‘Know what?’
‘About Nat’s problem. Her addiction to poker.’
Damien’s mouth dropped open. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘Don’t lie to me. I can see right through you.’ She turned to Phyllie. ‘The computer’s in the living room so you can monitor what she’s doing, isn’t it? And you encouraged her to put those blocks on it so she can’t access the gambling sites.’
‘I didn’t exactly encourage her; in fact, I didn’t even know about them. But when she mentioned them, I made sure she installed them. She wouldn’t want you knowing anything about this, Hannah. She feels like a big enough failure as it is. She needs help, and she needs compassion right now. She doesn’t need a lecture or anyone pointing the finger at her and saying she’s not good enough.’
Hannah sucked in a breath. ‘I would never do any of that. I’d want to help her.’
‘I know that,’ Phyllie said, ‘but she doesn’t. She has a chip on her shoulder when it comes to you, so any attempts at help will be interpreted as you lording it over her. Just leave it alone, okay?’
‘Leave what alone?’
They all turned as Nat came through the back door and out into the garden. She smiled at them. ‘This is a surprise, perfectly timed too as I wanted to see Amy, which I’ve just done. But what do you need to leave alone?’
‘Oh nothing, love,’ Phyllie said. ‘Damien’s been kind enough to mow the lawns for us and offered to prune the liquidambar tree. I said to leave it alone. Probably just for another six months or so. It isn’t out of control yet.’
‘Oh.’ Nat’s eyes flicked around the garden. ‘I’d planned to ask Leon to come and do those jobs for you.’
Phyllie laughed. ‘I’m sure you can think up another reason to speak to Leon if you want to.’
Hannah watched with interest as Nat’s face coloured. Was her sister interested in goat boy, as she’d previously referred to him? She sensed Nat’s discomfort and changed the subject. ‘Congratulations.’ Hannah hoped her smile looked genuine and Nat wasn’t going to read something else into it. ‘Phyllie mentioned you’re starting a new job tomorrow. The organisation sounds wonderful.’
Nat’s eyes narrowed momentarily before she nodded. ‘Thanks, yes, it certainly has a good feel to it.’
‘And it’s a community support officer role?’
‘Yes, covering St Kilda, Elwood and some of the bayside area. There are a large number of support houses in that area.’
‘I hope your first day and week go well. It sounds like a great opportunity.’
Nat didn’t seem to know how to respond. They were interrupted by Amy, which saved her having to try.
Amy came out through the sliding door and flung her arms around Nat. ‘Thank you, I love it.’
Nat laughed. ‘You’re welcome, and as I said, I’m sorry it was late and that I was in such a bad mood on your birthday. I promise to never be like that again. And I also thought that perhaps next weekend just the two of us could go out for lunch and a movie.’ She looked across to Hannah. ‘If that’s okay with you, of course.’
Hannah nodded. What had just happened?
‘Check this out, Mum.’ Amy held out her arm, now sporting a black Fitbit. ‘I’ve wanted one of these for ages. Skye and Brittney are always competing for how many steps they’ve done. Now I’ll be able to join in. And I needed a watch too. It’s perfect.’
‘It’s great, Ames, you’re very lucky.’ Hannah looked over to Nat. ‘Thank you, that’s very generous.’ She wondered how on earth Nat had afforded it. Assuming she was Lia, then she had no money at all.
They stayed for another half an hour, making small talk before Hannah suggested they head home and leave Nat and Phyllie to their lunch and afternoon.
Hannah’s head felt like it might explode by the time they arrived home. She waited until Amy and Bear had disappeared upstairs before turning to Damien. ‘What did you know about Nat and the poker? Did you know she was in trouble?’
‘Yes. She told me a few weeks ago. I told her to cancel her account and put blocks in place so she couldn’t access the sites.’
‘And did she?’
‘As far as I’m aware, she did.’
‘Did she tell you how much she was in debt?’
He nodded. ‘Fifteen thousand, although I’m not sure if all her debt was due to gambling. God, I feel awful. If I hadn’t invited her to poker night this probably wouldn’t have happened.’
‘It’s not your fault, but I wish you’d told me. I would have helped her.’
He shook his head. ‘You’re not the right person to help her. She hates taking any advice from you. Any effort you made then, or make now, would be thrown back in your face. She specifically asked me not to say anything to you.’
Hannah swallowed a large lump that had formed in her throat. Tears glistened in her eyes.
Damien reached across and pulled her to him. ‘Don’t beat yourself up. It’s just how it is.’
‘I’ve let Mum down. From the moment she died I knew what she would have expected from me when it came to looking out for Nat. I’ve tried so hard to protect her from things and now look what’s happened.’
‘She’s a grown woman. Your days of protecting her are long gone.’
‘But the fact that we just don’t get along, I’m sure that would upset Mum.’
‘You can always change that. Be more tolerant and patient with her. Try and remain positive about everything she says and don’t push her buttons by going on about real or imagined risks.’
Hannah nodded. ‘Okay.’
He hugged her again. ‘And I’m sorry. I hated keeping it from you, but I made a promise. I won’t make that sort of promise again. Now, why don’t you go and sit down, and I’ll make us all some lunch?’
Hannah nodded again. She wanted to get back online and read through the previous conversations to see how many hints there were that Lia was Nat. Maybe she wasn’t. It was possible it was just another coincidence.
It wasn’t a coincidence. When Hannah read back through the messages, it was definitely Nat. The comments about her sister that Hannah had sympathised with were about her! Nat was discussing their relationship with total strangers. She took a deep breath. She couldn’t be angry with her. She was doing exactly the same thing. Enjoying new friendships where she felt safe to say anything. After all, she never imagined meeting the other two women and certainly never imagined she would know one of them.
It was amazing to think that she’d not put two and two together earlier. But then again, why would she? Nat hadn’t mentioned anyone’s names or used her real name, and Hannah had no reason to suspect her sister had a gambling problem.
She leaned back in her chair and considered the situation they were in. In the short time she’d known Lia, she felt like she was developing a firm friendship with her. The same with Eliza. Part of her wished she didn’t know that Lia was Nat. If she didn’t know, it was possible they could have become great friends. If at some point the truth had been revealed, then perhaps they would have had a better relationship than they did now? The truth would have come out as they moved further along the track and discussed jobs and family.