We don’t all need to sit around this table, Justin.” They’d been back for a week, and Justin was hosting an Azores-inspired dinner for the family. He was treating this party as a bigger emergency than anything that had happened in the Azores.
“There aren’t enough matching chairs!” He exhaled dramatically and clutched his pearls. He was wearing his version of a casual afternoon BBQ ensemble with about ten layered necklaces from local estate sales.
“It’s fine.” Gabby was wearing her refined loungewear from Inner-G.
“What am I supposed to do, bring in a folding plastic table with folding plastic chairs to accommodate overflow?” He shut his eyes at the imagined horror. “I’m a party planner.”
“An overflow table sounds reasonable.” A kids’ table was always a great idea.
“It is the most unreasonable thing I’ve heard.” He held a hand in the air as if he needed a shield from the plastic table acceptance energy Gabby was bringing. “I bought this table to elevatemy dining experience, so that’s what it’s going to do. There are just too many of you.”
Gabby laughed. He was preaching to the choir on that topic. “Well, who do you want me to cut?”
He popped a hip out and angled his head. “Do you want to go there? I have suggestions.”
It was too late anyway. The kids, and Granny, and Burt filtered into Justin’s backyard, all talking at once. Mr. Bubbles ran to Gabby and started jumping like she’d been trying to teach him not to for his entire life. He was just too cute for rules.
“Uncle Justin? Can I play in the pool?” Lucas was already running toward the deep end.
“Just don’t splash anything,” Justin said.
Gabby raised an eyebrow. Had he met Lucas? “Thank god you didn’t have kids,” she said with a laugh.
“Actually, Hugh and I haven’t decided yet. He brought it up on the plane ride home.”
“You’re kidding.” Justin and Hugh were both well above forty and just now thinking about it? Gabby sighed. Oh, to be a man.
“We had such a nice trip, and we got to thinking.” With a glance to Lucas, Justin said, “You know I love the kids. Even though they’re so sticky and loud.”
“You’re serious?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Look at what you have, Gabs. You might be drowning, but you’re drowning in love.”
Cause of death: too much of a good thing. It was better than being taken out by a serial killer, probably.
“Well, they’re yours too, you know. You’ve been with them forever. If you decide to add a family member, I’ll be there for them.”
Justin grimaced like he was really struggling with the thought of expanding his family. “Maybe just a bunny, I don’t know.”
“Or you can stick with taxidermy.” Gabby gestured to his collection. “I still have Tarragon in my closet if you want him back. He’s easier than a kid.”
Elena and Phil had walked across the street together. After meddling with Gabby’s relationships and making a nuisance of herself at the resort, Elena had toned it down. She was overdoing it in the other direction now.
Phil, who had been too drugged to see much of the showdown, had no clue what had happened and happily went along with the story that he was the smart one.
Inner-G actually hadn’t imploded. As far as cults went, it wasn’t too dangerous. She’d rank it somewhere between SoulCycle and Disney, maybe a mash-up of the two. It was unclear what the consequences would be. But Gabby didn’t see any world in which they could keep the resort and stay out of jail due to the contributions from Kim Jong-Un. As forPower Couple 2, investors besides North Korea were showing renewed interest now that Genesis had been in the news so much. But in the meantime, he had signed on to play a detective onWill Trent.
Lucas did yet another cannonball into the pool, and an epic splash hosed down Justin, silk shirt and all. Hugh patted Justin on the back and handed him a cocktail.
“Lucas Daniel Taylor!” Gabby yelled and was headed to the pool to remind Lucas to stop acting like he was at an eight-year-old’s birthday party when she felt someone come up behind her.
“Boo,” Markus whispered, his breath tickling her neck.
She turned to face him, all worries forgotten. “Thank godyou’re here,” she said, nuzzling his neck and breathing in his scent. He was still wearing the Inner-G cologne. The smell transported Gabby to the Azores, and she suspected it always would. It was their first trip together.
“Thanks for coming.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.”
