Skinny Dipping (The Au Pairs 2)

"Let's talk, Mar," Eliza said bravely, when she got a little closer.

Mara nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good."

"You, too, Jac," Eliza said. "All of us. It's been too long."

The three of them ambled to the beach in silence, Jacqui walking between Mara and Eliza, hoping she could be the peanut butter to stick the three of them back together. They watched the seagulls glide gently over the waves and the ocean glitter under the setting sun. The hurricane had stirred up the ocean floor, and the beach was littered with broken seashells and assorted debris.

Finally, Eliza turned to Mara. "I'm really sorry. For everything. I really hope ... I mean, I hope you know I would never do anything

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to hurt you," she said, her voice cracking. "I know you and Ryan are meant to be, and I made a mistake, and I'm really sorry. I wish I'd told you about Palm Beach earlier--I tried, but not hard enough. ..."

" 'Liza, don't. Please don't cry," Mara said. "I was so awful to you at the fashion show, and I accused you of taking those stupid earrings. I'm so embarrassed. It's my fault too."

"No, really, it's me," Eliza said, wiping at her face with her whole palm. She reached down and blew her nose on the bottom of her gorgeous Missoni shirt. It was such an un-Eliza move that Mara and Jacqui had to laugh.

Mara nodded. "I trust you," she said simply. And, looking in her heart, she found that it was true. She really did trust Eliza. People made mistakes. She understood that now. And as happy as she was to be with Ryan again, her friendship with Eliza was just as important. You only met a few kindred spirits in your life, and you had to hold on to the ones you were lucky enough to find.

Eliza's eyes filled with tears again. In a hoarse voice, she said, "I hope you guys know you're the best friends I've ever had."

Jacqui slung an arm around each of their shoulders, and the three of them hugged each other tightly. Mara started to sob too, and without entirely totally knowing why, Jacqui did as well. They'd been so lonely without each other.

"Hey, look ..." Jacqui said, pointing to some trash that had washed up on the beach. "Doesn't that look like our bottle?"

Mara almost couldn't believe it, but it was the same rum

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bottle they'd hidden their message in at the start of the summer. What were the chances?

Eliza pulled the cork open and fished out the label. On top of the scrap was their note: Hello from Mara Waters, Eliza Thompson, and Jacarei Velasco in the Hamptons. We're having the summer of our lives. If you find our bottle, please write your name and a note and toss it back into the ocean.

Scrawled on the bottom of the page was the following:

Hello from Nova Scotia, Canada, from Sandra Shepherd, Alana King, and Margritte Lyon. We found your bottle floating in White Point Beach. We're having an amazing summer, too!

Jacqui, Eliza, and Mara laughed. It was like a little miracle.

"Nova Scotia! God, that's far away," Eliza said.

"The hurricane probably pushed it farther," Jacqui surmised. "Or brought it back."

"I wonder if they're like us," Mara mused, touching her neck. The Mikimoto pearl necklace. Mitzi had said it was hers to keep at the start of the summer. It was the only real gift from the designers. Mara thought of a certain tall redheaded sister of hers who would love it.

"Next summer--we'll be back!" Eliza declared. "Next summer-- I know this sounds so cheesy, but I promise--it'll be the best summer yet. It'll be the summer of our lives."

Jacqui and Mara smiled indulgently. They were all thinking of the Internet ad that had gotten the three of them together in the first place. Would they au pair for the Perrys again? It was hard to

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say. Ryan had told Mara about little cottages you could rent down on the beach. Eliza was already planning her next internship, maybe for a fashion designer--she'd had enough of nightclub hostessing. And Jacqui . . . well, Jacqui was just thinking of how cute Kit had looked yesterday, and of making her dreams of NYU come true.

The day after the hurricane, the world was still, and at peace. It was a cleansing, a catharsis. The Hamptons would survive: During the fall the roads would be repaired, the monstrous houses rebuilt, and, come May, a new crew of hopefuls looking for fun and sun would come to play, fall in love, and drink too much champagne on the sandy white beaches.

Mara, Jacqui, and Eliza vowed that they would be back. Next summer would be here before they knew it.

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