At a restaurant, Brandy paid twice as much as Katie, and Katie paid $3 more than Stephanie. If the total combined amount they paid was $56, how much did Katie pay?

Let x = the amount that Katie spent

Katie: x dollars

Stephanie: x-3 dollars

Brandy: 2x dollars

Together they spent $56, so the sum of these numbers should equal $56

x + (x-3) + 2x = 56

x + x + 2x - 3 = 56

4x = 59

x = 14.75

Katie spent $14.75