The Au Pairs

by Melissa de la Cruz

  They drove to an imposing modern mansion on Settlers Landing with P. Diddy's initials carved into the wrought iron gates. Several billowing white tents were set up near the entrance to facilitate the guest check-in.

  Eliza told them that she'd heard the entire city of East Hampton had to be insured for up to five million dollars against any incident related to the party and that Puffy had paid for an eleven-thousand-square-foot tent with a ten-inch plastic foam

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  wall on one side to keep the dulcet tones of Funkmaster Flex from reaching a nearby neighbor.

  "I heard he even had a whole orchard planted the week before to make it look more countrylike!" Eliza said.

  At the receiving line they spotted Leonardo di Caprio getting patted down by several hulking bodyguards. Leo was a vision in white, from his cream-colored baseball cap to his snow white shoes. There was Topher Grace hanging out with Ali Hilfiger, Gavin Rossdale walking in with Gwen Stefani, and Eve, Li'l Kim, and Busta Rhymes mingling with Zac Posen, Paz de la Huerta, and Claire Danes.

  The three girls held their collective breath as one of the huge bouncers waved their invitations underneath a laser. It seemed an eternity before it pinged as authentic.

  "Go right in." The doorman in the pristine three-piece suit waved them inside.

  A cocktail waitress in a white lace dress brought over a tray of champagne flutes. "Cristal?"

  They each took a glass and toasted each other.

  "To all of us," Mara said. Sure, it was a little cheesy, but she was allowed--she was a Hamptons It girl.

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  it pays to tip the valet well

  They found an unoccupied table not far from where Amanda Hearst sat in deep conversation with Andre 3000. Puffy's annual barbecue was the perfect mix of old money and mo' money. Waspy blue bloods traded tall tales with gold-toothed gangbangers. New York's fanciest socialites boogied down with Hollywood hotshots and hip-hop stars. A white Moroccan-style tent was set up on the grounds, and belly dancers in ivory-andpearl-embossed ensembles were clacking their finger cymbals as they gyrated through the crowd.

  "Check it out! His logo is, like, everywhere!" Mara said. Their host's monogram was engraved into the bottom of the pool, on the napkins, even on the towels that hung in the bathrooms. In fact, on every beach, bath, and dish towel on the premises.

  "Yeah." Eliza sighed. Somehow the fact that she had scored a legitimate invitation to the best party of the season didn't do anything to improve her mood.

  "Don't be so down," Mara said. "It's our last night together!"

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  Eliza managed a weak smile. "I know. I'll try."

  Jeremy had never bothered to call. He said he needed time to think about it, but for Eliza time had run out. Kit, the only friend who still talked to her after she was "outed" as poor, had offered to drive her back to the city next day, and she had a ticket on the Greyhound back to Buffalo.

  "Who knows, he might surprise you," Mara said.

  "I know. I feel like it might still work out," she said a little hopelessly. "I gave him my number at home. Who knows, maybe he'll call me still."

  "If he doesn't, there are a million other guys who would die to go out with you," Mara said loyally. She would never have thought she could be best friends with someone like Eliza--but there you had it.

  "Maybe," Eliza said. The summer had been spectacular--but humbling as hell. Before this summer the thought that she would lose her heart to the gardener was laughable, even ludicrous. She was Eliza Thompson; she could have anyone she wanted.

  But Eliza Thompson didn't get everything she ever wanted anymore. She was starting to learn that.

  Lindsay and Taylor walked by. They did a double take when they saw Eliza. What was she doing here? Nevertheless, they decided to stop by Eliza's table and show her how bighearted and generous they could be. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to have to

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  hang out with her in the city anyway. They knew all about Buffalo.

  But when they walked up to the table, Eliza looked the other way. Eliza knew it wasn't their fault they were the way they were, but that didn't mean she had to pretend to like them anymore. The truth was that she had never really liked them. Not really. Not in the way she liked Mara and Jacqui.

  "Um, hi?" Lindsay said.

  Taylor cleared her throat.

  Eliza pretended to be extremely fascinated by the contents of her cocktail glass as she purposefully ignored them.

  The two girls stood there as Ryan, Mara, and Jacqui smirked without saying anything.

