better?”
“Completely. It’s so good having a plan.”
“Having a plan and sticking to a plan are two different things, princess.”
“Another bit of your grandpa’s wisdom?”
“Oh no. That’s all me.” Cole sighed. “I’m gonna head out, now,” he said, indicating the door with a jerk of his head but keeping his feet planted where he stood. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rounded his back, stretching his shoulders.
Lilah didn’t want him to leave, and the awkward way he kept not heading towards the door told her he didn’t feel too eager to go anywhere himself. But Cole didn’t do girlfriends and Lilah didn’t do casual, so the growing urge to step into his arms was just going to have to go right on being ignored.
“Come on, oh wise one,” she said, grabbing his bicep—holy shit it was big!—and steering him towards the door despite every single hormone in her body screaming at her not to do it. “I’m sure
“Have you been depositing your tips?” he asked after he jotted down the answer. “Because I know you’re not the best waitress, but there’s no way you’re this bad.” He offered a smile, but there was a whole lot of appalled concern in his eyes.
“No,” she said, slightly dismayed at how small the number was. “I mean, yes. Kind of. I deposit most of my tips, but I keep out some for, you know, treats. Odds and ends. That kind of stuff.”
Cole rubbed a hand over his mouth. He didn’t say anything, just nodded and went to work writing down all the expenses he found on the other side of the line. When he was done, that whole side of the paper was filled and Lilah was appalled to see how much she had spent.
“Wow,” she said. “I never even realized.”
“So what I see here is a lot of luxury items,” Cole said, studying the list. “Most of this stuff isn’t even stuff you need. Like this here?” He tapped the line listing her cable bill with his pen. “Just cutting that alone would make a whole lot of room in your budget.”
“Cut out cable?” Lilah was incredulous. “Cable’s not a luxury item!”
“It sure as hell is. And so is Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora Plus,” he said, tapping his pen on each item as he named them. “You cut those things out and you’ll save up a lot of money each month.”
Cole spent the rest of the evening explaining what he would do if he were in her situation and by the time he was done, they had hammered out a plan that looked great on paper but sounded terrible in reality. She was going to cut her cable. Start shopping at a discount grocery rather than Whole Foods. Stop eating out and only eat from home. She wasn’t allowed to buy new clothes. No new shoes. No new nail polish, hair products, or makeup unless she was genuinely out of the stuff she had at home. Not even if it was on sale.
Lilah was dreading it.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Part of her was exhilarated to have a plan. Excited to start on this next, even harder step on her adventure. But more than that, she was grateful for Cole Bennett. A man who had spent the last few hours picking through her budget and helping her hammer out a strategy to get this month’s bills paid soon and next month’s bills paid on time. A man who hadn’t been so set on pleasing her, or afraid to make her mad that he had actually pointed out exactly what she was doing wrong without worrying about getting on her bad side.
Lilah wasn’t sure anyone had ever spoken to her the way Cole had spoken to her tonight. Well, her brothers told her what they thought of her all the time, but they really didn’t count.
“You’re kind of awesome, you know,” she said as they unfolded themselves from the floor.
“Oh, I know.” Cole gave her a silly look and stretched, his shirt pulling tight against his chest in a way that made Lilah feel bad for looking. “You feel better?”
“Completely. It’s so good having a plan.”
“Having a plan and sticking to a plan are two different things, princess.”
“Another bit of your grandpa’s wisdom?”
“Oh no. That’s all me.” Cole sighed. “I’m gonna head out, now,” he said, indicating the door with a jerk of his head but keeping his feet planted where he stood. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rounded his back, stretching his shoulders.
Lilah didn’t want him to leave, and the awkward way he kept not heading towards the door told her he didn’t feel too eager to go anywhere himself. But Cole didn’t do girlfriends and Lilah didn’t do casual, so the growing urge to step into his arms was just going to have to go right on being ignored.
“Come on, oh wise one,” she said, grabbing his bicep—holy shit it was big!—and steering him towards the door despite every single hormone in her body screaming at her not to do it. “I’m sure
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