Returning downstairs, she saw that Damien had moved into the living room and made himself comfortable on one of the reclining chairs. He grinned. ‘Thought we might as well settle in. The fact you have a folder makes me think we’re here for a long session. It’s not about horse riding, is it?’
It wasn’t, although it would be very justifiable if it were. Hannah still found it hard to believe that Damien had gone behind her back and signed Amy’s permission slip, which in effect enrolled her in the equestrian classes Hannah had said no to.
‘It’s not a big deal,’ Damien had tried to convince her. ‘We can’t mollycoddle her forever. I’ve spoken to the school about the safety equipment and how the sessions are supervised, and there’s no reason to worry. She could just as easily have an accident playing tennis and smash her head on the court. At least with horse riding she’s wearing a helmet.’ He’d pulled Hannah to him. ‘It won’t happen again, babe. Your mum was incredibly unlucky. You need to let Amy experience things.’
Hannah’s anger had left her eventually, and she did see that she was being overprotective, but could anyone blame her? If you knew someone who’d died in a motorcycle accident would you encourage your kids to get one? Of course not. So why was it any different with horses?
Because they’re not at risk from other traffic like motorbikes are. Damien’s sensible words filled her head. He’d had an answer for every objection she’d raised, and in the end, she’d conceded.
Now she looked at him and remembered LizaE’s advice on showing him how supportive she was planning to be. That the money he’d lost wasn’t the problem, but ensuring he quit gambling was. She sat across from him on the couch with the squishy blue cushions that Bear appeared to have claimed as his.
‘I’m worried about your online poker games.’
Damien stared at her for a moment and then laughed. ‘That’s what this is about? Poker?’
She nodded. ‘It’s addictive, and many people get into trouble with it. I don’t want that to be us.’
‘You want me to stop playing?’
‘Definitely. As of right now I’d like you to deactivate your account and consider putting blocks on your computer to stop you from accessing poker sites.’
Damien kicked the footrest down and sat forward in his chair, an incredulous look on his face. ‘Is this a joke?’
Hannah shook her head. ‘I don’t want you using our savings for your habit. It worries me.’
‘My habit? I don’t have a habit. I play after work a couple of times a week and on a weekend if there’s time. I don’t even bet half the time. I play the free tables because it’s fun. Jesus, you spend more on boots than I do on poker.’
‘How much money have you lost to date?’
Damien shrugged. ‘As I told you last time, I haven’t lost anything. I had a gift card with free starting credits. Since then I’ve been winning here and there, and the overall balance is in credit.’
‘You haven’t run up any other debts with it? Used money from our investments for your gambling?’
He shook his head. ‘Nope, and anyway, you’d see it on the statements if I had. I’m pretty sure it would show up as Poker4Me or something similar.’
Was he really going to lie about it?
She handed him a piece of paper she’d printed with the balance of their investment account.
His face immediately paled.
‘Fifteen thousand dollars was withdrawn from this account a couple of months ago. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?’
Damien shook his head. ‘It’s not what you think.’
She waited for him to continue.
He ran his hand through his hair. ‘I’m sorry, okay. I had to use this money for something, and I promised I wouldn’t tell you what for. It will be paid back by the end of August. As you don’t do the accounts until September, I thought you wouldn’t notice. You only ever use that one-page summary they send you, without looking at the transaction history.’
‘That’s because we never make any transactions. Where did the money go?’
He shook his head. ‘I told you. I made a promise.’
Hannah stared at her husband. Who could he be giving that kind of money to and wanting to hide it from her?
He sighed. ‘You’re not going to let it go, are you?’
She shook her head. ‘How can I? Would you if you suddenly discovered I’d spent thousands of dollars without telling you and had done my best to hide it from you?’
‘If I tell you, I need you to promise me you won’t say anything to the person I loaned the money to. She would never forgive me.’
Hannah nodded, not having any idea who he could have given the money to.
‘I gave it to Mum.’
‘Trish?’
He nodded. ‘They got themselves into a bit of financial trouble a few months back. They received a tax bill on the investment property they sold last year that they weren’t expecting. It turns out my father, the savvy investor, didn’t realise he had to pay capital gains tax.’
‘Couldn’t they use the money from the sale of the property?’
Damien shook his head. ‘They invested it in a six-month investment that has hefty penalties if they withdraw the money early, so I suggested I loan them the money as our account allows one withdrawal without penalty. I was going to tell you, but Mum made me promise not to. She said they were so embarrassed to be in a situation of needing to borrow from us that she would be mortified if you knew.’
‘But that’s ridiculous. Of course I would have been fine with it, especially as it’s being paid back. Even if it wasn’t being paid back, I would be fine with helping your parents.’
Damien crossed the room and took Hannah’s hands. ‘And that’s why I love you. I’m sorry, Han. I was put in a horrible position. Mum was really upset about it, so I thought it was easier to just do what she asked. You know what Dad’s like, he would hate you to know that he’d messed up something like that.’
‘So, all of the money went to your parents and none to online poker?’
Damien’s face softened and he smiled. ‘Yes, all to my parents. You have nothing to worry about with me and poker.’
Hannah stared at him for a moment.
Damien’s smile slipped. ‘You don’t look convinced.’
‘It’s just very convenient, that’s all. You’ve loaned your parents the exact amount you told me a friend owed to a gambling debt and I’m not allowed to ask them about it because they’ll be embarrassed. I’m not sure I buy it.’
Damien ran a hand through his hair again. ‘I can’t stop you from asking Mum about the money, I’m just asking you not to. If you really don’t trust me then go ahead and ask.’
Hannah hesitated. Up until now she’d trusted him implicitly. Whether his reasoning was justified or not, he’d still deceived her.
‘I know how I can prove it.’ He held out his hand to her. ‘Come with me.’
She took his hand and allowed him to lead her up the stairs to the office. He sat at the computer and pulled her down next to him. ‘Let me drive for a minute.’