Chapter 15 Olivia
FIFTEEN
olivia
Nate slunk off to his room the minute we parked the car in the garage. Cooper followed behind him after falling asleep on the ride home.
“Did you guys forget to explain to him that he needs a financial planner?”
“I thought Ashley was helping him.”
“Not for nothing, Aus, but the only thing Ashley did was help herself to your money. She wasn’t there when you first signed; everything was in place by then.”
“It’s been so long ago. I guess I forgot.”
“Well, good thing his bank didn’t go belly up,” I said, still frustrated with my brother.
The finances are the scariest part for new players.
Depending on where they’re from, they have never seen this much money in their lives.
With the ease with which Nate handed me access to his bank account, he wasn’t protective enough of his money, and that could lead to future problems.
“Get him in with Brandon. He’ll straighten everything out for him.”
“Yeah.” There was something sad in Nate’s eyes when he realized that he’d fucked up and his mother’s phone had been turned off because of his mistake. It was almost a trauma response, and I wanted to protect him from ever feeling that again.
I gave Nate some time before knocking on his bedroom door. “Hey.”
“Come in.”
I opened the door and walked in. Nate had the television on, and his back pressed all the way up against the headboard.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Nate’s eyes darted between me and the TV. “Yeah, I’m good. Why?”
“I saw something back there when you realized your mom’s phone was shut off.”
He sighed heavily. “Yeah. It happened all the time when I was growing up. The difference was that my mom didn’t have the money to pay. I had it, but I was too stupid to set things up correctly.”
“Who taught you how to pay bills?” I asked. I thought back to when I was first on my own; my situation sounded a lot like his mother’s. I think I learned the most when I juggled payments to keep the lights on and bellies full.
“What?”
“You heard me. Who taught you how to do this shit? You don’t instantly get money and know what the fuck to do with it.”
“How hard can it be?” he asked. “You get a bill, and you pay it.”
“There are people who study for years to learn how to manage money. What’s your big fear here?”
He scrubbed his hands over his face before dropping them at his side with a heavy sigh. “I promised my mom she’d never struggle again. So, when I realized that my mistake put her in danger—”
“She was perfectly fine without a phone for an hour. Believe it or not, Nate, some generations drove cars without a phone or GPS. Imagine that?”
He sat quietly for a moment, absorbing what I’d said. But I could see the thoughts cranking; he wasn’t satisfied with my response.
“Will your friend be able to help me?”
“Definitely.”
“And can I trust him?”
“I promise.”
“Okay, thanks, Olivia.”