I fought against a threatening snicker.
But his eyes were solemn. “Billy is this baby’s dad. He’s going to be in your life whether you like it or not.”
I exhaled. “I know that.” I pressed my hands against the table. “But if he’s going to be the kind of dad I think he will be, he won’t be super involved. Billy always comes first, and that’s going to work in my favor. If I demand child support, he’ll use it as a way to get power over us.” I sat up straight, determined. “If Sophie could do it, so can I.”
Silas studied me for a moment before shifting his legs back under the table. His knee brushed against mine, shooting heat up my legs. He reached for the laptop. “Can I?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted him up in my finances, but I searched those gray eyes and reminded myself that Silas was a good guy. He wasn’t going to use any of this against me. He wanted to help. So I slid the laptop toward him.
I didn’t have anything to hide—and the studio made a decent profit. It just wasn’t enough. As he scanned, I studied him, gauging his thoughts. His brow furrowed in concentration, and I bit my lip when a muscle in his jaw flexed.
He pushed the laptop back in my direction and sat back. “You’re solidly in the black. You just need more clients at the studio.” He rubbed his calloused fingers across his lips, thinking. “How many monthly memberships do you have?”
“Forty-eight right now.” But eleven of those hadn’t attended classes in over six months. Eventually, they were going to cancel their memberships.
“You charge sixty-five a month?”
I nodded. Before he could suggest I raise my prices, I added, “It’s less than memberships in the city, but this is a poor county. If I go any higher, I’ll price out the clients I do have. Every week, I have potential clients telling me that if I charged half that, they would join. But I’m already paying my instructors pennies. Most of them do it for the free membership and because they love teaching. I can’t go any lower.”
“No, don’t lower prices. If it’s a priority, people will pay for it.” He was right. I’d seen some of the complainers blow hundreds of dollars in the McDonald’s drive through on soda and coffee every month. Or lotto tickets at the Fast Mart.
He nodded, chewing his bottom lip. “Seddledowne is a hard place to have a small business.”
“Tell me about it. But I have to make this work or…” I pressed my forehead into my hand. “I’ll have to go back to school and finish my degree.” It wasn’t that I didn’t like school. I’d just figured out a long time ago that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And a business degree wasn’t going to magically make my business more profitable. I might have to face facts. Seddledowne simply might be too small to sustain a business like mine.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Let me think on it.There has to be a way we can bring in more revenue.” His use of the word “we” made my heart quiver.
“And, hey.” His voice was rough, like sandpaper. “I am sorry about James. I loved him too. He was one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
I blinked. “Okay. Thank you.”
He stood. “I’m gonna go smooth out your driveway. Are the keys in the tractor?”
I turned, my arm on the back of the chair. “Yeah. Momma will probably bake you a cake. She’s been complaining about the potholes for months.”
“I’m doing it for me more than anybody. Tired of hitting my head on the cab of the truck every time I drive in.” He rubbed his stomach. “But you can tell Miss Lisa, pound cake is my favorite.”
I laughed and watched as he sauntered his sexy long legs out the door.
If Silas could step out of his comfort zone and open up to me like he had last night, maybe I could be brave too.
I clicked on Google and typedOBGYNs near me, into the search bar.
sixteen
SILAS
“You’re both being way too sweet.” I palmed the volleyball. “That’s a quality that will help you later in life, but not in this sport.” I’d been to a few women’s games in college. Those ladies were savage. “Is there a boy at school that drives you crazy? Like he’s super annoying?”
Anna’s face turned pink and Brooklyn giggled the name, “Deacon.”
“Deacon?” I waited for Anna to acknowledge it. She nodded, her eyes on the ground. “What annoys you about him?”
She crossed her arms, anger flashing in her dark eyes. “He thinks he’s all that, and he’s not. Like he walks with this strut.” She swung her arms and leaned back, mimicking this kid. “And he’s constantly taking my lunch. Like yesterday, he swiped my bag of Doritos when I went to the bathroom for two seconds. They were half gone when I got back.” Anna’s words said one thing, but her eyes were shimmering, like someone had turned on a neon sign.
Brooklyn exaggerated her hands around her head in a mind-blown gesture. Her eyes were sparkling, just like myniece’s. “And what about how he’s always snapping and singing, ‘Anna 1, Anna 2, Anna 1, 2, 3,’ like he’s about to break out into song.”
“So annoying,” Anna glared, but her lips curved up at the corners.
