Mara hung up the phone in the kitchen, feeling blue. Eliza was still totally pissed off, she could tell. She opened the patio doors and was surprised to see Philippe sun-bathing on a raft in the middle of the pool, smoking as usual. She'd thought he'd gone away to the city. He was supposed to be one of the au pairs, but they rarely saw him since he'd been relocated to the main house.
"Your sister called earlier," he said, tapping his ashes into the water. "Laurie was looking for you."
"Which one?"
Philippe shrugged.
It had to be Megan. Maureen had three kids and was too busy to call. Mara wondered why Megan hadn't phoned her cell, but then, she didn't get a great signal in the Hamptons. Mara went back to the kitchen and dialed Megan's number at work.
"Hey, Meg? It's me," Mara said.
"Mara! Our star!" The cheerful voice of her sister vibrated down the line.
"Oh my God. You saw it? The Post?"
"Of course I saw it. Hello, it's Meg you're talking to, remember? I saw you in Us Weekly the other day, too. You look cuter on
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Page Six. A little risque, but cute," Megan said authoritatively. Mara could hear the sounds of blow-dryers and scissors clicking in the background.
"You really think I looked good? Did Mom and Dad see it?" Mara asked, looking out the window where Philippe was floating in circles. Anna Perry walked out to the terrace, wearing a white bikini and transparent high heels. She stepped gingerly into the pool, and Philippe helped her situate herself on a similar raft. They glided to the other end, where the water spilled over to a waterfall and a Jacuzzi.
"Mara, are you listening?" Megan asked.
"Oh, no, sorry," Mara said. "What did you say?"
"I told you that I hid the paper from them--if they'd seen it, you'd be back home in like, ten seconds. You know what Dad's like."
"Thank God. I owe you."
"No kidding. That's why I'm coming down to visit you in two weeks. I want to see where my famous little sister hangs out!"
"That would be awesome!" Mara replied.
"I know. That's why I didn't wait for an invitation," Megan said.
"What do you mean? You know you're always welcome!" Mara protested.
"That's why I'm coming to visit. Anyway, I gotta go. I was supposed to rinse Mrs. Norman ten minutes and now her hair is going to be lavender. See you soon!"
Mara hung up the phone, feeling better. Her favorite sister,
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Megan, was coming down to visit! It would be so great to have Megan around--they could do some normal stuff, like get burgers at O'Malley's in East Hampton and maybe have a lobster boil on the beach. Mara could use a little break, and there was nothing like family to bring you back down to earth when you've had too much champagne.
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garrett reels in a catch
THE RICH WERE DIFFERENT. MARA HAD UNDERSTOOD THAT
ever since last summer, when she met the Perry twins, who didn't think anything of spending eight hundred dollars on a designer dress but drew the line at paying for their own cocktails, and Ryan Perry, who drove a custom-made British sports car but filled the tank with unleaded to save a few bucks. Only a family like the Reynoldses would build a saltwater pool--a giant fish tank you could swim in--a mere thirty feet from the ocean. Garrett invited Mara over to check it out, since it had just been stocked with fish. The water was warm and soothing as Mara stepped inside.
"Another one?" Garrett asked, wading in with a pitcher of mango margaritas.
"I've already had two," Mara said, waving it away. "Maybe I should cool it a little," she said. "My sister's coming to visit soon, I don't want her to think--"