  And with that, they flipped their perfectly Sahag-layered hair and walked away in their four-hundred-dollar shoes, and for the first time Eliza was really, truly happy to see them go. She went back to staring at the bubbles in her glass, thinking about how none of this really mattered to her anymore. How much money she could have saved on bags alone if she'd realized that a few years ago. How she'd give up her Marc Jacobs Stella bag, her orange Tod's purse, her black Prada bag that was the same as Gwyneth's just to have another shot with Jeremy.

  And then, as if she'd finally thought the magic words, Jeremy appeared.

  "Hey, Eliza," Jeremy said. He was wearing a white valet uniform. He had his hands in his pockets and he looked utterly miserable.

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  "Jeremy! What are you doing here?"

  "I got a job parking cars," he said.

  "Why?"

  "I knew you would be here. I wanted to see you," he told her. "You did?" She seemed so small and vulnerable just then, and for once she wasn't trying to be like anything but who she was.

  The rest of the table took that as their cue to make a graceful exit. Eliza stood up. She looked into his eyes and saw how much

  she'd hurt him.

  "I didn't want you to leave thinking that I didn't care," he said.

  Her eyes misted with tears. Real tears this time. She wanted to jump into his arms, wipe that awful, wretched look off his face, and tell him that nothing mattered--it didn't matter that they had been apart for so long--what was important was that he was here now.

  So that's exactly what she did.

  Eliza leapt from her seat and threw herself in his arms, in front of Puffy, Demi, Leo, and her two ex-friends.

  Caught off guard, Jeremy fell backward, and the two of them tumbled on the grass, hugging and kissing and smiling at each other. Screw the Versace dress--she was with Jeremy.

  "Oh my God ... what the hell! Is that Eliza kissing the valet?" Lindsay asked, an eyebrow raised.

  "You know what, he is kind of cute," Taylor allowed.

  And finally they started to see: Eliza knew something they didn't.

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  it's called Karma

  Jacqui smiled at Eliza and Jeremy. Mara and Ryan were cuddling by the pool, and Jacqui thought she would just slip away. All her friends looked pretty busy. She was thrilled for them but a little sad for herself, too. She certainly hadn't bargained for the kind of summer she had ended up having.

  She shook her head at the passing tray of canapes.

  But she did help herself to a goody bag at the exit. A crisp white shopping bag emblazoned with the ubiquitous logo contained a white terry cloth robe, terry cloth slippers, and a bottle of Absolut (the party's corporate sponsor that year).

  "Leaving so soon?" A very handsome and very familiar-looking guy stopped her on the way to the gates.

  "You look even more beautiful when you aren't crying." He smiled. "So I guess your summer ended up getting a lot better?"

  It was Nacho Figueroa--the hot Argentinean polo player from the big match!

  "Hey! Jacqui, right?" She turned, and standing by the Mister

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  Softee truck parked in the driveway (you never know what the guests will want if they get the munchies) was Eliza's friend Kit-- the nice guy who had given them their party invitations.

  "Hi, Kit," she said, kissing him hello.

  Kit beamed. Nacho too
k a step back, a quizzical look on his face. She smiled at both of them, but just then her cell phone rang. "Espere urn momento," she told Nacho. "Excuse me," she told Kit.

  "Pronto?"

  "Jacqui, it's Luke. Your Luca." He was obviously drunk, but Jacqui wanted to know what this was all about.

  "Sim?"

  "Someone called my house at three in the morning and my girlfriend--I mean, my ex-girlfriend--she flipped. We broke up, and, well, I miss you, Jac, I really do."

  "Oh, coitado," Jacqui said scathingly.

  "And she's with Leo now, can you believe it?" He was slurring a little. "What is it about that guy? One eye isn't even quite straight."

  "So what do you say? Me and you? I know you don't like to be alone," Luke breathed. "And I'm so lonely."

  Jacqui laughed to herself. So there was justice in this world after all. "That's a shame, Luca. But niio. Thcau."

  She turned the phone off and turned back to Kit and Nacho. Hmm ... the rakish polo player or Eliza's childhood friend? Jacqui paused for a moment. Isn't "polo player" just a long way

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  of saying "player'? Nacho seemed nice, but Jacqui was tired of men who played games.

  "Drive me home?" she asked, linking an arm in Kit's. "Tchau tchau, Nacho."

