Page 88 of Be More Capybara

On my way. See you in six hours x

He was about to put his phone away when he felt it vibrate. He read the text message from Toby and smiled.

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66

NIGEL

The drive to Seneca Lake had been exhausting. Nigel had stopped for a coffee at one of the service plazas on the way, but he was desperate for some food and sleep as he pulled up on the driveway outside the Airbnb.

His mother had picked a good location, beside the lake. The house looked inviting, with most of its windows lit up in the dusk. He grabbed his phone. No contact from Helen, and no response from Madison either. The latter wasn’t surprising - she’d be getting her attorney to assess the offer before she committed to anything. But he was disappointed about Helen.

By the time he’d grabbed his suitcase from the boot, his mother was standing at the front door ready to welcome him.

‘I saved you some lasagne. I assume you haven’t eaten.’

‘No, I haven’t. Thank you.’

‘It’s odd seeing you in your business attire.’

He looked down at the tailored trousers and polished brogues. ‘Make the most of it, because it will be a long time before I dress like this again.’

‘I’ll warm that lasagne through. Glass of red? We picked up some Cabernet Franc from the local winery this afternoon.’

‘Your day sounds more fun than mine. And yeah, I’d really appreciate some vino.’

Nancy took his jacket from him. ‘How did it go?’

‘As well as could be expected.’ He was too tired to go into all the details - she’d definitely challenge his decision to walk away from his marriage with nothing.

‘Your room’s at the top of the stairs. It has a superb view of the lake. I thought you’d appreciate that after being stuck in a city for several nights.’

He set his suitcase down on the wooden floor and pulled her into a hug. ‘Thank you.’

‘For what?’

‘For looking out for me.’

‘I always look out for you. Sometimes in ways you don’t even realise.’

67

HELEN

Helen was dozing in front of the television, exhausted from today’s successful treehouse launch and all the stress of worrying about the Nigel situation. A notification on her phone woke her up.

She unlocked the screen and saw a text from Callum.

Thought you might be interested in this article. It appeared in my finance news feed.

She clicked the link he’d shared. It took her to a page titled “ScandiSquare Capital faces SEC scrutiny over Barton & Co Brokers takeover valuation claims.”

Barton & Co. She was wide awake now. She scrolled down. The article was a long one. It might be easier to read it on her laptop. She gently moved Rocky off her lap and headed into the kitchen.

Once she’d opened the page in her laptop browser, she read it carefully. There was a lot of legalese, but it implied there were some dodgy dealings over the share price. Nigel would be in a position to benefit from that. But it also mentioned a whistleblower shopping them to the SEC. That Tuesday meeting had been to do with the SEC. She thought back to the conversation with Carrie: “people don’t change their values”. She needed a second opinion. Callum would be a good place to start. She picked up her phone and called him.

‘Hi, Mum.’