Skinny Dipping (The Au Pairs 2)

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.