Lana was twerking. Jasmine had tossed the ceremonial robes aside to reveal some club wear. Genesis was raising the roof. Thesong might as well have been written for him. It was a lot of “I’m on a boat! Look at me!”
With the energy whipped up to a frenzy, Lana yelled, “I’m on a boat, bitch!”
Hugh looked a little disconcerted, but Phil threw his arm around the history prof’s shoulders and chanted, “I’m on a boat with my boys.”
When the song ended, it was like they’d really gone through something together. The group had started as one thing (snobby and buttoned-up) and had moved to another (drunk and disorderly).
The next song came on, which was some grinding on the dance floor number from their college days. Phil went up to Naomi—lol, good luck Phil—and started doing a little middle-aged footwork, an invitation for her to join in. Unfortunately for Naomi, and for everyone, Phil’s only dance move was thrusting with a pretend lasso. Gabby had never taken him out before.
As a pickup line, he said, “Her name’s Naomi. That’s ‘I moan’ backwards.”
Naomi’s eyes went big, and she glanced at Jasmine. While some wordless exchange of information passed between the two women, Phil started explaining the quote. “It’s fromVan Wilder. You know, the movie?”
“No, I haven’t seen that.” Naomi collected herself and schooled her expression into a benign smile.
Phil raised his glass with one hand and started the lasso with the other. “Sorry, but consider it a compliment.”
Gabby and Markus exchanged a look, clearly both having a lightbulb moment: Naomi was iMoan backwards. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Had they just found the person behind iMoan? Gabby recalled details: an illicit business sheltered by Icelandicprivacy laws, housed out of a building with a penis museum and an H&M.
Naomi had worked as a TV reporter. It wasn’t inconceivable that she would start an illicit business to sell secret stories. The name seemed more like Phil’s style, but it’s not like she knew Naomi well.
No matter what, Gabby wasn’t going to figure it out on the deck of a yacht while Sir Mix-a-lot was playing. It was going to be embarrassing for Gabby if it turned out Naomi was behind it all.
She looked at Markus to ask about leaving right as Sir Mix-a-lot rapped, “I like big butts, and I cannot lie.” Markus looked away in a “Who? Not me, nothing to see here” way.
He was lying. From personal experience, she knew he liked big butts. Hopefully, that’s all he was lying about right now because they had a mission to finish, and she needed him.
“Markus, it’s time to go.”
Before Gabby and Markus made it back to the cottage, she was hit by a lightning bolt of worry. When she’d been standing outside G and Jasmine’s place, her mom had been there, trying to get her attention. Gabby had dismissed her so quickly, so cavalierly. She’d forgotten to worry about her mother’s safety. Elena was a civilian in the middle of an EOD operation. She was at risk and Gabby’s responsibility.
Worry chased all the exhaustion away.
“Markus, can we take a quick detour? I want to check on my mom and Sheridan.”
“Of course,” he said. “Are you worried?”
“My mom was trying to flag me down on the way to paddleboarding with Naomi, but I blew her off. I assumed she was just going to say something shitty, but what if she wasn’t?”
Gabby picked up her pace.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
Gabby wasn’t so sure. Like Markus had pointed out, Gabby’d been running around the resort in a frenzy of last-ditch espionage work. Jasmine had told her that G could be dangerous, and Sheridan had already survived one break-in/attempt on her life.
On the way through the main lobby, Aspen called out, “Gia, your mom left a note for you at the front desk.”
Okay, this was weird. Gabby hurried over to the desk and tore into the envelope that Aspen handed her.
“Are you two excited? It’s almost the big day!”
Gabby smiled. “We can’t wait!”
The note read: “Don’t worry. Changed rooms. Sheridan had a premonition. If you really need me, Jasmine can help.”
Gabby smiled at Aspen. “Thanks!” She turned to Markus and said, “On second thought, let’s let my mom rest. We should get some sleep.”
All hope is lost o’clock, the honeymoon cottage
