Nat stared after her as she crossed the kitchen and went out the back to find Amy. She saw her pull her jacket tight around her.
‘Was that really Hannah?’
Her father looked concerned. ‘Whatever happened between her and Damien must be serious. Like you, I would have expected more from her about this investment. That was not the Hannah we know.’
Nat’s phone pinged again with a message from Eliza.
Amazing! Are you going to reinvest the money?
Nat sent back a quick text.
Not sure. Thinking about it.
Her phone went silent for close to a minute, then a long text arrived.
Jacob said you can add more of your own money to it too if you want to. Although knowing the financial position both you and I were in when we met, I guess that might not be an option! Limits your risk too. One of his friends invested the savings of five of his siblings, which really freaked Jacob out. It worked out okay and they all made money, but I think the more people involved the more personally responsible he feels. As he keeps reminding me, this isn’t their normal trading cycle, so it does make him more concerned for everyone involved. But for now, I’m on cloud nine. Doug and I are almost out of debt! See you in the chat room tonight if you’re going to be around?
Nat sent another quick text.
Will be online in about an hour. Just at my dad’s now.
A smiley face emoticon blowing a kiss came back.
‘Everything okay still?’
Nat looked up at her father. ‘Yes, just Eliza. She and her husband were in a huge amount of debt, and she’s just told me that it’s almost been cleared. It’s crazy! She also mentioned that I could add to my investment with my own funds or anyone else’s, from what I can gather. I wouldn’t want anyone to take that risk though, so I won’t mention it.’
Her father nodded. ‘Good idea.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Although, it is rather intriguing. Can you stick around for a drink or dinner even? I’d love to learn more.’
Her father ran his hand through his hair, frowning with concentration as he looked at the figures from Nat’s investments. They’d brought Sue up to speed and now the three of them sat in his office, staring at his computer screen.
Sue squeezed Nat’s hand. ‘I’m so happy for you, hon. You deserve some good luck. It’s the universe giving back to you after all you do for everyone else.’
‘It’s quite amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it,’ her father said.
‘I know,’ Nat said. ‘It would be interesting to find out what their total investments are each day. If Jacob can allow me this kind of return out of the kindness of his heart, how many millions are they making?’
‘Many, I expect.’ Her father frowned again. ‘I have heard of this before you know, the salmon run, as you referred to it. A guy I used to play golf with mentioned that his company had it happen. He made a lot of money in only a few weeks and then retired. He wasn’t greedy, just set himself up for a comfortable future. I remember thinking it was the perfect scenario.’
‘Was that Stuart McCreedy?’ Sue asked. ‘He and his wife moved up to the Murray River to play golf and enjoy the water views.’
He nodded.
‘Are you interested in investing in it, Dad?’
‘I’m not sure.’ He looked to Sue. ‘Perhaps a small amount, just to dabble? I know Nat’s not keen on us selling the house, which I understand, and something like this could at least buy us more time before having to go down that road. But I’d be too scared to risk a lot. If Jacob turned three thousand into twenty-seven thousand, I wonder what he could do with five?’
Sue nodded. ‘We could risk a small amount, but nothing more. We do need to be extra careful at the moment.’
‘If you want to do that,’ Nat said, ‘you can use some of the money that’s in the account. It shows that we can split how much we invest. It doesn’t have to be the full amount. I owe you just over five thousand from the money I’ve borrowed in the last few years.’
Sue and her father shook their heads in unison. ‘We couldn’t use your money,’ Sue said.
‘Yes, you could. How about this? We put five thousand back in, and that’s me repaying Dad. If it turns into more, then you keep the five plus the interest it gains. If it loses, then I’ve paid you back.’
Her father hesitated. ‘I’m not sure that’s fair to you.’
Nat laughed. ‘Of course it is. I’m getting an absolute bargain. I’m paying you back with money that wasn’t even mine to start with!’
Her father and Sue exchanged a look.
‘It’s your call,’ Sue said. ‘I think it’s an exciting opportunity, but I’d hate to lose any money.’
‘It’s a risk,’ Nat agreed. ‘But that’s just the nature of life, isn’t it? You take a risk to get a reward.’
Her father hesitated for only a second before his face broke into a wide smile. ‘Okay, let’s do it. I have a feeling our luck is about to change.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hannah leaned against the kitchen pantry, feeling Damien’s absence more than she ever had before. If he was home, she’d probably be making them both a herbal tea right now. He often worked a night shift on Sundays, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be away, but he’d never stayed overnight at his parents because of a disagreement between the two of them.
Amy was in bed, choosing to read for an hour before switching her light off. Bear was no doubt snuggled up with her. His dog bed had become a joke, having never been slept in. Still, it was an excellent place to store his toys.
Hannah poured herself a glass of water and took it upstairs to her office. She wondered if Eliza or Nat were online? The investment situation certainly sounded too good to be true, but so far even she, the risk expert, couldn’t see a downside. Nat hadn’t lost anything, and even if she lost every cent in the account, she still wouldn’t have lost any of her own money. But Hannah couldn’t see that being a problem. For a start, she didn’t have any money, but also Eliza and Jacob had made it very clear that when the run stopped, it stopped instantly and his company went back to their regular day-to-day financial management.
Hannah opened her computer and typed ‘Salmon Run Finances’ into the search bar. It was something new to her. She changed the search term, trying to get something that wasn’t related to the salmon industry, but didn’t find what she was looking for. Perhaps it was an insider term, although the internet would usually still find something. She guessed if she trawled through hundreds of pages, she might get to something other than the catching of fish.
She gave up and clicked on the Gambler’s Aid chat room instead. Nat and Eliza were already chatting. She skimmed through their conversation, seeing that they were both ecstatic about their recent financial gains. Hannah smiled as she read through Nat’s description of her reaction that day.
PinkFish88
I’m worried about my sister. Her reaction was so calm, and she appeared genuinely happy for me. I couldn’t believe it, to be honest. No suggestion at all that this was too good to be true and there were many risks I should take into consideration. I think she’s struggling. She looked terrible. Problems with her husband, which still blows me away. I thought they had the perfect marriage. I’m assuming that’s why I didn’t get a lecture. I guess it will come in time.