Chapter 35
Gabby’s bachelorette party had started two minutes ago. Markus had just broken up with her. What fresh hell was this? She wanted to turn on Sarah McLachlan, cry, and lie in bed. That was not a luxury she could afford at the moment.
Work and romance—she should have known better. She’d jumped headfirst into the deep end when she’d known damn well she should have kept it at a coffee date. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep from crying. That fucking Inner Beauty mascara probably wasn’t even waterproof.
Gabby needed to pull it together. It was time for a bachelorette party.
But she couldn’t bring herself to get dressed up.
She could show her face, but it wasn’t going to be pretty.
Any inner beauty she had was going to be natural, and she was wearing Jasmine’s “refined loungewear.” She hadn’t double-checked while getting broken up with, but if she remembered right, the party was at Jasmine’s.
Storm clouds loomed on the horizon as she made her way down the beach.
The breeze was transitioning from perfect to “why did I bother brushing my hair anyway?” It didn’t matter.
Who cared about her hair? Her relationship was over before it even started.
You would think this would make it easier, but what Gabby was feeling wasn’t a superficial hurt.
What did they say? Love was chemistry and timing.
She and Markus had the chemistry, but the timing…
She exhaled. Markus didn’t fit into her current life.
If they’d met before she’d gotten married and had a family, it would have worked.
But it’s not like she could undo the last fifteen years of her life, and she wouldn’t if she could.
“Wait up,” Phil called.
Yep. Someone was torturing her for sport. She did not have the energy for Phil. Not right now. She knew he was a decent person, the father of her children, but the timing… The relationship was over, Phil!
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“I don’t have time right now, Phil,” she said, picking up her pace. “I came here to get married to someone else. This isn’t about you.”
He sighed. “I really need to get this out. It’s important.”
Hands on hips, she turned to face him. “You have two minutes.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.
She raised an eyebrow. Where was he going to start?
“In meditation today, I sat in self-reflection and—” He shook his head. “I’ve been an ass, following you down here, getting in your way. I don’t want you to get married. I want to give us another shot, but I’ve been doing it all wrong.”
She nodded. That was all true.
“I probably blew it.”
Finally, he was getting it.
“But I love you. I love what a good mom you are. I think it’s great that you’re trying to grow as a person, joining Inner-G, and meditating, and all that.”
For fuck’s sake.
“I need to do that too.”
It would be nice if he did his growing on his own time, not on a work vacation he had invited himself to. “Great. Self-improvement is important.”
“I officially signed up to join Inner-G today. I’m going to stop being a hater and try to grow and evolve, to access my inner-G.”
Gabby actually sobbed. It was sweet and so misguided. He’d just joined a cult she was about to take down, but he was trying. It was the nicest thing he’d ever done for her.
“If I become a better man for you, would you consider taking me back? I’m ready to grow together.”
Why would you bite into a lemon twice? As far as husbands went, Phil was a lemon. And he had been disruptive, disrespectful, and in her way this week.
“I still love you, Ga… I mean, Gia.”
“Phil—” She held up her hand in a stop gesture.
But then again, he was fighting for her.
Hadn’t she always loved that scene where Colin Firth and Hugh Grant fought each other in the street?
But now that Phil was pulling his version of Colin Firth, it just didn’t work.
She wanted to give him a hug, not marry him.
If you were going to fight for love, the love had to be worth fighting for in the first place.
All she had been thinking about for the last week was how awful he was, but from a different perspective, maybe it was romantic.
He loved her so much he couldn’t let her go.
And there was Kyle begging her to get back together with her dad.
It hadn’t been a perfect family before. Phil had never been around.
They weren’t a team, but… did she owe it to her daughter to try again?
Markus had broken up with her before they even got off the ground.
It was just her and Phil. A weight settled on her chest at the thought.
“Phil, did you ever figure out where that money was coming from? You were going to follow up with Brad before you got back to me.”
“It’s that important?”
“Yes. It’s extremely important.”
“I got a little more out of him. Do you want to sit down?”
She didn’t want to sit down, but she relented and perched awkwardly on a beach chair meant for lounging. Phil sat across from her and scrolled through his email. Apparently, no one actually gave up their phone in this place. That was Inner-G’s least effective rule.
