PinkFish88
Yes, I’m here. Thank you for a great afternoon too! Was so lovely to meet you (and hope we meet you also, Suze) and to find out you’re not a seventy-year-old perverted male pretending to be someone you’re not. You can be assured, neither Eliza or I are weirdos, Suze. We both had reservations about meeting yesterday and were both relieved to find that not only are we normal, but we got along brilliantly. You’ll, of course, have to prove you’re not pretending to be someone you’re not if we do meet! Although my gut feeling, which I can usually trust, tells me you’re genuine too.
What’s Jacob’s message? I have a big thank you for him too. Can’t believe we drank that much and I’m hangover free. If only I could afford top-shelf wines like that every day!
LizaE
Jacob wants you to know that he’s decided to prove to you that he could find a better way to use your five hundred dollars than you could. He invested it overnight and turned it into three thousand! He’s now taken that three thousand and reinvested it. He told me to tell you not to worry, you don’t owe him a cent if he loses it all, but if it does increase it’s all yours. Told you he was gold!
Nat stared at her screen. No way. Why would he do that? He hardly knew her. She couldn’t accept it, that much she knew. This turning money into so much more overnight didn’t ring true for her either. How could it be that easy?
PinkFish88
Wow! Blown away but I can’t accept the money. Tell Jacob thanks but I never gave him any money so can’t expect him to invest for me. Also, he’s married, I assume he remembers that?
LizaE
Lol! He’s not looking for anything more than to help you. He’s very interested in our situation and has been looking into Gambler’s Aid. Remember how he said the company were planning to invest in things that benefit the community? Well, he’s thinking that helping addicts is a good starting place. He also said he might be in touch to find out who he should speak to at Endeavour Trust regarding the community houses. He’s genuine, Lia, one hundred percent. Turning your money into a bit more is just because he can. If it turns into a larger amount it will help with your credit card.
Nat didn’t know what to say. Could she accept money from a total stranger? No, she didn’t think she could. Anyway, it was probably all just on paper. She doubted he’d actually invested anything in her name.
LizaE
See the screenshot attached. Jacob said he’d contact me at three and let me know if this multiplied at all this morning. If it does, he thought you might want to withdraw it and decide whether to reinvest or use it for your debt. Just think about it between now and three. There’s no pressure. As much as we both expect everyone on the internet to be out to rip us off, there are genuine people too. That’s what I recognised in you yesterday, and I hope you did in me too. There’s nothing to lose, and that’s the main thing. Have to run. The girls are meeting friends at laser tag this afternoon – the little princesses . . . not!
Nat smiled at the thought of Eliza’s girls. She’d shown her some photos of them the previous day. They were adorable but didn’t look much like Eliza. Two very tall blonde-haired girls. Apparently, they took after their father. She could see that Suze wasn’t online but posted a final message before she logged out.
PinkFish88
Thinking of you and feeling for you. Ready to chat whenever you need someone. Xx
Nat picked up her coffee cup and took it through to the kitchen. She saw ten dollars sitting on the table with a note. For you and Amy, enjoy!
She picked up the money and glanced down at the floor in case Phyllie had dropped the rest. She hadn’t. Was this a joke? The two of them going to the movies and buying snacks would set them back forty, if not fifty dollars. A memory flashed in Nat’s mind from many years earlier. She was about ten and Hannah thirteen and she remembered Phyllie calling to them.
‘The money for the theatre’s on the table. There’s enough for two tickets and a small popcorn. No soft drinks, you hear me? It’s all rubbish and will rot your teeth.’
Phyllie had always left them a ten-dollar note. They’d go to the matinee special, which gave you entry and a snack. Did Phyllie think it was still 1998? Back then the small local theatre they went to was cheaper than most of the mainstream cinema chains. You could get a ticket for under five dollars. You definitely couldn’t do that today. An uncomfortable feeling settled over Nat as she walked back up the stairs to her bedroom, planning to have a shower and get ready. Hannah was right. There really was something wrong with Phyllie.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hannah slipped out of bed early on Sunday morning. She poked her head into Amy’s room, where Bear lay curled up on the bed. He lifted his head when he saw her and then put it back down again. He looked miserable. They’d said no to Amy taking him for the sleepover at her grandfather’s, but now she wondered if that had been such a good idea. Still, a break from each other meant they’d be even happier to see each other that afternoon. She went in and sat on the bed and rubbed the dog between the ears.
‘She’ll be back this afternoon, Bear.’
He moved closer to her and laid his head on her lap, his big brown eyes staring up at her. Hannah sighed. Wouldn’t it be nice if her only problem right now was missing Amy. The house had been unusually quiet without her the previous night, and she and Damien had ended up going out for dinner. She’d been on edge all evening, trying to muster the courage to start the conversation about Zane Fox and Damien’s mother, but she’d clammed up, and they’d come home and watched a movie on Netflix. She’d been so distracted she couldn’t even remember what the story was about.
She’d met with Zane after work on Friday afternoon at Red Orchid, a small bar tucked away in an alley in Prahran, and her legs had trembled throughout the encounter. He was already there when she’d arrived, seated in a back corner, his trademark smirk on his face. He was sipping a glass of champagne, and another sat on the table for her.
He nodded at it. ‘Thought we could have a drink to celebrate our last transaction together.’
Hannah had been tempted to knock back the glass in one gulp, but as it had been purchased by Zane, she chose to ignore it. ‘Yes, this will be our last transaction. That much I guarantee.’
‘Really? That’s a bit presumptuous, isn’t it?’
As soon as the words left his lips, she knew that she’d made the right decision. If she handed over more money now, he’d be back in a couple of months with some other threat.
He’d laughed. ‘I’m just kidding. Yes, this will be the last time you ever have to see my beautiful face. Now, I assume you have a document you’d like me to sign?’
She stared at him, wondering how someone became so awful. What did he think when he got up each morning? How will I rip someone off and make their life miserable today?
‘You look very serious, Hannah.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘We’re both busy people. Let’s just get this contract signed and the transaction completed.’
Hannah took a deep breath. ‘There is no contract, Zane. I came here today to tell you I’m not going to allow you to blackmail me. If you decide to provide Damien’s mother with information on how to contact him, that’s your prerogative. I don’t trust that you won’t be back for more money if I pay you again.’