Skinny Dipping

by Melissa de la Cruz

  "No need to apologize," Garrett replied breezily, helping Mara steady herself against him when the plane bounced sharply again. She clung to him, bouncing up and down against his lap.

  "So you're that kind of girl," Garrett joked, making her blush. He was obnoxious, but somehow charming all the same. She couldn't help but notice how tightly he was holding her.

  "You're driving me crazy," he growled, half-mockingly, but with a flirtatious edge. "Why don't you have dinner with me this weekend? That way, we can actually get to know each other instead of just fooling around like this."

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  "I can't." She shook her head. "I have to work, I'm sorry." She wondered what Ryan would think if he saw her now, sitting on some other boy's lap.

  "I'm making the reservation anyway." He shrugged. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

  A few minutes later, the plane stopped shaking and the pilot announced that they were above the storm clouds and had settled into a stable cruising altitude. Garrett helped Mara to her seat, bowing and kissing her hand in a gentlemanly fashion. She exhaled a sigh of relief when he excused himself to attend to his other guests. He was suave all right, but she had a feeling Garrett Reynolds always got--or bought--what he wanted, and Mara was definitely not for sale.

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  in girl-talk,

  "you look great!"

  means 7m so happy to see you"

  INSIDE SCOOP, JACQUI TREATED THE DRESSING ROOM as a revolving door, posing in each skimpy bathing suit in rapid succession, discarding those that were too tight across the chest and too small in back. (She'd gotten in trouble for her thongs on Georgica Beach last year, and she didn't want to get hauled in again for violating the "morality" laws that kept the Hamptons beaches safe from the sight of exposed rear ends.) When Eliza found her, she was wearing a bandeau top and checking out the crucial crack-covering ability of a minuscule suit bottom by performing a series of squats in front of the three-way mirror (to the obvious consternation of an envious row of shoppers).

  "Sorry, am I interrupting?" Eliza joked, as Jacqui performed deep knee bends in the tiny half-moon piece of fabric.

  '"Liza!" Jacqui said happily, standing up for a hug. They embraced each other warmly, Eliza's stack of gold bangle bracelets clanking against Jacqui's bare shoulders.

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  "Look at you!" Eliza said, pulling Jacqui's arms out and admiring how her friend filled out the Gaultier bikini.

  "No, chica, look at you!" Jacqui squealed. The two of them clucked and cooed in the fawning, joyful way that girls greet each other, effusively complimenting each other on their hair, their shoes, their weight loss (real or imagined).

  "I didn't see you at the Jitney stop and figured you'd be here," Eliza explained. "I'm sorry I'm late. The interview took a while."

  "How did it go?" Jacqui asked, disappearing into the dressing room to change.

  "Awesome! I got the job!" Eliza said, admiring a canvas Kate Spade tote.

  "Hooray!" Jacqui cheered, emerging in a bohemian-style empire-waist dress and high-heeled Gucci clogs. "Do you take AmEx?" she asked the salesgirl, handing her the bikini.

  "Can I take a quick peek around before we get Mara?" Eliza asked, critically examining a crocheted poncho while Jacqui paid for her new purchase.

  "I think her plane gets in right now, so no."

  "All riiiiight," Eliza said, looking longingly at the brightly colored Matthew Williamson sarongs. "We'll come back."

  "So, how've you been?" Jacqui asked, when they were in Eliza's car on the way to the East Hampton airport. They rolled down all the windows to let in the fresh ocean breeze, even though Eliza had the AC cranking. The girls hadn't seen each other since Palm Beach, where they'd shopped on Worth Avenue and hung

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  out at the Four Seasons pool with all the kids in tow. There'd been an insane Christmas ball at the Colony Club and a lavish New Year's party at the Breakers. Everything had been perfect-- except for the fact that Mara hadn't joined them. Jacqui couldn't wait for all three of them to be back together again soon, but first she wanted to make sure Eliza had come clean about what exactly had happened when Mara wasn't around.

  "I'm good." Eliza nodded, and told Jacqui about her plans for world (or at least Hamptons) domination that summer. She was going to be working at the coolest club and hanging out with the hottest people--in her mind, it wasn't even a job, it was more like ... a title, a position. She would be representing what Seventh Circle was all about. Her old crew would come around, and soon she'd be calling the shots again. She had nothing to be embarrassed about this summer, and she was counting on her connection with Kartik and Alan to facilitate her return to the high life.

