If the three boys knew they were all dating the same girl, they never mentioned it to her, and for now, Jacqui gave no indication of her actions. Each boy had declared it was best not to let the other two find out about the relationship, and there had been many close calls already--she and Duffy sneaking out of the Jacuzzi just as Grant walked out to the patio, hiding in Ben's closet when Duffy suddenly walked in asking for a light, she and Grant getting his sailboat stuck among some rocks off the bay one afternoon and hoping they'd be rescued by the Coast Guard before Ben and Duffy figured out they were missing.
The last thing Jacqui wanted was for her good time to go bad. She'd promised herself she would come clean once she figured out which one of the boys she really wanted to be with. The problem stemmed from the fact that whenever she was with each of them individually, she was convinced he was the one. Duffy made her laugh, Grant was hands-down the best kisser, and Ben, the most romantic of the three, wrote her love songs on his guitar.
"I'm just having fun," Jacqui insisted. "It's harmless."
Mara shook her head as the lights dimmed. She already had enough trouble with one boyfriend; she couldn't even begin to imagine juggling the affections of three. "I hope you know what you're doing," she told her friend.
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and then she moved on to quarters. . . .
THE REYNOLDS CASTLE WAS SHAKING WITH THE SOUND OF a blistering bass line, and the whole house was packed with people gathered for what had now become the weekly "Dorm Debauchery debauchery." Jacqui was picking her way through the crowd, looking for one of the guys, when she chanced upon the person she would have thought least likely to attend one of these parties.
In the middle of the room, where a Ping-Pong table was littered with empty paper cups, was Anna Perry, intensely taking part in a no-holds-barred Beirut tournament. The guys had explained the rules of the game to Jacqui--but all she understood was that whenever the ball bounced, it meant the participants drank.
"Anna?" Jacqui asked, aghast, just as Anna slammed a Ping-Pong ball on the table and watched it hop around, finally landing in a cup. Jacqui shouldn't have been surprised, considering last weekend she'd bumped into Anna at the VIP lounge at the Star Room.
Anna jumped when she saw Jacqui. "Oh! Hi!"
"What are you doing here?" Jacqui asked. With a bunch of teenagers? ' was the unspoken part of the question.
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"Give me a sec," Anna called to the gathering, stepping away from the table, her pint of beer in its plastic cup in hand.
They walked over to a quieter corner, next to one of Chelsea Reynolds's prized Aztec sun calendars that the boys were using for target practice.
Jacqui noticed that there was something different about her boss--for one thing, Anna was wearing her hair long and loose in waves, like a lot of girls were doing now, including Jacqui. And her clothes! Gone were the embellished, structured, proper Michael Kors and Carolina Herrera ensembles. Anna was wearing a tight Skull and Bones polo shirt over a denim mini. The label was the most popular one in the Hamptons that summer--a line of preppy staples emblazoned with a Jolly Roger--like skull-and-bones logo. Anna Perry looked like she was thirty-three going on sixteen. ... It was a little disturbing.
"What's going on?"
Anna sighed loudly and took a big gulp from her beer cup. "I'm depressed. The lawyer's pressuring me to sign. He told me Kevin wants custody of Cody as well, since he's taking the rest of the kids when he moves out--can you believe it?"
"But didn't he send you a gift certificate to a spa the other day?" Jacqui asked, trying to rally. Her instincts had been right-- Kevin would be taking the kids. She would be out of a job for sure!
"He did, but I'm sure his secretary just ordered it. He never buys gifts himself," Anna noted shrewdly.
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Jacqui tried not to blush, since she herself had ordered the certificate but had put it under Kevin's name.
"But what about the iPod with all those songs?" Jacqui asked urgently.
Anna shrugged. "I guess."
"He can't want a divorce. I think he's just playing games--he wants you to think he wants out so he can win you back," Jacqui said.
"What are you talking about?" Anna asked. "I'm confused."
"Sometimes, asking for a divorce is just a sign of love," Jacqui said desperately, trying to channel Dr. Phil-like mumbo jumbo. She had to make Anna believe it.
"I don't know. Maybe it's for the best." Anna sighed. "Maybe I should just sign the papers, take Cody, and move back to Jersey. I just want to feel young again. All the passion is gone from our marriage. In the beginning--oh, it was crazy. He was crazy about me. Couldn't divorce Brigitte fast enou
gh. But now ..." Her voice trailed off. They heard the pounding sound of Kanye West snarling about gold diggers in the background.
"I think the divorce is just a smoke screen. I think Kevins planning something really special for the two of you," Jacqui said, as sincerely as she could. This was terrible. Operation Parent Trap was a bust--Kevin's "gifts" hadn't seemed to make an impression. And so far, Jacqui hadn't been able to come up with a way to get the two of them in the same city.
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