That Beautiful Orange Gown Page 5

  She blushed, but didn't deny it. "Perhaps just a touch."

  He kissed her cheek. "Do you still want to go watch that little league game?"

  "Sure. But I'm glad we can take our own chairs. I have some that are pretty comfortable. And soft."

  Nick had to chuckle at her last words.

  They went to the little league game and had a good time. Nick was happy to see her interact with his family. They put their chairs next to Anita and her husband, and the four of them had a nice afternoon. Anita and her husband, Jeff, got to know Emily better while they watched the game and cheered for Garrett.

  Garrett's team lost in a close game, and Nick was extremely proud of Emily. She saw how upset the young boy was and went to talk to him. When they came back to join the group, he was walking hand in hand with her, a big smile on his face. Anita and Jeff headed for their car, but Garrett stopped them. "I'll be right there. I have to tell my friend something first."

  Jeff nodded and they all watched as Garrett ran over to one of the boys on the winning team. They talked a few seconds, and another boy from the winning team joined them. They said a few words and laughed, which brought another boy from Garrett's team over. Soon a small group of boys from both teams were there, talking and laughing. All four adults watched as Garrett thanked the group for a fun afternoon, and came running back to the car, a big smile on his face.

  Jeff and Anita looked happy but a bit puzzled. Nick, however, saw the look of pride on Emily's face. He leaned in close so no one else would hear. "What did you tell him?"

  "What makes you think I told him anything?"

  His smile was full of pride, which made Emily smile back. "I told him he played a wonderful game and asked if he had fun playing. He said yes, but his friend's team won instead of his team. I told him my friend and I were on different teams and we decided it was fun, as long as one of us won. Maybe he should congratulate his friend, be happy for him today, and thank him for a fun afternoon. Then next time if his team wins, they'll do the same to him."

  Nick was obviously pleased. "Thank you. It's great to see young kids with sportsmanship. It's odd these days."

  "Too rare," she agreed.

  Nick didn't want to embarrass her or Garrett in front of Jeff and Anita, but made a note to fill them in on what happened. He had a feeling they would want to follow up on that with little Garrett and encourage it in future games.

  Nick and Emily saw each other regularly over the next few weeks, growing continually closer.

  Things were going well for Emily at work, as well. The company accepting ideas had chosen hers and she was busy implementing it. The clients were very happy with her proposal and were planning a rather aggressive advertising campaign, which she was overseeing.

  Nick enjoyed watching her. She was very good at what she did. Not only had her idea been the one chosen by the company for their advertising campaign, but she was a natural leader. She was in charge of the campaign and making sure everything was done according to schedule and all the artwork was not only done on time, but had the effect she was going for. She was in her element, enjoying her work.

  He was glad, as he loved seeing her this happy. One thing he wondered about, though, were her comments prior about having a lack of organization. How could she have a lack of organization, but still be able to supervise a large ad campaign?

  That weekend he got the answer to his question.

  Chapter Four

  Anita and Jeff invited Nick and Emily to their house for a cookout Saturday afternoon. When Nick told Emily of the invitation, she was excited. "I love spending time with them. I should see if I can find my old ball glove. Maybe Garrett would like to throw a ball around a little bit."

  "He would love to. I brought my glove along, too. Why do you have a ball glove? Did you used to play?"

  "I was on a softball league a few years ago, yes. I love playing."

  "The more I learn about you, the more there is to love about you. Go get your glove and we'll take it along."

  She paused and looked towards the closet off the hallway. "Yeah, get the glove," she repeated slowly. "Sounds easy, doesn't it?"

  He followed her eyes to the closet. "If you're saying you think the glove is in that closet, let me help you look. Something fell on your head the last time you looked for something in there."

  She giggled, and teased a little. "Okay, if you insist, but enter at your own risk."

  He motioned for her to stand aside as he opened the door. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad," she whined, but immediately jumped out of the way when he opened it and a box fell.

  He looked at her, his eyebrow raised. She shrugged. "Well, okay, maybe it is." She picked the box up and shook it. "I think that can be thrown away." She opened it, found it empty, and confirmed it. "Yep, don't need that anymore."

  Nick looked confused. "Then why was it in there?"

  "I'm sure something I ordered came in it. I keep the box things come in so I have it if I have to send it back."

  "How long do you keep them?"

  "Usually just until I know if I'm keeping it. If it's clothes I try them on right away and I know. But if it's something else, I keep it a week or two to make sure it works."

  "And this closet is where you keep the box while you're deciding?"

  Her face flushed and she looked uncomfortable. "Usually I just leave the box out. But like I said, if someone's coming over, I shove everything in here."

  "Back to your lack of organization," he said with a grin.

  "You got it. Someday I really do want to get more organized. Anyway, I think my glove's in here."

  He helped look, and they found two more empty boxes that could be thrown away, and eventually did find her baseball glove. "Success," he said. "Do you want to wear jeans, or would you rather change into shorts?"

  "I think shorts will be better. I'll be right back."

  As she went to her bedroom, Nick allowed his thoughts to go back to her comments on organization. The more he thought, the more concerned he became. When she came back out, he had to ask the question that had been bothering him. "I never did ask, did you get the problem with your credit card straightened out?"

