“Uh-huh. Don’t you want to know?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “I’m not sure. Do you want to tell me?”
She also was quiet for a few beats. “I’m not sure.”
“Then maybe we should just leave it. Money like I imagine you won might weird me out. I wouldn’t like that.”
Ramsey nodded gravely. “Weird you out? I wouldn’t like that either.”
The shadow of a smile crossed his mouth before he became serious again. “Do you know what you’re going to do about Jay? About the money, I mean?”
“I don’t want to give him anything.”
“I’m sure you don’twantto, butwillyou?”
Ramsey bent her head and closed her eyes. She massaged the worry lines laddering her forehead with a thumb and two fingers. “I don’t know. Can’t make up my mind on what is the wiser course.” She straightened, stared at Sullivan. “Do you have an opinion?”
“Always, but it doesn’t count for anything about this. Has to be your decision.”
“Damn. In that case, let me hear myself talk it out.”
“Go for it.”
“All right. I don’t think it matters how much he owes. A few hundred or a few hundred thousand, that doesn’t seem as important as the fact that he owes anything at all. He has a problem he doesn’t own. Hell, he probably ticks enough boxes to have a diagnosis. He made a show of going to Gamblers Anonymous after I filed for divorce, but he said it wasn’t for him, that he didn’t recognize himself as one of the losers. He said he contacted a help line, but I doubt he ever followed up with an appointment to speak to someone. The salient point here is that he’s not motivated to make a change; therefore, the odds, if you’ll forgive the expression, are pretty high that this will happen again.”
“Seems soundly reasoned,” said Sullivan, taking a drink.
“Okay. So I’m thinking that if I bail him out now, then I’m in it for the long haul. One payout leads to another…and another. I’d be enabling him. It’s no different than buying booze for an alcoholic.” She regarded him with a droll expression. “Or Caribbean Coast for an opioid addict.”
“Later,” he said. “We’ll talk about that later. Keep going.”
She nodded. “It’s frustrating that he’s unwilling to manage some of the debt on his own. I mentioned he could sell his car—he’s driving an Audi, for God’s sake. He didn’t bite. Same response when I suggested that he mortgage his house. He owns it free and clear and I didn’t ask for any part of it in the divorce. I guess a bank loan is out of the question. I got a little snarky with him, told him to sell his suits, put his Italian loafers on eBay. He wasn’t having any of that either.”
“Have you considered that the car’s a rental or that he’s already mortgaged the house? Maybe he’s maxed out credit cards or reached a loan limit with the bank. You don’t know that he hasn’t sold off some suits or his shoes. He might have done all of that already before he came to you. There’s his pride you have to think about.”
Ramsey was tipping back her glass when Sullivan mentioned Jay’s pride. Sputtering, she set the drink down. “Trust me on this, Sullivan. Jay didn’t swallow his pride to come to me. That’s not to say he’s not a prideful man. He is. But his pride is related to acquisition; hence, his car, his suits, his house, his shoes, even his wife. Yeah, me.” She shook her head ruefully. “He came here because heexpectsme to give him the money. I’m sure he believes he’s entitled to whatever amount he says he needs.”
“Did he ever run into trouble at work because of the gambling?”
“I can’t imagine that he would have been promoted to VP if he had. Jay is a private person. He deflects questions about his personal life by expressing interest in others. I’ve seen him do it. He’s pretty masterful at it, and as a result, he’s considered a good listener. Actually, it’s one of the qualities that attracted me to him. It was a long time before I saw his interest for what it is.”
Sullivan cocked a questioning eyebrow.
“Data mining,” she said. “Keeps it all up here.” She tapped the side of her head.
“I suppose that makes him a formidable opponent if you get on his wrong side. Even dangerous.”
“Exactly. It’s why I gave away everything in the divorce settlement. I didn’t want trouble.” She sighed. “And now I have it anyway. I keep wondering who he owes.”
“Does that make a difference?”
“Maybe. What if he owes a bookie leg breaker? Do I want that on my conscience?”
“Worst case…if he told you he owed the mob, would you believe him?”
“The mob? Are you serious?”
“I said worst case.”
