That night, Bonnie and Jim stayed in one of the newly updated cabins. Bonnie had set it up with a vase of wildflowers, a chilled bottle of white wine, a hand-stitched duvet. They sat out back in the hot tub, looking up at the stars.
“This isn’t so bad,” Jim said.
He slid closer to her, put an arm around her shoulders, kissed her neck. Bonnie didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t seem to know that he was there.
“Goddamn it, Bonnie,” Jim said, “what’s the matter with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“The cabin, the wine, the hot tub—wasn’t that all your idea?”
“I’m sorry, Jim,” she said. “It’s just…I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“I thought you came out here to clear your mind. Get away from the stress.”
She frowned.
“Maybe not in the first year, Jim. There’s a ton to do. To be honest, the place is taking off faster than I thought possible. Any chance we’ve got the cash flow to build two more cabins?”
It was true that she’d already found herself turning people away, but the suggestion that they expand was a whim. She’d figured out years ago that the best way to distract Jim was to give him what he most enjoyed: the power to say no.
And she needed to distract him. She had no intention of sharing what was really on her mind: another anonymous death threat on pale-blue stationery. Jim would insist at once that it was time to come home, give up this experiment in the woods. Only, as far as Bonnie was concerned, this was home—hers and her children’s—and she was prepared to fight for it if need be.
“I don’t know,” Jim said. “I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire right now. Our money is spread pretty thin. Maybe in the fall?”
Not an outright no, but Bonnie knew why: Jim was feeling randy. Once again, the world boiled down to what he wanted. It made her so furious that she forgot about the letter for a minute.
“You’re so obvious,” she said.
“Obvious?”
“You’re like a teenage boy.”
“Excuse me for wanting a little affection from my wife.”
“Affection?”
“Is that so hard to believe?” Jim asked. “I miss you. I miss our life. A year ago we were the glamour couple. The real estate queen and king of SoCal. Now I feel like I’m second fiddle. Maybe not even second.”
Bonnie took a long sip of wine.
“That’s the problem, Jim: you think of me as your queen. An extension of the business, with side benefits. It’s like I’m one-stop shopping. Maybe I just got tired of being convenient.”
Jim sat up straighter, was on the verge of saying Well, there’s nothing convenient about you now when Rudy came bolting around a corner of the cabin.
“Jesus,” Jim said. “You might want to put up some fences.”
“Sorry,” Rudy said. “I tried knocking, but no one answered.”
“I wonder why,” Jim said.
“What is it?” Bonnie asked.
“There’s trouble at the bar. Some of the customers are asking for you.”
“Splendid,” Bonnie said. “Exactly how I hoped this evening would go.”
She reached for a towel, wrapped it around her torso as she stood.
“Tell them I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she said.
“You mind if I finish your glass?” Jim asked.