Katie climbed from her car, dropped her keys into her purse and headed for the front door of the shanty. This coming weekend, they’d be moving into their new house. Thanks to Jasmit Tan, the construction crew had finished ahead of schedule—and none too early. This tiny place was getting smaller by the day.
She hummed as she headed for the front door, deliriously happy with the way the house had turned out. The final build was everything she’d hoped for—open concept, lots of natural lighting, a massive kitchen island and high-end appliances. The master suite and bath were to die for!
She reached for the doorknob when suddenly the door opened. Jon stood inside, his fist clenched around some papers. He waved them in her face. “Do you want to explain why this says we are forty percent over budget?” His face was red.
Katie’s heart leaped into her throat. She’d meant to put the house papers in her bedside drawer, intending on easing Jon into a discussion about how much she’d spent. First, she’d tell him about all the fantastic deals that were extended, compliments of the once-in-a-lifetime discounts Jasmit had arranged. How could she possibly pass on opportunities to have Cristal Brut champagne for grocery store sparkling wine prices? Okay, maybe Dom Perignon.
Katie moved past her husband and placed her bag on the butcher block kitchen counter before turning to face his anger. She drew a tentative breath that was laced with equal parts of confidence and trepidation. “Jon, let me explain,” she said, not liking what she saw in her husband’s eyes. “If you understand the whole picture, I think you’ll calm down and see those expenditures were not only warranted, they were great investments.”
Jon’s eyes widened. “Investments? What planet do you live on, Katie? The overage is equal to two years of my restaurant profits—two years!” He shook his head. “Do you have any concept of what this means? Besides that, you know we can never sell. That was part of the stipulation your mother placed on the deal when she gifted us land here at Pali Maui.”
“Okay, okay…I hear you.” Katie squared her shoulders. “I think you’re overreacting. Jasmit said—”
“I don’t care what Pretty-Boy said. For months, it’s been Jasmit this. Jasmit that. He thinks this. He advises that.” Her husband, who rarely lost his temper, scowled.
He tossed the papers on the counter. “Does it matter what your husband thinks? Did you ever stop to consider I needed to have a say in all this? We’re a team, remember?”
Katie could see a vein pulsing in Jon’s neck as he continued. “I put up with you vetoing every choice I made. I let it go. I didn’t say much when all you talked about morning, noon, and night was this house. You seem to forget how I dropped everything and picked up the kids from school on multiple occasions because you couldn’t draw yourself away from another important meeting about flooring, backsplash tiles, tub styles…which wasn’t easy for me, by the way!”
Jon was shouting now. Katie took several steps back as he dumped his frustrations at her feet. An outburst of this magnitude was totally out of character for her husband. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d raised his voice at her. Never had she seen him this angry.
The situation confused her, rattled her equilibrium. She always had a response, a good comeback in any difficult discussion. Not this time. This time she didn’t quite know what to say. Especially since Jon was being totally off base.
“Oh, that’s commendable, Jon. Should we make lists and compare? Who stood in the shadows while you were immersed in getting the restaurant up and running? Who helped prepare all the marketing materials and social media campaign? Who kept the household running while you were never home?”
Even as these things left her mouth, she cringed inside. She hated this…all of it.
Jon slumped onto the sofa, rubbed his forehead. “The big question remains. We had a budget. We’re way over. How are we going to pay for it?”
“Yes, we’re over budget,” she admitted. “My father left us each money when he passed. I will use mine to cover the gap.”
“Your inheritance money?” Jon cocked his head in disbelief. He stood and made his way into the kitchen and looked out the tiny window above the sink.
Neither of them said anything for several seconds. Finally, he broke his silence. “We agreed that would fund the girls’ college expenses.”
Katie opened the refrigerator and brought out a can of cola, popped the top, and took a long drink, trying to collect her thoughts. “We talked about it,” Katie admitted, after giving his statement some thought. “I’m not certain a decision was made. We still have years to save for school.”
Jon refused to back down. “Willa is likely to go to school on the mainland. Out-of-state tuition is going to drain our current account, let alone the extra travel expenses. Those expenses are only a few years away. Then we have Noelle.”
Leaning her hip against the kitchen counter, Katie tried another approach. “I understand what you’re saying, but we both make good money. Without that money we’d have had to rely on savings alone.”
“But we did have that money,” Jon argued. “And you sunk it in upgraded bathroom fixtures.”
“You’re being completely unfair!” She didn’t mean to shout, to be so shrill, but her frustration level was rising. She could barely keep her growing anger in check. Did he think she was stupid? That she didn’t know how to manage money?
Jon dropped his head and pressed his hands against his skull, like the escalation of their argument had grown too much for him to handle. When he finally looked up at her, he simply shook his head. “Fine. No amount of arguing is going to change anything. It’s already done. The money is spent. You got your way. As always.”
With that he turned and headed out the door, slamming it behind him.
Katie stood there, stunned. What had just happened?
She swallowed hard at his words and collapsed into a chair. She never meant to spend that much. Each expenditure seemed so reasonable at the time. One by one, they’d added up. Frankly, she was surprised to see the total.
Still, she’d carefully considered each decision and had optioned for the upgrades. There was little reason to cut corners when building the house of her dreams. Perhaps Jon had been right about her vetoing his choices, but clearly her husband had no decorating taste.
She was right to carefully maneuver the final outcome. Jasmit had agreed and complimented her on each decision. Never had she felt so respected, so listened to. Her opinions mattered. Her choices were commended. No longer was she simply in the shadows, ordering merchandise and putting it on the shelf day in and day out. Even Willa could do that.
Christel had multiple degrees. She was a CPA and an attorney. The success of Pali Maui depended on her knowledge and guidance.
Aiden ran an entire rescue station. He was the top dog.
No one would argue her mother was a force to be reckoned with. Her father passed and his absence barely caused a ripple in the operation. Everyone knew her mother was the one in charge, the one who had inherited Pali Maui and grew it into one of the largest and most respected business enterprises in all of Hawaii. Shipping magnates, financiers, CEOs of chain-branded hotels…they all admired her and deferred to her decisions and recommendations.
Even her Aunt Vanessa was a big deal…or at least she had been when she was a well-known news anchor in a big market. Then she got fired. But that was beside the point.
Katie’s throat grew thick with emotion realizing she had accomplished very little. She had done nothing that her girls would admire when they grew up. She was ordinary.
Her fingertips brushed the runaway tear on her cheek. For once, while working on the house, she was doing what she was really good at. She was special. Capable. And necessary.
A banging at the door drew her attention. Katie barely had time to lift from the chair when the door flew open.
“Why aren’t you and Jon answering your phones?” she demanded. “Willa is at school. She’s in trouble.”