Page 99 of The Reboot
Roly had always placed too much importance on looks. ‘You don’t think there might be something dodgy about him?’ She was tentative. She knew how protective he was of his mum, and she didn’t want to upset him. She just wanted to give him a nudge, plant a seed of doubt in his mind.
He groaned. ‘You sound like my nan,’ he said, rolling his eyes. ‘She treats Mum like she’s a complete idiot when it comes to men.’
‘It’s just because she’s worried about her.’
‘I know, but she should give her credit for having a bit of cop.’
‘She’s just trying to look out for her. She doesn’t want her to get hurt.’
‘Mum’s tougher than she looks. She can look out for herself. Okay, granted she does have form for getting involved with complete tossers. I guess I’m living proof of that. But that was a long time ago. Sometimes Nan treats her like she’s still a clueless teenager.’
Ella decided she’d better let it go, at least for now. ‘I’m not criticising your mum,’ she said, touching his arm. ‘Lots of really smart people get taken in by catfishers.’
‘Catfishers? Is that what you think is happening?’
‘I don’t know. I think it’s possible.’
‘You watch too much internet,’ Roly scoffed and they walked on in silence. ‘So, what exactly do you think this bloke is up to anyway?’ he asked a while later. He sounded scathing, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
‘It sounds like a romance scam to me. These people woo women online, convince them they’re in love and they want to be together. Then they have a sick child who needs an operation, or they’re being held hostage by corrupt officials in some foreign country and they have to bribe them to get out, or their bank account has been hacked and they can’t access their money.’ She glanced at Roly, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. ‘Then the requests for money start rolling in – medical bills, bribes for corrupt officials, loans for plane fares…’
‘But you heard Mum. He hasn’t asked her for any money.’
‘Not yet maybe. Besides, would she admit it to your nan if he had?’
Roly frowned. ‘No, probably not.’ He was silent for a while. ‘But what’s in it for this bloke anyway? Mum’s not rich. And besides, he’s obviously got plenty money himself. He really does send her all these expensive presents. She wasn’t just saying that to get Nan off her back. I’ve seen them – Gucci scarves, Marc Jacobs bags…’
‘They could be knock-offs.’
‘It’s still an awful lot of trouble to go to for, what, maybe a few grand at the most? Not exactly a criminal mastermind, this suspect of yours, is he?’
‘It’s worth it if they do it to enough people.’
‘It sounds like awfully hard work. Wouldn’t it be easier to, like, rob a bank or something?’
‘Ah, bank robbery isn’t as easy as it looks in the movies.’
‘Rats! That was going to be my next career move.’
‘Thinking outside the box! I like it. Ray would be so proud.’ She was glad they were back on joking terms.
‘Look, I get what you’re saying,’ he said when they got to the door. ‘But I really think this bloke is on the level.’
Ella didn’t think he was a ‘bloke’ at all, but she didn’t want to push it and risk putting Roly on the defensive. Besides, maybe he was right. For Loretta’s sake, she hoped so.
‘This might have been the best birthday weekend I’ve ever had,’ she said to Roly as they lay in bed later. ‘Definitely the most surprising.’ They were knotted around each other, the window open to the humid evening air. The sheet was kicked off, twisted around their ankles.
‘Do you want me to go back to my own bed?’ she asked. She was so comfortable, she really didn’t want to move.
‘No.’ He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. ‘Stay.’ He dropped a kiss on her shoulder.
‘But I have to get up early for work in the morning.’
He shrugged. ‘That’s okay. I like having you in my bed. When you’re here, I can just … fall asleep.’
It wasn’t how Ella had expected that sentence to end. ‘Huh!’ she huffed. ‘So I’m a soporific presence?’
‘A relaxing presence.’
