“No.”
Gabby looked around the room at all the other women. Theyprobably had responsibilities and people to worry about back home. Was she being arrogant, thinking that everything would fall apart without her?
“You cannot be a Power Couple or a Power anything if you don’t learn balance.”
“But I need to learn balance with my family. What am I going to do, not worry about them?”
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “You answered your own question. Good job.”
Ouch.
Jasmine put a hand on her hip and said, “Gia, you can’t have a phone. You are going to throw off the energy of the whole retreat. Did you feel how we lost the flow when that phone rang?”
Partially because Jasmine freaked out, but Gabby wasn’t going to mention that.
“Not to mention, this is a private space. We need to feel safe sharing. No phones.”
Hmm. That was ironic for a group that had been selling its members’ secrets to the tabloids.
“You simply can’t have it.” Jasmine shut her eyes like she was doing her best to stay composed. “The G-hut is a sacred space.”
Gabby’s eyes widened. “But—”
“There’s no exception. If you want to be here, you have to shut off the noise.”
Gabby felt it coming. Jasmine was going to confiscate her phone like she was a teenager who just violated a house rule. But this was Gabby’s personal phone. Her actual phone number with a gazillion pictures of her kids and Mr. Bubbles. Her cover would be blown. The whole mission would be blown because she wanted her phone.
“I can’t believe you didn’t hand over your phone when you arrived.”
“I, uh, didn’t know,” Gabby stammered.
“I’m going to have to talk to whoever checked you and George in.”
Gabby had to think fast. She needed to get rid of this phone before Jasmine took it. The hole in the center of the room called to her, the sound of the waves giving her the answer to her problems. In the most high-stakes game of cornhole ever, Gabby pretended to trip on the completely flat floor (not a problem because she did that sort of thing all the time) and fumbled her phone but with just enough momentum to send it toward the death drop. She shut her eyes and willed the phone toward its destination. It skittered across the gleaming wood floor and went straight into the hole, disappearing.
Instead of doing a victory dance, Gabby gasped. With a muttered string of “shit, shit, shit,” she ran toward the hole. Sure enough, the phone was face down on wet gray rock far below, the bright pink phone case just barely visible.
“Damn it!” she said, with feeling. Inside, it was nothing but sweet relief. A twenty-foot drop onto a rock that was sure to be submerged any minute—her phone was toast. That had been too close for comfort. Jasmine had been seconds away from uncovering Gabby Greene’s entire digital footprint. She shouldn’t have even had the phone with her on the mission, but really, how else was she supposed to contact her kids?
Jasmine took a centering breath, one of those in-through-the-nose, out-through-the-mouth yoga breaths.
Gabby needed to learn how to do that.
Once again composed, Jasmine said, “That was nothing but karma. The universe righting itself after the interruption.”
If it hadn’t been clear before, it was now. Inner-G was a cult. The cell phone wasn’t just a disruption, it was contact with the outside.
“I’m so sorry,” Gabby said, kowtowing to Jasmine like she meant it. “I had no clue about the phone rule. We got in late last night, and this is my first activity. This is orientation, right?” She looked around with wide eyes and an innocent look.
Gabby knew how to play dumb.
“Now you know.” With a glance toward the abyss, she said, “I guess you don’t have to worry about that rule anymore. Let me tell you, the Big G would not be happy about this.” Jasmine shivered. “No phones. Ever. Do you hear me?”
For a moment, Gabby wasn’t sure if Jasmine truly cared about the rule or was just scared of G’s reaction. How bad was the man’s temper?
Then the weird moment was over. Jasmine’s red curls bounced, and she scanned the room with nothing but serenity. “Clearly, I need to start from the beginning.” She laughed lightly.
Gabby turned bright red and mouthed “sorry” again.
