Read Online A Deal With the Devil by Abby Matisse - Free Book Online Page B

already.
    “Please?” Rob prodded her.
    Amanda felt her resolve weaken as it always did, which was precisely how she had ended up in this mess. “Sure, I’ll think about it.”
    Think about it. Amanda sighed. There was nothing to think about. She could ponder her financial status nonstop for the next three years and the answer would be the same; she had no money. Rob’s tenacious quest for cash seemed akin to a consistent drip of water on the forehead. Eventually you’d cave—if for no other reason, than to get the torture to stop. “I’ll call you when I get back.”
    Apparently dissatisfied with her answer, Rob pressed for more. “When will that be?”
    “Hopefully I’ll be back in a day or two. It’ll depend on the weather.”
    “You’re the best, sis.”
    You’re a pushover , Kate’s evil twin whispered.
    She was exhausted—that’s what she was.
    Amanda muttered a curse as she disconnected the call and flopped back on the cushions. Her brother might as well have asked for a million bucks, because that crazy sum would be as easy to come up with as the twenty thousand. Her financial well had run dry. The ATM was out of service and the sooner Rob understood that, the better.

Chapter Five

    manda pulled a worn spiral notebook from her tote bag and flipped to the dog-eared page with her budget. Then she sank back into the sofa cushions, waggling her pen as she scrutinized each line item entry. It wasn’t necessary. She already knew the contents by heart. But for some inexplicable reason, she obsessively reviewed her catalogue of debts several times a day—as if by doing so, she’d magically discover a way to make them disappear. So far she hadn’t.
    Her bills consumed every last penny of her income, which made saving impossible. Her 401K was zilch, she’d maxed out every credit card with cash advances and her meager rainy day account had long since been drained. She’d even taken out a second mortgage on her new condominium. Despite her generous salary—and even with her recent promotion—the money she’d given Rob had wiped her out.
    She glared at the page. She detested every single line and number on it; hated anything that made her feel helpless and vulnerable and out of control. But for some reason, no matter how many times she promised herself differently, she found viewing the list of bills impossible to resist.
    In a sudden act of rebellion, Amanda ripped the page from the notebook with flourish, wadded it into a tiny little ball and tossed it into the fire. A smile touched her lips as the flames surrounded it, licking at it and turning the edges bright orange just before it transformed into ashes. If only she could make her debts disappear as fast.
    She sat up straight and threw back her shoulders. It was time to get creative.
    Amanda stared at the blank page for what seemed an eternity, clicking the pen in and out. She solved multimillion dollar brand strategy problems for a living and she didn’t owe anywhere near that amount, thank God. She just needed to come up with a measly hundred thousand. Okay, maybe measly was stretching it a bit, but how hard could it be? She just needed to list out all her options for making extra money, evaluate the pros and cons, pick one and then go.
    She bit her lip and racked her brain. She knew how to wait tables. That was a great option for a second job. Amanda scribbled it on her pad. She’d waited tables all through college, graduating to a gig as a cocktail waitress as soon as she turned twenty one. The higher tips had come in handy, especially since the job had been her primary means of supporting Rob after her parents died. There’d been a modest life insurance policy; just enough to pay for her brother’s college education and supplement their income for the first several years until her career started to take off. Scholarships and loans had funded her own college tuition and her waitress job had helped pay for the apartment and food.
    If she