  "Have you seen Ryan yet?" Jacqui asked, steering the conversation back to where she wanted it to go.

  "No, but we've e-mailed, and I spoke to him on the phone the other night. I don't think it'll be awkward." Eliza had tried to push the memory out of her mind, but the fact that she'd hooked up with Ryan Perry--the love of her best friend's life--in Palm Beach was not easily forgotten. Especially when she had yet to tell that best friend. "I mean, it was just a stupid drunken thing, and we've been friends for, like, ever."

  After Sugar and Poppy Perry's New Year's party at the

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  Breakers, Eliza and Ryan had gone back to the hotel so that Eliza could pick up some flip-flops, since her Louboutins were killing her. They were both completely smashed from the champagne, and for the first time on vacation they were both happy. Ryan had been sad because Mara had broken up with him and backed out of Palm Beach, and Eliza was depressed because Jeremy had told her they should take a break until next summer, since being away from each other was so hard. Ryan found The Godfather on pay-per-view and they snuggled next to each other on the bed, just like when they were kids and had memorized all the lines.

  "Leave the gun, take the cannoli," they said at the same time, and they both laughed. Then, all of a sudden, he was kissing her ... or she was kissing him ... and then they were totally fooling around. They hadn't meant it to happen, and it didn't mean anything, she swore.

  "I'm going to tell Mara as soon as I see her," Eliza said emphatically, clenching the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. "I can't wait to get it off my chest, you know? I thought it would be too hard if I told her on the phone, or in an e-mail. I don't want her to think it's more than it is."

  "Definitely," Jacqui agreed. She was relieved Eliza was finally going to come clean. Eliza had been adamant about keeping the Big Palm Beach Secret a secret, so Jacqui had reluctantly promised not to tell Mara, and as a result Jacqui hadn't talked to Mara since before New Year's. Jacqui didn't want to lie to her, and with the studying and the time difference, it hadn't been that hard to fall out of touch.

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  "Anyway, tell me more about this new job of yours," Jacqui said, changing the subject since Eliza looked so uncomfortable. "Are you really going to get to meet all those stars?"

  Eliza happily obliged, and the two forgot all about Palm Beach as they gossiped and chatted all the way to the East Hampton airport. The airport was a remote field off the dirt roads, and when they arrived, they found Mara in the middle of a crowd, kissing several well-heeled people good-bye. Eliza recognized a few of the socialites gathered around her and was impressed. But then, after Mara had merited not one but three glowing profiles in the Hamptons media last summer, Eliza hadn't expected anything less from her friend. Whether she'd planned on it or not, Mara was Somebody in the Hamptons.

  Eliza leaned on the horn. "Over here!" She threw open the car door and climbed out, and Jacqui followed suit. They were both excited to see Mara--the three of them hadn't been together since last August, and they were eager to pick up where they'd left off.

  Mara's eyes lit up and she quickly rushed over to Eliza and Jacqui. "Hello! Hello!" she enthused, embracing Eliza warmly. "I've missed you guys!" she said, giving Jacqui a similar bear hug. "You both look amazing!"

&nbs
p; The cooing and the fawning began anew, as Eliza and Jacqui marveled over Mara's highlights, and Mara praised them on their tans and cute outfits.

  "God, I can't believe I'm back. It's like I never left!" Mara shook her head and hiccuped.

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  "Mara, are you tipsy?" Eliza asked. Last summer, Mara had been such a goody-goody they'd practically had to drag her out to parties.

  "A little," Mara giggled. "I had a little-- hiccup --Cristal on the plane."

  Jacqui raised an eyebrow in admiration. Private plane, five-hundred-dollar champagne--this girl knew how to roll.

  The three of them grinned at each other, remembering how much fun last summer had been, and wondering what kind of mischief and adventure lay ahead for them this time. Everything was lush and green after the rainstorm, and the air smelled like salt and earth, mixed with a wonderful woodsy scent. All three girls felt lucky to be alive, in the Hamptons, and finally back together.

