by Louise Guy
She sent back a message.
BrownDog40
Would love to continue chatting, and yes, invite PinkFish88 in too. I wonder if she’s stopped gambling yet?
She went to sign off but decided against putting Hannah. She wanted to keep this as private as possible. She hesitated for a moment, thinking of a suitable name. She thought back to a conversation she’d had earlier with Amy, who was reading a modern book series rather than her usual classics. She’d become completely enthralled by a character named Suze Simon. It was as good a name as any, as long as she didn’t have to answer to it in public, when she’d probably forget.
Eliza came back with a message almost immediately.
LizaE
Great! So, how are you? Have you spoken to your DH yet?
BrownDog40
DH?
LizaE
Darling Husband!
BrownDog40
Sorry! I should probably know the abbreviations! Yes, it turns out he’d loaned the money to his parents. They had an unexpected tax bill and it saved them paying fees to break other investments to pay for it. We’ll get the money back next month. He showed me through his poker account, and he’s not in debt. He’s only playing the one- and two-dollar tables and is ahead. I’ve overreacted big time. But things still aren’t perfect. I’ve done something he’ll never forgive me for, and I don’t know how to move forward.
LizaE
Anything I can help with?
BrownDog40
Only if you know how to get rid of a blackmailer.
LizaE
Oh no, what’s happened?
Hannah stared at the screen. Some advice would be good right now, and no one would ever know it was her. She hesitated, took a deep breath and began to type.
Chapter Eighteen
Nat braced herself as Anita approached the table. Could she jump up and intercept her, drag her away before she had to introduce her to Phyllie? In the time it took to even have this thought Anita was standing next to her table.
‘Nat, it’s so good to see you! It’s been too long.’
Nat stood and hugged Anita. ‘It has. You look fantastic, by the way. So tanned.’
Anita laughed. ‘Perk of the business. We’re developing a range for adults alongside the children’s products so I wear the merchandise as much as possible, which means I’m hanging by the pool or beach when I can.’
Nat shivered. ‘Bit cold for that, isn’t it?’
Anita slapped her playfully on the arm. ‘Here yes, not on the Sunshine Coast. Luke and I moved eighteen months ago. Shows how long it’s been since we’ve been in touch.’ She turned and smiled at Phyllie.
‘Sorry.’ Nat intercepted before either woman could introduce themselves. ‘This is my grandmother, Phyllie. Phyllie, this is a friend of mine from years back.’
‘A pleasure to meet you, dear.’ Phyllie didn’t seem to notice that Nat had deliberately avoided using Anita’s name. ‘Would you like to join us?’
Anita shook her head. ‘Oh, no, thank you. That’s very kind of you though. I’m meeting my sister for high tea. I’m only down from Noosa for a couple of weeks, so I’m making the most of it.’ She patted her stomach. ‘Although I’m going to have some work to do when I get home before I dare put on any of our swimwear. I don’t think I’ll be doing us any favours with this stomach on me.’
Phyllie’s eyes lit up. ‘You have a swimwear business? What a coincidence. Nat’s been involved in an online swimwear business for a friend.’
Anita turned to Nat. ‘Really? Who? We don’t have much competition in Australia.’
‘It’s nothing compared to yours. Now, how’s Luke? Is he still training for triathlons?’
Anita nodded. ‘Ironman now we’re up in Queensland.’ She stopped. ‘I’m intrigued about this swimwear business you’re involved in. What’s their name?’
‘Sandy Swimwear,’ Phyllie piped up. ‘Nat’s a partner in the business.’
‘Are you for real?’ Anger clouded Anita’s face. ‘You’re a partner in a competing business that’s using the same name? How is that even possible? We’re trademarked for a start.’
