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Finn didn’t appear to be listening to their conversation. He was singing under his breath to his orange juice glass. But lingerie was just underwear and Edwina appreciated that Sullivan felt comfortable discussing it in front of his son. That fit with her company's concept of body positivity. “It’s a subscription box for lingerie, intimates, and sleepwear designed to make every woman feel amazing and powerful andyou know.” She mouthed “sexy” to Sullivan, just in case that was a word he didn’t want to use in front of his preschool aged son.
The corner of Sullivan’s mouth turned up. “Oh, I know.” He glanced over at Finn. “Thank you, your discretion is appreciated. What’s your company called?”
“Every Body Love. We’ve worked really hard to be inclusive and promote body positivity.”
“That’s amazing. I love that. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Thank you. I am, when I’m not about to lose my mind with all the work.” She sipped her coffee. “Speaking of which, I really do need to call my accountant. Excuse me for a second.”
“Sure. We’re heading out in twenty minutes, so be ready. You’re about to meet the town.” He said it in an announcer’s voice, like it was a sporting event.
Finn repeated it, adding a growl to his own childlike voice. He attacked his father, jumping on his back. Sullivan pretended to body slam him.
Edwina laughed. “Wow. If there aren’t wrestlers at this I’m going to be disappointed after that build up.”
“Do you like to wrestle?” Finn asked.
“It depends on the circumstances,” she said.
She didn’t mean it to sound suggestive, but given the look of amusement of Sullivan’s face, it had.
Finn dangled with his arms around his father’s neck, draped across his back. “I like to wrestle all the time,” Finn said.
“Me, too,” Sullivan said.
On that note, she needed to make her phone call. She bit her piece of bacon and grabbed her phone. “I’ll be back, you two silly boys.”
“Silly boys? I’m not a silly boy,” Finn said, in his growling voice. “Are you a silly boy?”
“Maybe,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes.”
They were both laughing as Edwina retreated into her bedroom, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. She caught herself smiling in the mirror hanging on the closet door as she walked past it to the bed. Kids gave off such a positive vibe. It was a great way to start the day, seeing Finn’s goofiness.
Taking a deep breath, feeling better about the call ahead, she hit the button to connect with Juanita. After pleasantries and her apology for calling on a Saturday, she asked, “So what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure exactly how to tell you this, but there was a withdrawal for fifty thousand dollars that was neither planned nor accounted for, and when I asked Nigel about it, he told me it was for research and development. But a withdrawal of cash is so unusual that I wanted to know how I should indicate it in our expenses. I’m uncomfortable with no label.”
So was she. Why the hell would Nigel take out that much cash? And without consulting her? Technically, he had the authority to do so without talking to her as CFO, but there wasn’t any reason for it, and it felt alarming.
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll look into it.” She kept her voice steady, unconcerned. She didn’t want the accountant to be freaked out or concerned about the health of the company. That was her job—to freak out—not Juanita’s. “We can circle back around to it when I get back. Is there anything else?”
Juanita went over a couple of other minor issues but Edwina barely heard her. The second the call ended, she called Nigel.
He didn’t pick up, but he texted her immediately.
Hey, can’t talk now. At the gym. Call you later.
That wasn’t suspicious in the least. It was Saturday morning and Nigel always went to the gym at that time. He also had no idea she’d spoken to Juanita, so it was absurd to think he was avoiding her.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Maybe it was just being in Beaver Bend, with her father, reconnecting with old friends. It made her feel more distant from Nigel than she ever had during their relationship. She showered and got dressed in wide leg linen pants and a cute top with cut-outs on the sides, determined to enjoy her last few days in Minnesota and not ruin them by fretting about something that was probably nothing.
Have fun then go back to New York.
That was the plan.
She tugged at the bottom of her shirt to make sure it wasn’t showing too much midriff for a family event. Over the years, she’d finally become comfortable in her body, and modeling had left her with a habit of not worrying about skin showing, but this wasn’t strolling down a city block showing off your style. It was Saturday morning on Main Street. It was a hot August day, though, and she didn’t have a lot of options left since she’d been too busy to do laundry, so this was it.