  Mara stuffed her bag in the trunk, then opened the back door. "Er ..." she said, not quite sure where to sit. The backseat of Eliza's car was akin to a homeless person's grocery cart. It was filled to the brim with empty water bottles, torn shopping bags, shoe boxes, CDs, Advantage bar wrappers, and carb-free tortilla chip bags. It was odd how someone as perfect-looking as Eliza, who was such a neat freak about her clothes, hair, and person, had turned her car into what was essentially a dump truck. It was one of the things that Mara liked so much about her--you could never pin Eliza down to a stereotype.

  "Eek. Sorry about the mess," Eliza apologized sheepishly.

  Mara grinned and pushed aside Eliza's dry cleaning so she could sit down.

  "Anybody hungry?" Mara asked. "They had these, like,

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  imported Majorcan almonds on board--they had so many, I took a couple of bags. Here, have some. They're yummy."

  Eliza started the car and Mara handed out her pilfered snacks.

  "So spill! How was Palm Beach? You guys never told me what happened!" Mara demanded. She was still giddy and high from the plane ride. Garrett had been a total ham the entire trip, and at one point, he'd turned the plane into a flying disco and had whirled Mara around until she was dizzy. Her good mood was so contagious that Jacqui momentarily forgot that Palm Beach was dangerous territory.

  "It was fun!" Jacqui said. "We got to borrow these couture ball gowns for the twins' debut, I wore a Lacroix with a hand-beaded corset that Poppy didn't want, and Eliza got this amazing Chanel dress that Karl had made for Sugar."

  Mara oohed and aahed at Jacqui's description of the house and the New Year's Eve party, and Eliza knew this was the moment she'd have to tell her best friend what exactly had happened with her best friend's ex-boyfriend. "Mar, I have something really important to tell you about Palm Beach. ..."

  Mara looked at Eliza expectantly. If she felt a twinge of foreboding, she didn't reveal it. Her face was wide open and innocent.

  Jacqui held her breath. She'd put Eliza and Ryan's hookup out of her mind for a second, but looking back and forth between her two friends, she knew that what was about to happen would be totally unforgettable.

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  the girls meet the perrys'

  latest trench import

  " HOLD UP!" MARA SAID, INTERRUPTING ELIZA. AN OLD

  Madonna song came on the radio, and Mara leaned through the front seats to turn it up.

  " 'Papa don't preach!'" they all sang. " 'I'm in trouble deep!'" Mara thought she couldn't be happier. It was great to be back with Eliza and Jacqui in the Hamptons again. She'd really missed them. There was no one as fun as Eliza or as mischievous as Jacqui back home.

  The song ended, but before Eliza could speak, Mara suddenly blurted, "God, I just can't wait to see Ryan!"

  "Really?" Jacqui asked. "Even after you broke up with him?" "I know, I know." Mara sighed. Her champagne buzz was still strong. "You guys, I really think I made a mistake. I mean, he said he still loved me, you know, even after I said we couldn't go on, and I just hope ... I don't know. . . . Do you know if he's seeing anyone?" Mara asked hopefully.

  Eliza cleared her throat. If she was going to tell, she would

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  have to do it now, before this got even worse. It was obvious Mara was still in love with Ryan, and the knowledge that he had hooked up with one of her friends was bound to be crushing. Best to get it over with quickly. Mara would be upset, but she would understand and hopefully forgive Eliza.

  "Mar, listen, this is important. Please don't be mad at me, okay? Because it meant nothing, I swear. This winter in Palm Beach I--"

  "That's the thing," Mara said, interrupting again, obviously oblivious to the rising notes of anxiety in Eliza's voice. "I wish I'd gone to Palm Beach. God, I don't know why I stayed away. I just... I really regret it. I should have listened to you, Jac."

  Jacqui stayed silent.

  "Anyway, what did you want to tell me, 'Liza? Why shouldn't I be mad?" Mara asked, starting to braid Eliza's hair, which was hanging over the back of her seat. "What happened in Palm Beach?"

  Eliza sucked her teeth. "Over winter break I . . . I . . ." Eliza felt her throat dry up. She exhaled. "I decided not to work for the Perrys this summer. I'm not going to be an au pair."