Phyllie was looking from one woman to the other. Nat knew her face was bright red, and she couldn’t look at Phyllie. She just needed Anita to leave. She could explain it to her later. She stood. ‘Why don’t we pop out for a minute and I’ll fill you in. Phyllie can enjoy the surroundings on her own for a minute or two.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Anita looked apologetically at Phyllie. ‘I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m just a bit surprised, that’s all. It’s one thing for another business to start up with your concept and name, but to find out a friend is involved is very strange. Yes, Nat, I’d like you to explain more. Either now, or I’m happy to wait until you’ve finished your lunch.’
Phyllie’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. ‘What’s your name, love?’
‘Anita. Anita Green.’
Phyllie turned to Nat. ‘The Anita you’ve told me you’ve been working for the last month or so?’
Nat nodded.
Anita’s eyes widened. ‘What? I haven’t spoken to you in over two years. What on earth’s going on?’
‘Yes, Nat.’ Phyllie crossed her arms. ‘I have five thousand reasons why I’d like you to explain exactly what is going on.’
Nat promised Phyllie she’d be back in a minute and would explain everything. She couldn’t do this in front of Anita, who looked as confused and angry as Phyllie. She needed to deal with her first. Heart thumping, she led her out of the front door, down the short flight of entrance steps and on to the footpath.
Anita turned and faced her. ‘Well?’
‘Look, I’m sorry. I’ve been working on an investment scheme that I didn’t want Phyllie to know about. I’m living at her house at the moment and had to use a cover story. One of your ads popped up in my Facebook newsfeed, and it gave me the idea to say I was working with you. There’s nothing more to it than that.’
Anita nodded slowly. ‘Okay, so there’s no competing company, and your grandmother believes you’re a partner in my company?’
Nat nodded.
‘What percentage?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, what percentage does your grandmother think you own?’
‘Twenty.’
‘Okay, to give you an idea, the company is currently valued at sixteen million dollars. So, your share in the business is valued at around three point two million.’
Nat’s mouth dropped open. ‘Sixteen million? How on earth did you grow it to be that big?’
‘International sales mainly. We have a Californian company looking to buy us out at the moment. But that’s not relevant. We don’t have any business partners and don’t want people claiming they own part of our business. I’d appreciate it if you cleared that up with your grandmother and anyone else you’ve led to believe this. The buy-out is getting some media interest, and we don’t want anyone providing incorrect information.’
‘Of course. I’ll put her straight now. And Anita, I’m sorry, I should never have made up such a story.’
They were approached by a tall woman with flaming red hair, dressed entirely in black and the sort of knee-high boots Hannah would drool over.
‘That’s my sister. I have to go, but please sort this out quickly and don’t use our business name again. Okay?’
Nat nodded and watched as Anita turned and hugged her sister. She didn’t introduce them, and the pair disappeared inside the restaurant. Nat followed them, forcing one foot in front of the other. She was dreading the conversation she was about to have.
Phyllie was topping up their champagne flutes when Nat sat down at the table. She couldn’t even look at her grandmother.
Phyllie reached across the table and patted her arm. ‘I’ve had a few minutes to calm down and realise that whatever you’ve done, you’ve got a good reason for it. I’m here to listen.’
Nat’s eyes filled with tea
rs. She wasn’t going to react so reasonably when she heard what she’d done. Of that Nat was certain.
‘Come on, love, drink up and then tell me. What on earth have you been doing up in that room all these weeks if it wasn’t this online swimwear business?’ Phyllie’s face paled suddenly, and she looked around the restaurant before lowering her voice. ‘It’s not porn, is it?’
Nat clapped her hand over her mouth. Why did Phyllie automatically assume porn was the only way to make money on the internet? She shook her head.
Phyllie leaned back in her chair. ‘Thank goodness for that. In that case, there’s nothing I can imagine that you would have reason to be ashamed of or hide from me. You’re not writing a book, are you? Hiding away while you belt out the first draft? I’ve heard writers can be reclusive; you’d fit the bill perfectly. We might need to get you a cat, if that’s the case. Apparently, they make good companions for authors.’
‘No, although that would be a more desirable option than the reality.’ She took a deep breath. ‘You know before I moved in how you gave me some pointers on poker, and I went to Damien’s poker night?’
