Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
“ I heard from Cory’s lawyer today.” Lindsay Smith did not sound happy.
Mandy had just gotten home a few minutes ago, and the kids were doing homework in the living room while Mandy got started on making dinner.
She’d just put a chicken in the oven to roast when her cell phone rang and she recognized her attorney’s caller ID.
She went into the connecting sunroom where the kids would be less likely to overhear her and settled in a big comfy chair.
“Not good news, I take it?” Mandy asked.
“Cory did not come close to agreeing to what we asked for. He said you can keep the house, and he agreed to the child support amount that we requested. But the amount he proposed for a lump sum in lieu of ongoing alimony is ridiculous given his company financials.” Lindsay sounded disgusted.
Mandy wasn’t surprised though. Cory never had valued what Mandy did, and she knew he would be reluctant to give away part of his company. Mandy hadn’t asked for that though. She didn’t want to be involved in his company. She just wanted him to be fair.
“So what do we do now?”
“I’d like to remind him that we didn’t ask for a percentage of the company, which you would very much be entitled to. I’d also like to remind him that we could ask for a full forensic audit. I’m guessing that he would prefer not to do that?”
“Yes, I don’t think he would want that.” Mandy paused for a moment, a little hesitant to share her suspicions with the lawyer, but decided it was good for her to know why she wasn’t comfortable pushing for company ownership.
“I’m not totally sure, but I think Cory has been somewhat creative with his tax deductions.
He told me some of the things his accountant writes off, and while some of it might be legal, I don’t think he’d want to risk that kind of an audit.
And if there is anything even slightly shady, I don’t want to have any kind of an ownership stake. ”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Lindsay said. “There’s a possibility he has hidden or overseas accounts as well. I’ll draft up a response letting him know that if he doesn’t significantly improve his offer, we’ll be demanding a forensic audit and an ownership stake.”
“You think he’ll respond to that?” Mandy wasn’t sure what to think. His initial offer had been underwhelming, insulting even.
“I do. Especially if his accounting is as creative as you suspect. His attorney knows what you are entitled to, and I’ve reminded him of that as well. Stay tuned, Mandy.”
“Connie, so nice to see you. That pink is so pretty on you.” Mandy welcomed one of their regulars the next day. Connie and her friend were the first customers in for lunch, and Mandy seated them at Connie’s favorite table for two, which overlooked Main Street.
“Thank you. This sweater is actually a birthday gift from my sister, Ginny, who is visiting for a few days. We always like to come here at least once when she’s in town.”
Mandy handed them menus, and they chatted for another minute or two before she headed back to the front desk.
It was early still, not quite noon, and the restaurant was off to a slow start.
Her cell phone rang, and she was surprised to see that it was Cory.
Her immediate thought was that there was an issue with the kids, because why else would he be calling?
They were going through their attorneys now on the divorce, and he’d been downright frosty toward her since receiving the initial divorce papers.
“Hi, Cory, is everything all right? Are the kids okay?”
Cory chuckled. “They’re in school. And I’m sure you’d be the first person the school calls if there’s an issue.”
“Okay, good. What is it then? I’m at work.”
“At work?” Cory sounded confused for a moment. “Oh, right. The restaurant. Is it busy?”
“No, not yet,” she admitted.
“So you can talk for a sec?”
“Just briefly. If people come in, I’ll have to go.”
“I’ll make this quick. My attorney spoke with yours, and she said something about a forensic audit. I don’t think either one of us wants that, Mandy.” His voice was charming, but there was an edge to it.
“Why not? She seemed to think it might be a good idea, to get a better understanding of the financials. She also recommended that I push for an owner stake.”
Cory stayed quiet for a moment. “Is that what you want? You’ve never been interested in the company.”
“No, but I don’t want to get screwed either, Cory. I put my career on hold to support you and to stay home with the kids. My support helped you to build that company.”
Cory sighed. “You’re right. An audit is risky for both of us. If word gets out and there are any issues found, that could jeopardize the company and what we both receive.”
“Are there issues that might be found?” Mandy asked.
