Vampira struck a gong.
And then two big bouncers blocked the dancers from the gangplank. They advanced, grabbing the two women and tossing them off the dock.
The women screamed. And then they laughed, having landed on an inflatable raft.
One of the muscled security guards untied their mooring and let the tide to carry them to shore. They had no oars. But that didn’t seem to bother them.
“This is barbaric.” And since it was being videoed, that meant it would get tons of views. Vi groaned, not wanting to be caught on camera or thrown off the dock. “We can’t get on the boat without dancing to Xuri’s satisfaction. There’s no way anyone but Kelcie is getting on that boat.”
“Are you saying I can’t dance?” Simon grinned. “Honey, I can dance.” He slipped on his coat and took Kelcie by the arm. “We’ve got this.”
“I’ve got this, too.” Her grandmother strutted down the path.
The gong sounded again. Another couple was pushed onto one of the inflatable rafts and cast to sea. The boat carrying the first pair of dismissed dancers was nearly to shore.
“Do you dance?” Violet asked Coop, biting her bottom lip.
“I’m from Texas.” He tugged the lapels of his white denim jacket, which somehow didn’t look ridiculous on him. “I can two-step. You?”
“I think I’ve proven all week that I can’t hip hop. And I need to protect my identity.” Violet’s shoulders tensed. Was that even possible? “But if you put your arms around me and I put my hood up, I can follow your lead in the two-step.”
As if an omen, another gong sounded.
*
As usual, Dotty had muscled her way to the head of the line.
Hood up, she looked small, like a little kid wearing her dad’s snow jacket.
“What happens if Dotty gets on the boat, and we don’t?” Coop wasn’t optimistic about their chances. And he wanted to try and shelter Vivi from being featured in Xuri’s social media campaign. He’d bet the designer wasn’t above name-dropping.
The gong was sounding more often than not. Dancers were tossed to rafts with alarming frequency.
Xuri must have anticipated this because there were at least twenty rafts tied to either side of the dock. But Dotty needed a protector. The jacket thief had already proven his desperation to get a coat. What would he do to keep it?
“There’s no telling what your grandmother will do if she gets her hands on that guy,” Coop said to Vivi, shrugging into his white, puffy jacket, which was surprisingly warm given his still-damp clothes. Simon and Kelcie had already made their way down to the dock.
“Doom and gloom much?” Hood up, Vivi shook out her arms and then rolled her head from side-to-side, bouncing on her toes—all of which Coop assumed was her warming up to dance. “Here’s a worst-case scenario for you. What happens ifnoneof us get on the boat?”
“We can still find the jacket with your cell phone.” Watching the coat thief dance happily on the upper deck, Coop frowned. The jerk. Did he have to look so happy?
“Sure, we can find her phone.” Vivi didn’t sound as optimistic as her words. “We’ll find it as long as my grandmother’s battery stays charged and there’s cell phone reception. I have no idea where that yacht’s sailing. If it’s out to sea…”
“Hey, there are five of us. Those are good odds.” Coop stared at Vivi. Despite all the drama and escapades of the evening, she still looked gorgeous. Wind-blown, worried, but gorgeous. “We’ll get your grandmother’s ring back. I promise.”
“You can’t promise when something’s out of your control.” Vivi gasped, grasping his arm, giving him hope for their future once this night was over and they had time to talk. “It’s Grandma Dotty’s turn.”
On the dock, Dotty shoved her coat sleeves to her elbows and then went to work. She twerked. She banged her arms and bobbed her head as she covered several feet of dock. She worked the jacket back and forth across her back as if it was a towel and she’d just gotten out of the shower. She bent over and walked toward Xuri, arms swinging like an elephant’s trunk.
“Wow.” Coop was impressed. “Did Kelcie teach her those moves this week? She’s not bad.”
“Yeah. Once Grandma Dotty sets her mind to something…”
The old lady spun, nearly falling in the ocean.
The crowd gasped. So did Vivi.
And then everyone cheered when Dotty recovered and shimmied her way to Xuri.