Phyllie nodded. ‘And cleaned up, from what you said.’
‘Well, it got me excited about poker. I heard about some online poker sites and I set up an account.’
‘Oh no.’ Phyllie shook her head. ‘I can already see where this is going. Please tell me it was just five thousand.’
Nat shook her head. ‘A credit card too. I’ve lost fifteen thousand.’
Phyllie picked up her champagne and knocked it back in one large gulp. She replaced the glass on the table and fixed her eyes firmly on Nat. There was no looking away when she eyed you like this. ‘Okay, so we now know what’s going on. What’s the plan to get yourself out of this situation?’
‘Your five thousand was the first part of my plan. I honestly thought I’d be able to turn that into profit and pay off the credit card.’
‘Let me get this straight, after losing ten thousand you thought the best idea would be to throw more money into the fire? It didn’t cross your mind that if you’d lost ten, you were likely to lose another five?’
‘Not at the time. I thought I’d veered away from my strategy, so just needed to get back to it. I did start to win again, and it gave me false hope. I also got greedy and played tables that were expensive but had good returns if you won. I thought that would be a quicker way to build up my winnings.’
‘But instead, you lost everything?’
Nat nodded.
Phyllie leaned back, deep in thought for a few moments. ‘In this day and age, fifteen thousand isn’t the end of the world, and you only need pay back the ten you owe on the credit card. I’m not expecting my money back. I gave that to you to invest. You didn’t exactly invest it where I thought you would, but that’s not my concern. You’ve got your new job and you don’t pay any rent so, in theory, you should be able to pay it off in a matter of months.’
‘As long as I don’t lose any more. And I already owed five on the credit card, so my credit card debt is fifteen thousand.’
‘How can we make sure you don’t lose more? Is there something I can do to help you?’
‘I need the willpower to deactivate my account and put blocks on my devices to stop me from accessing the sites. Even though I know it would be disastrous to get back on, there’s part of me that still thinks if I could win a few hundred dollars, I’d be back on track.’
‘Okay. As soon as we get home, we do that. Also, I think you should bring the computer out of your room and set it up in the living room. That way I can monitor what you’re doing. Any suspicious activity and I’ll do the one thing I know will drive you mad.’ Phyllie grinned. ‘I’ll tell Hannah.’
Nat stared at her grandmother, a small smile forming on her lips. ‘Two can play at that. You do that, and I’ll tell Hannah you’re getting forgetful and I’m worried about you.’ As the words came out of her mouth, Nat realised with a shock that they were true. Phyllie was showing signs of memory loss or something that wasn’t quite right.
‘You do that and the house will be sold, and you’ll have nowhere to live. How about this – I won’t tell Hannah anything. But you are to deactivate the account and show me how these blocks work as soon as we get home. Let’s set up a joint bank account where you can have your pay deposited. That way I can help monitor what you’re doing with it. You’ll want to pay off that fifteen thousand as quickly as possible, so you don’t pay too much interest. Agreed?’
Nat nodded. She needed help, that much she knew, and answering to Phyllie was an easier solution than many others she’d considered.
Phyllie poured the last of the champagne into her glass and raised it. ‘No more secrets. I’m drinking the rest as you have to drive, and you’ll be over the limit if you have any more.’ She winked. ‘Also, I’m older, and with the stress you’re putting me under I need it more than you do.’
An hour after arriving home, Nat looked at the new computer area in Phyllie’s living room. ‘Are you sure this isn’t too intrusive?’ Under Phyllie’s strict instruction, Nat had moved her small desk and computer downstairs.
Phyllie looked up from her television show. ‘Not if it’s going to help you stop. Once you’ve got everything set up, I want to see you deactivate your account and put those blocks on the computer.’
Nat nodded. She’d already set everything up, so it was now time to do as Phyllie said. She took a deep breath. ‘Come and sit beside me and we’ll do it together.’
