The French country décor was spot on to her liking. The champagne and ivory queen-size bed, made from birch wood, was flanked by a matching nightstand and dresser. The mirror above the chest of drawers was accented with Swarovski crystals. Barbie went over to the bed and examined the luxurious pillow-tufted headboard and then ran a finger along its equally crafted footboard. She did not bother to look inside her walk-in closet, knowing that it would be spacious and practical, but turned to Kurt who had followed her into the room.
“It’s perfect,” she exclaimed. “How did you know my taste in furniture?”
“I’ll keep that my little secret,” he replied with a smirk. In reality, he had taken a guess. Knowing that she liked feminine things, he had asked the interior designer for recommendations. French country was one of the styles suggested.
Both bedrooms led to adjacent bathrooms with marble tubs equipped with Jacuzzi jets. Barbie gave hers a casual glance and then stepped back into the bedroom and went over to the vast sliding glass door which led to the balcony. Kurt unfastened and slid it open and they both stepped out onto the terrace. The view down to the mansion’s garden and pool area to one side, the tropical, wild island vegetation to the other, and the wide ocean beyond took Barbie’s breath away.
“Everything looks magical from up here,” she exclaimed.
“No arguing with that,” he said.
“From the landing, as I first looked up at the castle, I noticed that there’s one continuous balcony wrapped around the entire second floor.”
“You are observant! As a hotel, each room had its individual balcony. When I had the builders remodel most of the second story into guest bedrooms, they got rid of some walls, making the rooms larger and connecting the balconies into one giant terrace. There is access to it from every room now. The interior designers allotted each guestroom its own theme, making the place look like a residence and no longer a resort.”
He reached for her hand and said, “Let me show you the rest of the third floor, and then I’ll leave you alone, so that you can get settled.”
They went on a tour of the gym, which contained standard workout equipment: treadmills, stationary bicycles, rowers, and climbers. There was also a huge room with a practice putting green made of artificial grass. Kurt pointed out that although there was no golf course on the island, he could at least perfect his putting skills. And low and behold, the last room was an office with a desk and chair, computer, printer, shredder, and a bookcase stacked with professional books pertaining to real estate development.
Surprised, Barbie asked, “Are you planning to work here?”
“Not this week, but yes, on future trips.”
They were walking back to their bedrooms when the peaceful quiet of the island was interrupted. She turned his way and cried out, “What’s that horrible noise?”
“That’s the helicopter transporting food and drink supplies. I bet Hermina is relieved to hear its sound. She worried that the pantry in her kitchen would stay empty. By the way, the chopper will return to the isle on Sunday morning to fly the musicians back to Honolulu.” He added, “Sounds like he’s about ready to touch ground. I need to go down and direct traffic.”
Unpacking did not take Barbie long, and as she soaked in her luxurious marble tub, she thought, I could learn to like this place. The rest of her day was pretty much taken up with rehearsals for the performance she was to give the next evening. The musicians had the hard job of organizing the stage. Emilio helped them move the grand piano, but the rest was up to the band. They were in charge of setting up the audio equipment by linking the guitar cables to the amplifier; testing the microphones and perfecting the acoustics for the outdoor show; tuning their instruments; and last but most importantly, practicing the pieces of music Barbie had chosen. All she had to do was sing.
CHAPTER 9
The charter boat dropped the guests off in the late afternoon on Saturday. Approaching the mansion, their remarks ranged from “How lovely” to “It’s a pretentious castle!”
They were shown to their respective guest bedrooms on the second floor to unpack and freshen up. Then followed a tour given by their host who guided them through the ground floor. There was a state-of-the-art kitchen and bar, large living and dining rooms, den with a TV screen extending over an entire wall, a music room, a couple of bathrooms, and his pride and joy, the game room.
As he walked them through the game room, he stated, “Feel free to compete in a game of pool, ping pong, or foosball. And for those of you with arcade video nostalgia, enjoy the vintage Ms Pacman, Donkey Kong, and pinball machines.” On the third floor, he mentioned that the workout equipment in the gym and the practice putting green were at their disposal.
In the early evening, people gathered for the after-wedding-celebration in the mansion’s garden. Folding tables and chairs were set up in a semi-circle around a temporary stage. Strings of lights hung from several fragrant mimosa trees, wrapping their yellow flowers in a deep golden sheen. Additional light from the tabletop lanterns added to the romantic atmosphere as dusk turned into night.
Set off to the side, Hermina roasted prime rib on a giant barbecue grill. Chris tended the bar, mixing exotic cocktails like Mai Tais, daiquiris, piña coladas, and margaritas. No dress code applied. Kurt’s specification “island party casual” left people to their own interpretation. Most men showed up in Hawaiian shirts and either shorts or khakis. Whereas the women had chosen flowery dresses or wraparound skirts.
Alexa was one of the exceptions. Flower design clothing cramped her style. Happy to leave her tailored suits at home, she dazzled in an azure-blue backless dress. The invitees, glasses filled with fruity drinks, stood around in small groups chatting, and then ambled toward the set tables.
Neal found space at a table where Kim and her little girl were seated next to Hope. Sidney and Heather Ross had already socialized with the Triests on the boat ride over, so it was only natural that the four would dine together. Each setting accommodated four or five people, except one small table for two near the stage, which everyone presumed was reserved for the newlyweds. After Max and Alexa collected their margaritas, the only available seats were next to the Simonians. Alexa and Max introduced themselves.
Rafi thought, she doesn’t remember me, but I clearly recall the day I ran into Kurt and his then fiancée. At the time I supposed that the man was not thinking straight, otherwise he’d have stuck with the wife who was a good woman in Rafi’s estimation, and not hook up with Alexa. But he had to admit, Alexa was still as attractive now as she had been then, but her high-brow demeanor was even more pronounced. All this went through Rafi’s mind in seconds, and he decided to keep their previous encounter to himself.
He formally said, “Pleased to meet you both. We are Rafi and Kate Simonian.”
Alexa asked - - less out of curiosity but feeling the need to make small talk - - “How do you folks know Kurt and Barbie?”
Rafi replied, “Kurt and I go back a long way. Our older son and his youngest played on the same neighborhood soccer team as little boys. Kurt and I hit it off and stayed friends all these years.”
Alexa’s trial attorney’s skill for noticing detail was evident as she said, “So you live in Beverly Hills?”
Rafi smiled and said, “In those days, Kurt and his family lived in Glendale.” He touched Kate’s hand in a gentle gesture and remarked, “We still live there in our same house.”
Max was not paying attention to their conversation but eyed his wife while mulling over his own agenda. He thought, Alexa may think of her infidelity as an insignificant, spur-of-the-moment fling, but no matter how brief, she committed adultery and betrayed me. He was determined to keep his word to not bring