  He watched as she momentarily winced, but quickly tried to hide it. "Credit card?"

  "The day we met. You were having a problem with your credit card. Did you get that straightened out?"

  "I called the bank when I got back to work that day, yes."

  He made sure she saw his frown. "Do we need to talk again about total honesty, and what that means? I didn't ask if you called the bank. I asked if you got the problem straightened out."

  She was obviously nervous as she chewed on her bottom lip. Nick watched as her nervous expression turned to one of anger. Before she had a chance to say anything, he tried to calm her. "Before you say something one or both of us will regret later, let me explain why I asked. I want to help you."

  She had a sudden thought and got up and ran to her desk on the other side of the room. "Did you go through my mail?"

  He was instantly behind her, holding her arms still, turning her to look at him, another trick he'd picked up as a SEAL. Holding someone's arms, keeping them immobile often shocked them into silence for at least a few seconds, allowing you to say a few words and hopefully diffuse the situation. "No, of course I didn't. But if you'll remember, I am a credit counselor. I know people who have credit problems often have a problem with organization. That's why I asked."

  He felt her calm, and he continued. "If you have a problem with credit, I just want to offer my help. I would never judge you or anyone I work with. I work with people all the time who have a real good reason for their problems, and all they need is someone to guide them back to healthy credit." He softened his voice even more. "I care about you, Emily. I really just want to help."

  She studied him several long moments before sighing. "I know about credit counselors. I've worked with two of them, but all it ended up doing is costing me more money."r />
  "Just because they didn't help you any doesn't mean I wouldn't be able to."

  "What makes you think you could if they couldn't?"

  "They just didn't know how to motivate you. I'll bet I could." In a soft voice, he tried to reassure her. "Emily, I care too much about you not to want to help. I really would like to help you get back on track. Wouldn't it be nice to get your finances back on track and your life, and closets, a little more organized?"

  "I agree it would be nice. It would be real nice, but—"

  "But what? If you're afraid of what I'll think, don't be. I've worked with a lot of good people. It's great to help motivate them and watch them successfully take control again. I'd be happy to help you, if you'll let me. I'll even help you clean out your closets."

  She had to chuckle a little at his words, and she could see he was being sincere. She was still a little doubtful, and a little worried about what he would say if he saw her finances, and the mess they were in. "You really wouldn't judge me?"

  "I guess I need to ask what you mean by judge. If you don't want me to judge you as a person, you're too late," he said as he kissed the end of her nose. "I've already judged you to be a very beautiful young lady, inside and out, who's very smart, very creative, very good at what she does, and has a heart of gold. If you're asking if I'll think less of you because you're having some financial issues, the answer is very simple—no."

  "Thank you."

  "Like I said," he continued, "there are all kinds of reasons for such issues, and I don't judge people for having them, or their reasons. I do know it's often times because of a lack of parental guidance when they first go off on their own, which is usually when they go to college or when they get their first job. You didn't have parents to guide you through that difficult time. I don't know if that has anything to do with your difficulties now or not, but I do know from experience that that's often a factor."

  She snuggled into the arms he'd held out for her as she thought. "I never thought of that before. I always thought I'm smart enough, I should be able to figure it out. But I haven't been able to."

  He saw tears forming in her eyes and tried to help her control them. "Then let me help you and we'll figure it out together. As I see it, it'll just give me another reason to spend time with you. Nothing at all wrong with that, from my viewpoint anyway."

  She saw the big smile on his face and leaned against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "If you're sure you don't mind, I'd appreciate some help."

  "Wonderful. Let's get started on it tonight after we get home. Right now, though, I've got a baseball mitt here that's way too small for me, and a nephew that would love to have someone to play pitch and catch with. Are you ready to go?"

  "I am." She picked up her mitt and headed for the door, but turned to look at him again. "Thank you."

  "Don't thank me yet," he said with a mischievous grin. "You haven't heard my plan yet."

  "Your plan? Maybe I should ask first. What exactly is your plan?"

  "I don't know until I look at your situation. We'll figure it out together, though."

  "Oh, okay. That sounds safe."

  "Safe enough," he agreed, giving her a swat on her bottom to get her headed out the door.

  "Hey, what was that for?"

  "To get you moving. I don't want to be late." He had to smile to himself as he led her to his car. He knew she had to make sufficient money to pay her bills, especially without a house payment. If her problem was simply lack of organization, as she kept saying, all she really needed to do was to set aside a designated time to sit down and pay her bills so they were paid on time. He was sure it wouldn't be too difficult to get her moving so she wasn't late.

  They had a lovely afternoon and evening. Garrett was excited when he saw Uncle Nick and Emily both show up with mitts. He seemed to take a real liking to Emily, making sure he got to sit beside her when they ate. Needless to say, Nick was happy seeing them bonding like that.

  After they ate, and one last round of throwing the baseball around, Nick suggested it was time to leave.

  "Yeah, I suppose we probably should," Emily agreed. "I sure don't want to wear out my welcome." She gave Anita a hug. "Thank you so much for having us over. I had a wonderful time."