  Kit grinned. Maybe they were wrong. Maybe nice guys did finish first.

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  it's the last night of summer, but it's the first night for other things

  A few minutes after midnight Mara crept up the stairs to their attic bedroom. She found Jacqui asleep in the top bunk.

  "Jac? Are you awake?" she asked.

  Jacqui raised her head. "Now I am."

  Mara sat on the bed and took off her shoes. When she looked up, Eliza was walking through the door. "Hey."

  She was glad all three of them were together on their last night.

  Eliza sparkled in her white dress when she kicked off her shoes. "Help me with this, Mar," she said as she began pushing her single bed up against Mara's bottom bunk. "Get down here, Jac," she whispered.

  The three of them snuggled on the one makeshift king-size bed, feeling comfort in the warmth of each other's bodies.

  Eliza told them about how she and Jeremy got back together. "I just love him so much," she said, burying her face in the pillow at her own cheesiness. "But Buffalo is so far."

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  "I'm sure you'll see each other," Mara said. She could have slept in Ryan's bed, but she didn't want to for some reason. Their last week in the Hamptons had been something out of the middle part of Titanic--before the ship sank, while everything was perfect and hot and steamy. But on the last night here, she wanted to be in the room. It was the only thing that felt right.

  Jacqui told them how Kit had offered all three of them a ride back to the city in his car. That was good. At least they wouldn't have to take the Jitney. So why were they all so bummed?

  "We'll see each other at Christmas," Eliza said, voicing the emotion they were all feeling. They were going to miss each other. They had gone through a lot this summer. "We'll need winter bikinis!" Eliza added.

  "In Palm Beach," Mara said dreamily. Another chance to get out of Sturbridge.

  "What's it like?" Jacqui asked.

  "Awesome," Eliza yawned. "Parties and galas and we'll all need new clothes!" Her eyelids dropped. Mara was falling asleep, too. Jacqui turned on her side, grabbing for the covers.

  Their summer was over. They had done everything they wanted to do and some things they shouldn't have. Tomorrow they would drive out on the Montauk Highway for the last time. They would return home older, wiser, and certainly more glamorous.

  In the end, it had been the best summer of their lives. Maybe there was truth in advertising after all.

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  acknowledgments

  Many heartfelt thanks to the wonderful folks at 17th Street--my absolutely fabulous editor, Sara Shandler, the inspiring Josh Bank, and the encouraging Ben Shrank. Thanks to Les Morgenstein for invaluable insight. Immense gratitude to Emily Thomas for all her brilliant ideas. Thanks to Claudia Gabel and Jennifer Unter for thinking of me for this project. As always, I'm very grateful to Deborah "superagent" Schneider, a guardian angel in high-heeled shoes.

  Thanks to Jason Oliver Nixon, Andrew Stone, Paige Herman, and Juliet McCall Dyal at Hamptons magazine for giving me a reason to write off my summer rental. Thanks to Karen Robinovitz, my partner in crime, an invaluable resource and a true friend.

  Thanks to the de la Cruz and Johnston families for all their support. Thanks to my dad for letting me hog his computer to write this book when mine broke. Thanks to my mom for asking if the naughty parts would be "normal or perverted" (I've never laughed so hard, Mom!) Thanks to "Hotel Chit" in New York. Thanks to Aina and Steve for sharing their stories about the Hamptons. Thanks to Kim, David, and Diva for a fantastic summer. Thanks to Jennie for coming out to visit. Thanks to Tristan, Gabriel, Tyler, Peter, Andy, and the rest of The Gang for being The Gang.

  Thanks to my husband, Mike, for getting out of the city every Friday night, no matter how late it got.

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  about the author

  MELISSA DE LA CRUZ is the author of the novels Cat's Meow and Fresh off the Boat, and the coauthor of the nonfiction books How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-Inch Heels and Faux Pas. Her work has been translated into many languages. The Au Pairs is currently in development as a television series at the Warner Brothers network. She has written for many publications, including Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Allure, and the New York Times. She recently moved from New York City and lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

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  here's a hint of what the girls are doing next summer in : skinny-dipping

  the girls meet the Perrys' latest french 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 God knew 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.
<
br />   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 back seat. "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 daggerlike 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.