Page 50 of Roping My Rival

He shakes his head. “No, it’s not. I get the ease of things, but expenses have never been your concern with rodeo. You have a credit card for all that, and you pay it from your part of the trust every month. Your rodeo earnings more than cover what you take out, and you reinvest what you need to. This is your pattern, Warren.”

“I forgot that you help me with my investments,” I grumble. I needed someone to read and explain in real time when I set all my accounts up, and Clarence was the one I chose because Jesse had a baby on the way, a family starting. I didn’t want Jesse worrying about me and my choices when he had his own stuff to deal with.

“Why do you want a joint account? Does your partner need funds faster than you? Don’t the rodeos pay out divisions at the source? Surely they aren't still writing joint cheques?”

Groaning, I let my head fall back. “Clary,” I whine. “Stop with all the thinking. If we have a joint account, what are the bad things about it?”

“Depends how you set up the account. You can have joint accounts without bank cards and not allow withdrawals. Joint accounts that need both signatures. Joint with or without rights of survival. I’m a lawyer, not a banker, Warren. You could ask at the bank to get this information and know it’s right.”

“I trust you, though. Not someone in a bank looking for a sale. Is it a bad idea? Other sports teams do it.”

“They do, and they probably run it through a single card to track expenses, if I had to guess.” He picks at the container of coleslaw, and after I push it closer to him, he eats from the container. “The biggest downfall is that the other person has full access. The biggest plus is that the other person has full access. Depends why you want them to have it.”

Okay. Moment of truth, and I know he won’t hold back. Jesse would constantly phrase it positively, but Clarence will make a list of the pros and cons while also telling me what he thinks. Despite our bickering, I value his opinion immensely.

“So here’s the thing. I’m almost certain my partner, Dane, is his name, has some financial trouble. I won’t go into why I think that. There are many things he’s said and done that have me leaning toward that conclusion.”

“And you want to help?”

Nodding slowly, I agree. “I do. He’s…complicated. Different. Wild.” I huff a laugh. “So fucking wild, Clary.”

His lips tilt in the closest thing he’ll allow to a smile. “You like him.”

“I…don’t hate him. We had it out today. Just after I called you, actually, and I stood up for myself. You’d be proud of me.”

“I’m always proud of you.”

My brother’s words make me pause. He so rarely says things like that. It takes me off guard. “Thanks.” My voice is rough, but I won’t let Clarence brush off his praise. “That means a lot.”

He nods. Just once to acknowledge my feelings.

“What was Dane’s response?”

“He apologized, and we agreed to meet again tomorrow to discuss our event plans. He seemed sad.”

Clarence leans back, finally full of the coleslaw. “You’ve always had a kind heart, Warren, and I know it’s caused you pain sometimes. Do you want this account to be joint so he feels better having access?”

Rubbing over my heart, I exhale. I knew Clarence would be a difficult conversation.

“I want him to have access if he needs it. We’re fortunate, right? Our dads found us and gave us a second chance at literally everything. Money is…it’s stressful when you don’t have it.” Clarence never knew that life, but I did. My mom would throw a fit when I burned a piece of bread in the toaster and threw it out. That single slice of bread was important. “I don’t even know if he’ll go for it, but I thought if we pooled our funds, maybe he wouldn’t feel like it was charity or whatever. Even if he spent more than I do, if that makes sense.”

“Will he think it’s charity? Some people are proud and don’t accept this kind of thing.”

Yeah, I’ve already figured that out too.

“I don’t care if that’s what he thinks, to be honest. It’s easier, instead of my going to a bank or e-transferring him his half once it settles. It’s just…it’s convenient.”

Clarence pushes away from the table. “Then do it. Worst case, he spends it all, and you get nothing for your work. If you can live with that, then there’s no more to discuss.”

Later that evening, as I sit with my rabbit Nibbles, I’ve thought about it enough to know that I can live with it if Dane took it all.

It would mean the end of our partnership forever if he did it behind my back, but I wouldn’t miss the money.

I’d miss him.

And that’s an entirely different problem.

“It’s a lot of traveling and competing. You sure you want to do this?”