  "Oh, we're glad you could come, and trust me, you're not wearing your welcome out. Please come back anytime. And I was serious when I said I'd like to go with you sometime to that import store. I've never heard of it, but it sounds fantastic."

  "I love it. Maybe a little too much," she admitted, and both ladies laughed. "Call me when you find out when you're working this week. Maybe we can go some afternoon after we get off."

  Nick gave Anita a quick kiss on the cheek and thanked Jeff for having them over. On the way back to her house, he looked over and smiled when he saw how happy and content she looked.

  She saw him glance over and smile. "What's so funny?"

  "Not funny, just nice. You had a good time today, didn't you?"

  "I did. I really like all three of them, and spending time with them."

  "I'm glad. I do, too. Are you ready to tackle your budget when we get home?"

  She sat up straighter. "Budget? You didn't say there would be a budget involved."

  "Relax. A budget isn't always a bad thing. I've seen people panic when I say we have to come up with a budget, and celebrate when we're done. Sometimes I can show them ways to cut back on some things, giving them a little more for other areas. Other times it's just so overwhelming they don't even try to follow any budget. Once I show them how much they actually have available after their must pay items are taken care of, they're shocked. Knowing it's within reach is all they need."

  "I don't think I'm one of those people."

  He patted her leg. "Probably not then. But don't fret until we look into it."

  She nodded, but didn't seem as hopeful as he was. They didn't have long to wait. As soon as they got in her house, he guided her to the kitchen table. "Okay, let's get started on this. I'll go with you to gather things up so I can help carry them, and we'll work on it here at the table. We'll need some paper and a couple pens or pencils. Then we need all your unpaid bills, and your paid bills."

  "For how long?"

  "Do you keep your paid bills all in one place, one folder for the year, or do you break them down by the month?"

  "Umm, well—"

  Studying her face, he frowned. "You don't keep your receipts after you pay your bills?"

  "I figure I have my canceled check."

  "Okay, we'll go by that then. You pay all your bills by check?"

  "Most of them."

  "What about the rest?"

  "I pay some on line."

  Nick made an effort to remain patient. "Well, get all your unpaid bills and your checkbook, and some paper and pens for both of us. We'll start with that and see what we have."

  "Okay." She headed off toward the desk in the living room, with Nick close behind. She picked up a rather large stack of mail and handed it to him. He made an effort not to look surprised at the size of the stack she gave him. But then she opened a drawer and started rummaging around. She handed him three more envelopes.

  When she opened the next drawer down, he started to worry. After looking for quite some time, she shook her head. "I thought for sure I threw something in there a couple days ago." She stood and looked around. "Oh, I remember where I put it." Off she dashed to the bedroom, Nick following.

  Again, the room looked nice and neat. Then she opened a drawer in a dresser. She had to slam it back in hard, knocking things loose, and try opening it again. It opened further this time, and she shuffled things a bit and grabbed an envelope. "Here it is! I knew it put it in one of these."

  Nick was speechless. Therefore, he didn't say anything, just smiled. Emily was not bothered by it at all. "Okay, now we need some paper and pens. That's back out at the desk." Again Nick followed as she went back out to the desk, opened another drawer and picked up two no
tebooks. She grabbed two pens out of the large middle drawer. She started to close the drawer, but stopped. "Wait, what's this?" She picked up an envelope and looked inside. "Oh, wow. We'll need that, too." She looked up at him and smiled. "Okay, is that it?"

  Nick was in shock. How could she run a major project at work so well, and be so haphazard with things at home? He managed to bring himself back to her question. "Checkbook."

  "Oh, yeah. It's in the car. I'll go get it."

  "You keep your checkbook in your car?"

  "Of course. I keep it in my purse."

  "And you keep your purse in your car. Why?"

  "So I don't forget it. If I bring it in the house I forget to take it back out. Then I get somewhere and I don't have my purse."

  "Is your garage locked?"

  "Well, of course. I figure my purse is as safe in a locked garage as it is in a locked house. It's probably safer because people probably won't break into my house and go to the garage to look for my purse."

  Nick decided that would be hard to argue, and it looked like he had his work cut out for him right now anyway, so he just nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, let's go sit down and see what we have."

  She sat down, and Nick couldn't miss how anxious she suddenly seemed. "Okay, let's look at your unpaid bills first, and see when they're due."

  "Uh, maybe we should start on a budget first."

  "I thought you didn't want a budget?"

  "I think I'd rather do that first. I'm afraid you're going to be upset when we look at the unpaid bills."

  "Why?" She squirmed in her chair, but didn't answer. "Are there unpaid bills that are past due?"

  "I'm sure there are."

  "Which ones?"

  "That I can't answer, but—"

  The more he was hearing, the more confused he was getting. How could one lady be so totally different at home versus at work? He reached over to take her hand in his. "I'm not going to be upset today. I told you I will never lie to you and I meant that. I'll be honest with you. Right now I am surprised, but I'm not upset. I do want to help you though, so let's see what we have. I promise I won't get upset. We'll see what's going on, and come up with a plan."