“The holding company is called PowCup Financial,” he said. “According to Brad, it exists to fund Power Couple 2.”
“I didn’t think anyone liked that movie,” Gabby said. She’d tried watching Power Couple three times now.
“It has a cult following.”
A cult following. Now that was funny.
“Have they even started the movie?” Phil asked.
“I don’t think so,” Gabby said. The way G talked about making Power Couple 2 reminded Gabby of the way she talked about finally getting to Lucas’s baby book: i.e., it wasn’t happening.
“I only ask because the money is gone already.” Pointedly, Phil commented, “That yacht is brand-new, right?”
It was. Gabby nodded.
“I’d bet G bought it with the twenty mil.” Phil drummed his fingers on the table. “They might want to return it.”
“Can you return yachts? Asking for a friend,” she joked.
“You might have to sink it and hope insurance pays for it.”
“Do you know who’s behind the holding company?”
Phil shook his head no.
“If you find out anything else, let me know. Don’t worry about waking me up,” she said. The web of evidence around G was tightening, but she needed more, preferably something to corroborate any testimony from Jasmine.
Gabby continued to Jasmine’s house. First Markus, now Phil. Silver linings: She was out of men to break it off with tonight, not that she’d exactly broken it off with Phil. She just hadn’t gotten back together with him. Just as the first rain droplets fell on her, she let out a delirious laugh.
Yep, she was cracking up. The only way she was going to make it through tonight was loud music, dark lights, and Jell-O shots. She needed to hide her feelings in a throbbing mass of people. To lose herself in mindless motion.
When she finally got to Jasmine’s, she was informed the party was at the G-hut.
At the G-hut, Gabby found a gathering that was anything but a bachelorette party.
There were no cocktails, no strippers, no jalapeno poppers.
Justin, Lana, Naomi, and Jasmine—awkward!
Her mom was nowhere to be seen. This didn’t seem like something she’d miss, but maybe she and Sheridan were watching The Bachelorette or running late.
Everyone was in cute outfits, except for Jasmine, who had opted for a ceremonial robe, and Gabby, who was in sweats.
Justin caught her attention and made crazy eyes with a discreet nod toward Jasmine, who, to be honest, looked less stable than G tonight. Gabby would feel more comfortable about hinging her entire plan on Jasmine if she looked a little less crazy.
Between the pitter-patter of rain, the sound bowls, and the incense, they were clearly about to meditate.
With the party assembled, Jasmine opened the ceremony. “Tonight, our goal is to prepare you spiritually for your union with George. Our cultural tradition of bachelorette parties leaves women walking into marriage dazed, hungover, groggy, and just going through the motions.”
That sounded perfect. How else was she supposed to pretend to marry a man who’d just dumped her?
“Gia, are you listening?”
“Yes,” she lied.
“Tonight, we are going to sit with our feelings.”
Anything but that.
“Before we get started, has anyone seen my mom?” Gabby asked.
“I don’t think she’s coming,” Jasmine answered.
Hmm. Missing a party wasn’t her mom’s style.
Jasmine said, “When we are all clear in heart and mind, we will begin.”
Begin what? Jasmine’s outfit said “about to make a blood sacrifice.”
“Let’s start with silent meditation. We will meditate for as long as it takes to reach clarity.”
Gabby was barely holding it together as it was.
Her feelings were so close to the surface.
Markus had exposed all her hurt and desire.
The sound bowls normally just provided background noise, but today, they struck a chord.
All her feelings were spilling out already, and she couldn’t help herself.
First one tear fell, then another. Pretty soon, tears were quietly streaming down her face. She couldn’t stop.
This was a nightmare. She might not have wanted to start a serious relationship with Markus yet, but she didn’t want to run through a whole relationship and fast-forward to a breakup.
What had even happened? And then Phil. All while she was supposed to be solving a murder and figuring out who was selling secrets. She didn’t have time for feelings.
And why was she crying? She was an adult woman with children and important things to worry about.
Somehow, she’d been going through life, making the choices that were expected of her.
Getting married when it was time, to a man who was a good provider, having kids when she was supposed to, autopiloting her way through.