Almost twenty-six years ago, Johnnie sat on this very patio, admiring the lush greenery of his surroundings. The Andes were still magnificent, shrouded in early morning mist.Then, as before, red-tiled roofs dotted the verdant green mosaic of the various plants below.
But the table where he’d sat on the patio was gone. The patio, like everything else at the farmhouse, had fallen into disrepair. If not for the workers he’d hired to begin cutting back the overgrowth so repairs could begin, Johnnie wouldn’t have seen the deep valleys and rolling hills.
The trip had been so grueling. It was the one and only time he’d visited. He wasn’t quite as miserable, though he was just as lost. Unlike that visit, he wasn’t spending weeks there. He’d fly out tomorrow, hopefully beating Kendall home.
However, he wouldn’t lay down and rollover while she traipsed about. Out of the blue last night, she announced she was leaving for a short trip.
She expected him to stay behind and look after their kids. Well, fuck her. Luckily, he’d had this trip planned weeks ago. He’d intended to spring it on her and the kids at the last minute. Less time to ask questions or discover the truth.
She’d sprung the surprise on him after he’d found a way to simultaneously apologize and confront her. He’d also intended to tell her about his trip.
Fuck her. The joke was on her. He’d made it seem as if it was because of her sudden departure. They paid Ella a decent salary andkept a roof over her head. Let her earn her fucking keep.
Johnnie was only happy he had somewhere to go. Namely, Colombia, the place where it seemed more likely than ever that he’d bring Kendall to.
If he hadn’t had this trip planned, he would’ve followed her to catch her in the middle of her tryst. Why else would she leave if it wasn’t to fuck over Johnnie?
She didn’t have a fucking out-of-town business meeting. Johnnie knew that because he’d called Brooks and asked what was on Kendall’s agenda for the week. It certainly wasn’t going the fuck out of town.
Rubbing his eyes, Johnnie recalled Kendall as he’d seen her Saturday night, dressed in blue jeans, an oversized cream-colored sweater, and sneakers, her gorgeous red hair framing her face, still so fucking stunning.
And hard-headed.
And selfish.
And unfaithful.
At this point, his anger and jealousy overrode the love he’d always carried for her. Sometimes, he hated her. He’d always known how thin the line between love and hate was. She just wouldn’t fuckinglistento him, but she was more than willing to do anything Christopher told her.
Her allegiance to every man except Johnnie drove him insane and turned his stomach.Bash, Christopher,andMortician liked and protected her.
Why?
Megan he could understand. Delicate little damsels who didn’t have the sense of a gnat needed that. ButKendall? She was tall, forceful, demanding, and confident. She was stunning and elegant. Sexy? Not in the overt way. Elegance was better anyway.
She enjoyed sex, but it had been weeks since she’d allowedhimnear her. Deep down, Johnnie knew she was having an affair with either Christopher or Mortician.
Bash was too far beneath her for her to even consider. Christopher would fuck her out of revenge and Mortician would do it out of pity. He thought it was his fucking job to look afterJohnnie’swife.
Kendall was a handful, however. No one could ever love her like he did. For that matter, no one could ever truly want or desire her like him.
Didn’t she know that? Couldn’t she see that she was his world and her many betrayals crushed him?
Boots crunched over cracked cobblestones and he turned. Andres Dartine, the local architect that the company he was working with sent to him. He was a small, wiry man, older, no-nonsense. Johnnie had forked over a lot of money for the initial plans, but he was running out of time for his life and his wife.
“How soon can you have the kitchen, bedroom, and a bathroom in working order?” he asked.
“It depends on how much you are willing to pay, Senor.”
“That depends on the price of the contract,” Johnnie replied without humor.
“This extra you want was not in the contract.”
“It isn’t extra. It’s prioritizing. This entire place has to be repaired.” Some parts needed demolishing and then rebuilding from the ground up. “I will need a bedroom, the kitchen, and a full bathroom as soon as possible.”
“The kitchen, dining room, and breakfast room is that way.” He jabbed a finger toward the west. “The bedrooms are in this area. Between, there are a lot of rooms in disarray, a partial roof collapse, and floors that are no bueno. I repair one area at a time. You cannot eat the cake that you have.”
Johnnie frowned. “Okay,” he said, and moved on, not understanding the analogy. “There are many rooms that won’t be needed. Can we split the house? Start with the kitchen and turn one of the unnecessary rooms into a large bedroom. I know there are several bathrooms on that side.”
