"I signed the release form," Jacqui admitted.
"Who cares? That doesn't matter. That's never going to hold up in court."
"C'mon, let's get out of this place before they try to get new recruits," Mara suggested.
Jacqui sniffed and wiped her nose with the palm of her hand. She looked at the car. "You guys took the Volvo?"
They drove west--all the way west--to the part of Long Island where it was more strip mall than stripper party. After all, it's not all about the Hamptons. By now they were a little sick of the place, to be honest. All that posing, primping, and posturing. The constant need to match one's bikini, sarong, handbag, and flip-flops. It took hours just to get dressed to go nowhere.
"Look, there's a Denny's," Mara said. "I haven't been to one in so long."
"Anyone up for breakfast?" Eliza asked.
"Sounds perfect," Jacqui agreed.
They found a corner booth by the window and opened menus. "What can I get ya?" a waitress in a checkered uniform with a beehive asked them. She was so far from the sylphs who doled out minuscule plates of tofu at Babbette's that the girls couldn't
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help but grin at each other. This was exactly what they needed. A dose of reality.
"I have lumberjack special," Jacqui decided.
"Three eggs, two pancakes, bacon, sausage, and ham?" Eliza asked in horror. There was absolutely nothing on the menu that was under her four-hundred-calorie-per-minimeal ratio.
"Sounds great. I'll have the same," Mara decided, snapping her menu closed.
"Two 'jacks. What about you, hon?"
Eliza contemplated. The bacon alone was three hundred calories. But she was really, really hungry. "Make it three."
They wolfed down their greasy breakfasts and filled each other in on the latest news.
"And you haven't even spoken to Jeremy since?" Mara asked after Eliza updated Jacqui on what happened.
"No."
"You've got to find him and tell him how you feel," Mara stressed. "It's important. You guys can't just leave things like this!"
"I know, I know." Eliza sighed, spearing a fat brown sausage with her fork and popping it in her mouth.
"Jeremy--the guy who cuts the lawn?" Jacqui asked. "He's really nice. I saw him looking for you the other day. Sorry. I forgot to tell you."
"He was?" Eliza asked. "Oh my God."
"See--I'm sure he feels the same way. But you've got to go to him first." Mara had a major romantic streak.
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"Okay. But only if you break up with Jim. You deserve so much better than that bonehead," Eliza said. "And he is a bonehead."
"We broke up already," Mara said. "Yesterday, actually."
"And you haven't told Ryan?"
"No, why should I?" Mara said obstinately.
Jacqui and Eliza exchanged a look. "Only because he is so into you," Eliza said.