“Well, that depends on interpretation. We’ve gotten pretty creative with a few strategies and deductions. Most of it should fly, but there’s a chance some of it could unravel if they poke too much.”
Mandy didn’t know what to say to that. It confirmed her fears, and she stayed silent. A moment later, Cory jumped in to fill the silence.
“We’ll get back to your attorney with a revised offer. I think you’ll be happy with it. You just caught me off guard by sending that initial paperwork so fast. It was a knee-jerk reaction. You know I’m not like that.”
Mandy nodded. Cory was normally always generous. It had seemed out of character.
“I’m still hoping we can work this out, that you’ll give me another chance.” Cory used his most charming voice, the one that used to make her melt. “I miss you and the kids so much.”
Mandy sighed. “Cory…”
“How about dinner? Let’s just start with that? And see how it goes? We can catch up, and maybe it will feel like it used to. We can take it one day at a time.”
Mandy found herself feeling tempted. As mad as she was at him, she still missed him too. The house didn’t feel the same without his presence.
“I could maybe make dinner work. No promises though. It’s just dinner.”
“Fantastic. We’ll go to Straight Wharf. How’s tomorrow night?”
Mandy thought for a moment. Jill was working, and Emma had the night off. If she didn’t have plans, maybe she could watch the kids for a few hours. If not, she’d have to see if she could line up another babysitter.
“I’ll see if I can get a sitter.” The front door opened, and a party of four walked in. “Cory, I have to go. People are coming in.”
“Okay, hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The line went dead, and Mandy exhaled. She knew in her gut that going to dinner with Cory wasn’t likely to change anything.
But she hadn’t really spent any time with him, other than exchanging a few words when he came for the kids or dropped them off.
Maybe it would feel like closure. Cory had sounded a little too excited.
She knew he was thinking that they were going to get back together.
Cory was used to getting whatever he wanted.
Emma arrived at Mimi’s Place at a quarter to three.
On the weekdays, when Mandy worked, Emma always came in an hour or so early so they could catch up a bit before Mandy rushed off to pick up the kids.
Emma noticed that downtown was quieter than usual.
The sky was dark and overcast, and the air was heavy and wet.
It felt like rain was on the way. The cobblestone streets, usually crowded with tourists, were almost empty.
It was late afternoon though, in between the lunch and dinner hours.
Emma imagined that Nantucket’s only movie theater was busy today.
She parked behind the restaurant and went inside.
“How was it?” Emma asked when she reached the front desk.
Mandy finishing adding a name to the reservations calendar, then looked up and smiled.
“It was a slow start, but we had a decent lunch rush after all. There are still two tables that are lingering, but they came in late.” She hesitated before asking, “Do you have any plans tomorrow night? Any chance you might be able to watch the kids for a few hours?”
“Of course.” It was the first time Mandy had asked her to babysit. “What are you up to? Something fun I hope?”
Mandy chewed her bottom lip before answering. “I’m not sure how fun it will be. I agreed to go to dinner with Cory.”
Emma raised her eyebrows. “That’s interesting. Are you considering giving it another try then?”
Mandy shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. Intellectually, I know I probably shouldn’t, but I am a little curious to see if there’s anything still there. Cory is pushing hard for us to give it another try.”
“He’s a very good salesman. Just don’t let him talk you into something you’re not sure about.
” Emma knew Mandy was somewhat fragile when it came to Cory.
She mostly seemed strong and determined to move forward with the divorce.
But Emma knew it wasn’t that easy. There were still a lot of emotions and history there.
Sometimes people were able to move past something like this.
But Emma knew she never could forgive Cory.
And she suspected Mandy couldn’t either.
“I won’t. I don’t think we’ll be getting back together. It’s really just dinner.”
“Okay. Let me know what time you want me to come by then.”
“I will. I’ll have food ready that you can just heat up for the kids. And for you too of course.” Warring emotions flashed across Mandy’s face, and Emma could see she was unsure about the dinner.
“I think it’s a good idea to go. See how you feel, and take it from there.” Emma hoped the dinner would give her sister confirmation that moving forward with the divorce was the best decision.
Mandy nodded. “Thanks. I think so too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”