  "What?!" Mara and Jacqui both said, shocked for very different reasons.

  Eliza gnawed on her bottom lip. She'd meant to tell Mara-- really she had. She'd been going to confess everything and get it over with. Mara was different from Lindsay and Taylor, those two-faced former best friends who'd turned on Eliza last year.

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  Eliza always felt like she could tell Mara anything. Okay, so maybe they hadn't kept in touch all that much over the school year, but that was irrelevant, Eliza almost felt like the year apart hadn't even happened.

  Eliza shrugged her shoulders helplessly at Jacqui. She knew Jacqui would think she was a coward and a liar. She could live with that, but she couldn't live with Mara's disappointment. She was just too scared to hurt her friend. Besides, she reasoned, maybe keeping her mouth shut was the best option. That way, Mara and Ryan could get back together without having any bad feelings between them. If Eliza ignored the problem, then it would surely just go away, right?

  "What are you doing, then?" Mara asked, interrupting Eliza's internal debate.

  "I'm working at Seventh Circle, this new nightclub," Eliza said proudly. "It's really cool--I'll be learning all about public relations and stuff. I don't really need the money from the Perrys this summer. My dad's doing better, and we might even move back to the city next year."

  Mara slumped in the backseat. "Jac, you knew about this?"

  Jacqui nodded.

  "And you didn't tell me?" Mara whined.

  "I'm sorry--I thought Eliza e-mailed you." Jacqui shot Eliza another dagger like look. Then again, if Mara was this upset about not knowing about Eliza's summer plans, Jacqui was kind of glad she hadn't told her about Palm Beach.

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  "That's great and all," Mara said. "I mean, I'm really happy for you 'Lize. But what are we going to do without you? Who's going to scare William into submission? Are we ever going to see you?"

  "What are you talking about? We'll see each other all the time," Eliza promised.

  Eliza turned into the Perry driveway, where several expensive cars were parked. The newest addition to the fleet was a shiny new Toyota Prius, a gas/electric hybrid car that was the latest Hamptons automobile obsession. Priuses were politically correct, environmentally friendly, and incredibly hard to find-- there was a six-month waiting list, and cars were selling for fifty percent over sticker price. Next to the Prius was Ryan Perry's Aston Martin. But since Ryan was a touchy subject, nobody said anything.

  Laurie, Anna Perry's personal assistant, a frowsy-haired forty-year-old woman who wore a cell phone around her neck on a leash and lived vicariously through her employers, greeted them at the front door.

  "Girls! Welcome back! Eliza, what are you doing here? Anna and the kids arrive t
omorrow morning from the city. They were supposed to come in today, but Kevin needed the heli for some emergency meeting in Connecticut, and Anna didn't want to sit in traffic. Ryan and the twins are around somewhere. Jacqui, Mara, you have the night off after getting the kids' rooms ready."

  They all followed Laurie inside and found the Perry house

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  the same as ever, with immense floral arrangements in every corner, the striped zebrawood floors polished to a high sheen, every room perfectly appointed and camera-ready for an Architectural Digest shoot. Laurie told them that the Perrys paid a skeleton staff to keep the house looking this way even in the dead of winter. It was important that the house be prepared for their arrival at any moment, even if months passed between visits during the off-season.

  "What's that noise?" Mara asked. "Is that a cement mixer?" Her father was in construction, and she recognized the sound.

  Laurie grimaced and put her hands to her ears. "It's the Reynolds Castle. They're not supposed to have construction after five. I've already told Anna we should report it to city hall."

  The three girls scurried to the picture window and spied a humongous structure being built over a traditional Victorian house. The sprawling wood skeleton, complete with turrets, towers, and what looked like a moat, seemed to span the entire length of the property, all the way down to the beachfront. A huge crane was lifting up several gold-plated Grecian columns. They stared, fascinated, as a forty-foot-wide stained glass cathedral window was positioned on the top floor.

  "It's a shame what they're doing to the old Rockefeller place," Laurie sniffed, as insulted as a true East Hampton blueblood. "It's a monstrosity!"

  "Here, I'll help you guys with your things," Eliza said, grabbing Jacqui's makeup bag and Mara's magazines.