Besides, she was in a good mood. She was going to see Marcus again tonight. The two of them had been flirtin
g ever since the store opening, meeting with Midas and Eliza to brainstorm the shots for the "reality fashion" spread. It turned out that "reality fashion" was just as scripted as reality television. Although the photographs were meant to look like they were documenting a "day in the life" of a normal person, everything was carefully thought out and planned beforehand. Midas had suggested they start by shooting her at a fabulous party to create a glamorous, jet-setting image, and what better venue than the annual Hamptons magazine Independence Day bash? The party at the publisher's waterfront estate was the hottest ticket in town--the biggest, most exclusive, and most extravagant party of the season.
"I'll be back by five," Mara promised, deciding to drop it. They had agreed to switch off on the kids for the day so that she
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could attend Ryan's beach party early and Jacqui would be free to fulfill her modeling duties at the magazine party later.
She hugged Jacqui goodbye and walked out the back door toward the beach path that led to the Perry estate. She began the trek with a light step, but by the time she arrived at the right hedges ten minutes later, the heat had caused her hair to frizz and her floaty top, which had been so airy and breezy in her air-conditioned bedroom, was wet with perspiration and stuck to her body in a most unflattering manner, bunching up in her underarms and against her butt. She huffed from exertion and cursed a little bit at the sand that had stuck to the soles of her feet.
The smell of grilled meat and the soft sound of reggae greeted her as she approached the Perry house. She felt a wave of nostalgia as she opened the terrace's low gate. There was the patio where she'd played poker with Ryan and his buddies that first summer, and that was the pool where her then-boyfriend Jim Mizekowski had caught her and Ryan skinny-dipping that same night. Too many memories. Mara sucked in her breath, wiped the sweat from her brow, and walked toward the crowd gathered by the Weber grill.
Ryan's surfer friends were scattered about the pool area, some bobbing in the water on floaties and a few seated by the edge, their tanned legs dangling in the water. Like he'd said, it was a casual event--although this being the Hamptons, the girls were decked out in their Eres bikinis and matching Gaultier sarongs.
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Mara was glad she'd dressed up, even if the peasant top had left her drenched in sweat.
She said hello to a few familiar faces as she made her way to the cooler, placing the six-pack of Corona she'd brought inside. She straightened, looking around for Ryan. She took off her cover-up--dear God, it was hot!--and stretched, making sure she wasn't popping out of the bikini. She'd never worn a two-piece that small before, although Jacqui had assured her tangas were more comfortable since they were cut close to the body and better for swimming. A few of the assembled guys did double takes when they saw her, although she was too busy retying the strings on her left hip to notice.
Now where was Ryan?
She was determined to prove to him that they could be friends--real friends--just like he and Eliza were friends. She could live with being called "dude" so long as he remembered how totally hot she was. Really, though, there was no reason they had to be estranged from each other just because they'd once been so close they could finish each other's sentences and knew each other's deepest secrets. (Mara's was that she'd once cheated on a math test, Ryan's that he'd actually attended an American Idol tour concert-- with his little sister, of course). The two of them should be able to hang out, do everything they used to do--well, not everything, but she wanted him back in her life in some capacity at least. She could really use a guy friend, especially now that David, still silent after her vindictive e-mail, seemed to be out of the picture.
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She was on her tiptoes looking around the party, the tiny strings on her bikini dangling sexily down her back and from her hips, when she saw him.
Sitting in the middle of the circle by the grill, holding hands with a head-turning blonde. A girl who looked all too familiar, and who was wearing an all-too-familiar teensy turquoise bikini.
Tinker!
The chick from Ryan's frat at Dartmouth who had lived in the yacht next to theirs last summer.
Mara felt a stab of--what? Shock? Jealousy? She couldn't be sure. But she was determined--there was that word again--to ignore it. So what if Ryan and Tinker were now an item? Wasn't that just natural? After all, they shared so many things in common--they were both great surfers, they lived for the outdoors, they both looked great in pastel polo tops, and their families both had truckloads of money.
It was almost sickening how absolutely perfect they were for each other. Mara had always suspected that Ryan would be a lot happier with a girlfriend who shared his interests. Now it looked like he'd found her.
She should just go. She felt awkward and out of place. But before her flip-flops could take her back to the safety of the shadowy hedges, Ryan spotted her and waved her over with a smile. She walked toward him slowly, as if approaching the lion's den.
"Hey, you made it," he said easily, seemingly unaffected by her presence.
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"Yeah." Mara hoped her smile looked natural. She felt even more naked in the tiny tanga than she had the other night when she really was naked.
"Hey, Mara," Tinker greeted her with a smile, leaning over to massage Ryan's shoulders. If she was surprised to see Mara there, she was certainly doing a good job of hiding it. "Nice to see you."
"You too," Mara said. "Hot out," she added awkwardly, fanning herself with her bunched-up top. Had she really just reverted to talking about the weather?
"It's insane." Tinker nodded politely, her hands still on Ryan's bare shoulders. "Hottest summer in the Hamptons ever, I think."
"Have a beer, take a seat," Ryan offered. "Hey, Chuckles, move over," he said, ordering his friend Charlie to make room for Mara.
"Nah . . . I've got to go, actually. Another party. You know how it is." Mara shrugged and sighed, as if her schedule were just way too busy for her to even contemplate staying one more minute. "I just wanted to come by over and say hi."
"Oh--of course." He nodded. "'Tis the Fourth, after all. The Hamptons Christmas." Mara gave him a small smile, feeling the slightest bit more comfortable. They'd always compared the busy social schedule on the Fourth of July weekend to the jam-packed winter holidays. It was part of their secret language--which she'd been worried Ryan no longer spoke.