And that was that. As usual, she’d let him talk her out of her plans because he made a lot of sense and at the end of the day, the security of her family was the most important thing of all. Her dreams could wait another few years, couldn’t they?
What Matt didn’t know was that ten months ago, she’d transferred the money to a high-interest fund. She’d done her research, and the promised returns were substantial. Every time she’d opened her quarterly statement – and she’d had three now – she’d been delighted. One day the interest would give her the extra money she needed to improve her qualifications and secure the career of her dreams.
Now, her mind was screaming at her to go and open the letter she’d received the other day. Another statement, she’d assumed, and had put it away to look at later, then forgotten about it.
She stood, wanting to go and check. Can I take the money out? Are there penalty clauses, time delays? She couldn’t remember the details, but needed to find out.
‘I’d better go and see how the kids are doing,’ she said, giving Matt’s shoulder a reassuring rub. At least he’d stopped sobbing now and seemed calm enough for her to feel comfortable leaving him on his own for a few minutes. ‘I’ve left the girls keeping an eye on Ezra, and you know how that can work out.’ She checked her watch. ‘I need to get him into bed, anyway.’
Matt didn’t respond, lost in his woes, his gaze fixed on the floor.
Sara hurried out of the garage and into the house, stopping when she saw the deserted kitchen. She checked the plates, and was relieved to see that Ezra seemed to have eaten most of his food. She found him curled up on the settee, watching a cartoon that one of the girls must have put on for him. I must remember to thank them. Maybe I don’t do that enough? However distant she might feel her daughters had become, they always helped with Ezra when she asked, and she wanted them to know she appreciated their efforts.
A ping on her phone alerted her to a text message. Hailey again.
Saw he came home. Assuming all okay? Had to dash off to an emergency.
What could she say? Far too much to fit into a text message, and there was no point trying to explain when Hailey was distracted by a crisis with one of her service users. She sent a quick reply.
Talk tomorrow. Thanks for your help x
She was too shell-shocked to speak to her sister tonight, and by tomorrow she would have had time to think about things. Her head was spinning with the enormity of it. How easy it had been to assume that life would go on as it always had. That they would have Matt’s steady stream of income. What if he doesn’t get a job? A little shiver ran through her, the ghosts of her past flashing through her mind. It didn’t bear thinking about, because he’d been right – even if she did go full-time, her wages would only scratch the surface of their living costs.
With her mind on money, she ran upstairs to their bedroom, where she kept all the household paperwork in an old desk. It doubled as a dressing table, a large mirror hanging on the wall above, with a shelf for make-up so she had the desktop clear to work on. She was the administrator of the household, and Matt didn’t know where anything was kept, leaving all that side of things to her. Hurrying to the desk, she found the envelope and ripped it open, scanning the piece of paper inside.
It wasn’t a statement; it was a letter.
She blinked and read it again. No, no, that can’t be right. She slowed herself down, read the whole thing word for word a couple more times. There was no mistaking what it said. She swallowed, her heart galloping in her chest. The letter was from a firm of accountants. The investment company had gone into administration, and the nature of her investment meant it was outside the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. She could appeal, the letter said, but it was unlikely she would be getting any of her money back.
It’s gone. All of it.
She sank onto the chair, legs weak, and closed her eyes. She hadn’t understood that the investment was unprotected; had just seen the high interest rate and official-seeming website and had assumed it would be covered. Matt will be furious. Not only had she gone against his wishes, but she’d ignored all the warnings about investments. About risks and returns. Had thought she knew better, so desperate for some extra money to follow her own dreams that she’d taken a chance with their nest egg.
She heard the muffled sound of the back door opening and closing, Matt calling her name. Quickly, she fumbled the letter back into its envelope and stuffed it under a pile of documents where it wouldn’t be easily found. Her pulse raced, her head squeezed tight by the grip of dread. What am I going to do? I can’t tell him.
‘Sara?’ he called again.
‘Coming,’ she replied, her legs wobbly, as if they had a mind of their own, reluctant to take her downstairs, where trouble lay. They hadn’t a penny in savings and it was all her fault.
What if he asks about the money?
A bead of sweat worked its way down her back, panic tightening its grip. She’d seen how angry he was, how upset. Devastated by the loss of his job. Now this. She stood at the top of the stairs, unable to descend, her hand clasped to her forehead as she tried to work out what to do. She’d betrayed Matt’s trust, let him and her family down by putting herself first.
‘Sara?’ His voice had an edge of impatience now, and she stirred herself into action, her decision made. He couldn’t know. She wouldn’t tell him. Would stall if he asked. As she made her way slowly downstairs, she vowed to keep it to herself until she’d worked out how to put it right.
Chapter Six
The knock at the door was a welcome intrusion. Tension buzzed in the air; the atmosphere so charged that Sara had developed a splitting headache, which pounded at the base of her skull. Ezra was in bed, the girls still shut in their room, muffled chatter drifting down the stairs. Matt and Sara were in the lounge, sitting next to each other on the settee but lost in their own worlds. The late-evening news flickered on the screen, the words unheard as Sara’s mind searched for ideas to try and put right her terrible mistake.
She jumped up and opened the door, glad to see Fiona on the doorstep, immaculate as ever in a red puffa jacket, black trousers and leather ankle boots. She wore her blonde hair cropped close to her head, in a style only people with her elfin features could pull off, emphasising her large blue eyes. Her look was effortlessly chic but down to earth at the same time, and probably cost a fortune to achieve.
‘Hiya.’ She gave an apologetic smile. ‘Sorry I’m so late. We had quite a few thorny issues on the agenda and I was determined nobody was going home until we’d got everything sorted.’
Sara opened the door wider, gave a tight smile. ‘No problem,’ she lied, knowing that she’d have a tussle on her hands getting the twins up and ready for school in the morning. Nine o’clock was their cut-off point for friends during the week, something Fiona was well aware of, but she didn’t feel she could say anything. Not when she wanted Fiona to do her a favour. She tried to inject some warmth into her voice. ‘Come in, come in. To be honest, I’d lost track of what time it was. I’ll go up and get Chelsea.’
Fiona tutted, frowning. ‘You’re upset with me, aren’t you?’