Phyllie muted the television and hauled herself up out of the armchair. She came and sat on the computer chair while Nat got another chair from the kitchen.
‘Do you have Facebook on this?’ Phyllie asked as she returned. ‘It’s the one program I understand.’
Nat laughed. ‘I do, but I don’t use it very often. I’m not that interested in what people I hardly know ate for breakfast.’
Phyllie raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? What if they had something delicious you’d never heard of? You could be missing out. Like me and avo smash.’
‘Avo smash?’
‘Yes, you know – mashed avocado on toast with a poached egg and tomato salsa or bacon. It’s delicious.’
‘I know what it is. You mean you only learned about it through Facebook? It’s been around for years.’
‘I’m not someone who ever goes out for breakfast. How on earth would I know of it otherwise?’
Nat laughed. ‘Guess you’ve proved there is a global culinary need for Facebook.’
She logged on to the poker site and went to her account settings. Cancel Account stared back at her.
‘Hold on a minute.’ Phyllie put her reading glasses on. ‘What does this say exactly?’
‘It’s pretty straightforward. You just press cancel account.’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘No, in this fine print it says if you are experiencing issues with gambling you can cancel your account and also be blocked from setting up a new one. I think you should tick this box.’
‘I doubt they can really block me. I could set up another account with fake information.’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘Not easily. From the sounds of this, you’d need a different credit card and a valid driver’s licence with the name matching that on the credit card.’
As she said it, Nat remembered the sign-up process, thinking it was more elaborate than she had anticipated.
‘Good,’ Phyllie said. ‘They’ve made this very difficult. Make sure you tick the box.’
Nat ticked the box, her mouse then hovering over the ‘Cancel Account’ button.
Phyllie gave her a nudge. ‘Come on, you can do it. This site has brought you nothing but misery.’
Actually, it had brought Nat incredible adrenaline bursts and happiness at times, but yes, overall, she’d spiralled down a dark hole of misery because of it. She clicked the ‘Cancel Account’ button and a screen confirming the cancellation and blocking of PinkFish88 appeared. She shut
it down and searched Poker site blockers.
It only took ten minutes, and they’d installed enough blocks to lock out all the main poker sites. When she searched now and clicked on any of the websites, she was instantly blocked.
‘We need to update those every few weeks,’ Phyllie said. ‘They’ll add any new sites that have popped up that might lure you in.’
‘We’re done then,’ Nat said. ‘I should log in to Gambler’s Aid and tell the women I was chatting to the other day that I took their advice on board. They’ll probably have tips on how to overcome any cravings I have.’
Phyllie stood and slowly moved back to her armchair. Her face was serious.
‘What? The group is for addicts. No one’s going to be encouraging me to gamble.’
‘It’s not that. It’s this new job of yours. It is real, isn’t it? You’re not just planning on heading out to work each day and going to the casino, or somewhere else you can play the pokies or join a poker tournament?’
‘It’s definitely real. In fact, why don’t you come and have lunch with me one day next week? I’ll show you around the offices, and you can see exactly what I do. I’m sure they won’t mind. Just give me a day or two to settle in first.’
Phyllie nodded. ‘Okay, but probably not for lunch. I’ll drop in when I’m free. If you’re available that’s great, if not you can say a quick hello and get back to it.’
Nat was about to object when she realised Phyllie was going to drop in at a random time to make sure she was there. If they pre-planned lunch, Nat could conveniently turn up whether she worked there or not. She felt awful that she’d put her grandmother in a position of not being able to trust her.
She didn’t say anymore, instead turned her attention back to the screen and logged in to the chat room. She had a message flashing and clicked on her inbox.
LizaE
Hey, PinkFish88. BrownDog40 and I have set up a private group for the two of us. After the ‘dick’ ruined our last chat, we decided to make it less public. Would love you to join us if you would like to. Just click on the ‘accept’ button on my name in your private groups tab. It should bring you into our chat. Eliza.
