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 tears. 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.’