Beach Lane

by Melissa de la Cruz

“Screw you,” Poppy sneered. Her older brother was such a killjoy.

  these girls aren’t as predictable as they look

  “CODY! YOU GET BACK HERE, YOU HEAR? CODY!” Eliza yelled in despair.

  The two-year-old streaked out of the main house completely naked, chortling to himself.

  Inside, William was gleefully lobbing soggy Cocoa Puffs on the floor, and Zoë and Madison were bickering over who ate the last blueberry scone.

  Eliza made a last-ditch effort to try and tackle the baby. With Jacqui nowhere to be found and Mara nursing a killer hangover (mixing star fruit margaritas and cabernet was a very bad idea, it turned out), Eliza was the only one available for kid duty.

  “Need some help?” Jeremy asked, picking up Cody by his elbows and swinging him into Eliza’s arms.

  “They never listen to me,” Eliza lamented.

  With Jeremy’s help Eliza got all the kids, the picnic basket, the Hokey Pokey Elmo, the Limbo Elmo, the Chicken Dance Elmo, two Bratz babies, coloring books, and sand shovels and buckets into the car.

  “I had a really nice time last night,” she said as Jeremy leaned into the window.

  “Me too.”

  Impulsively she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

  “Eliza and Jeremy sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I . . .,” Madison began to chant.

  “Shush!” Eliza said, putting a hand on the girl’s mouth. But she gave Jeremy a warm smile.

  “I’ll see you later,” she said with a lopsided grin.

  “Later.” He bowed a little at the waist and walked back toward the garden.

  * * *

  Eliza hustled the kids to their usual spot on Main Beach near the lifeguard section. They didn’t have proper bathrooms at Two Mile Hollow, and that had ended up being a bit of a problem the other day. The kids were running wild, and Eliza was so bummed to be on solo babysitting duty today.

  But just a few paces ahead was Mara. Good old Mara. She was wearing awfully big sunglasses and nursing a Gatorade, but she was there. Lord be praised.

  “About time you guys got here,” Mara said, taking Cody out of his stroller and giving him a little tickle.

  “What happened to you! You looked like you were at death’s door this morning,” Eliza said.

  “I was, I was. But Ryan made me this great hangover remedy—Worcestershire sauce and egg yolk.”

  Eliza made a face. “Ew.”

  “I know, but it worked. I don’t have a headache anymore, but I’m still so dehydrated,” Mara said, taking another gulp.

  “How’d you get here so fast?”

  “Ryan drove me.”

  “Of course,” Eliza wanted to say, but held her tongue. Mara was so weird about the whole Ryan situation, and Eliza didn’t want to make her feel self-conscious about it.

  Mara took the baby by the shore, and Eliza and the others followed.

  “C’mon Cody, just a few more steps. It won’t hurt, c’mon, I got you.”

  Cody followed Mara tentatively, but screamed and ran away as the waves crashed.

  “It’s no use. The kid is never going to learn to swim,” Mara sighed. “Cody! Come on! Look, it’s fun!” she said, splashing the water.

  “I saw Jeremy this morning—he was so cute! He helped me put all the kids in the car. And we were looking all scruffy . . .,” Eliza said dreamily. Since when do I say things like “scruffy”? she wondered dreamily. “He was wearing the cutest overalls. Did you see?”

  “Enough! I’m already about to vomit,” Mara joked. She was in a lot better mood after seeing Ryan that morning—they’d acted like everything was normal, which made it feel pretty, well, normal. She could even forgive Eliza’s indiscretions last night. No one was perfect, and Mara was sure Eliza didn’t really mean half the things she said. Look at how she glowed whenever she said Jeremy’s name.

  “You’re so mean!” Eliza pouted. “I finally find a guy I really like and I can’t even tell you about all the cute things he did!”

  “What about Charlie?” Mara asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Eliza shrugged, “Jeremy is just so perfect, and, I don’t know, he’s so good with the kids. . . .”

  “Seriously, Liza, I’m going to yak if you don’t get out of here,” Mara said with a smirk.

  “Out of here?”

  Mara waved her doubts away. “Totally. Go see him. You saved my butt the other day at the polo match. Go ahead! Really, just go!”

  “I owe you one!” Eliza squealed, wrapping her arms around Mara and giving her a kiss.

  She ran down the dune, hoping to catch Jeremy before he went home for the day.

  poor little not-so-rich girl

  ELIZA TIPTOED BACK INTO THE ESTATE, DUCKING BEHIND the statuary as she observed Kevin Perry heading off for the yacht club. He was taking out the schooner today and had even invited Jacqui to come with him. Kevin stood in front of his Ferrari Spider, checking his watch. But when it was clear Jacqui wasn’t going to appear anytime soon, he drove off in a snit.

  Eliza crept through the back entrance and found Jeremy planting hyacinths near the croquet hoops.

  “Guess who?” she asked, covering his eyes with her hands.

  “Sugar? Is that you? I’m awful tired out right now,” Jeremy joked. “Or is it Poppy, hoping for some action?”

  “That’s so not funny,” she said, walking off, a little hurt. She didn’t think anything to do with the twins was in any way entertaining.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Jeremy said, running to catch up with her. “I’m just goofing around.”

  He nudged her in the midsection and Eliza smiled. She couldn’t really stay mad at him for long.

  “C’mon,” she said, taking his hand and leading him to the au pairs’ cottage. They snuck inside the attic room, which was still mercifully empty. (Hell, wasn’t too often no one was there, after all.)

  “Nice digs,” Jeremy said, checking out the small, eight-by-ten room.

  “It’s not the Four Seasons, that’s for sure.” Eliza sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked at him expectantly. Now that she had ditched work to hang out with him, she wasn’t sure what they were going to do.

  She tried her hardest to look endearingly innocent, sitting there in her pink sundress and canvas espadrilles, waiting for him to make the first move.

  Jeremy took a seat next to her. “So.”

  “So.”

  They turned to each other, and the next thing Eliza knew, he was kissing her. Softly at first, on the lips, light little trembly things. She closed her eyes. He smelled like the dark, warm earth with a hint of sweat and the sun. One of his hands was tangled in her hair, the other caressed the small of her back.

  She returned his kisses eagerly, exploring the taste of his mouth. He tasted like mint and Dr. Pepper. He thought she smelled like coconuts and vanilla.

  He pulled her on his lap, and she buried her face in his chest.

  “That’s nice,” she said.

  “Mmm?”

  “Last night, did I tell you I live in Buffalo now?” she asked.

  “No, you just said you grew up on Park Avenue.”

  “I did.” She sighed, resting her face in the crook of his neck and liking the way his stubble felt on her skin.

  “My dad used to be a big deal on Wall Street. You might have heard of him. He was kind of famous. There was some scandal with the accounting stuff, and he lost his job and we had to leave our apartment. My parents had to sell everything—their art collection, the house here . . . and we moved to Buffalo.”

  “Buffalo’s not so bad.”

  “No, it’s worse.” Eliza moaned. “It’s awful. All the kids think I’m a total snob and no one talks to me. And the thing is, I don’t even do anything. I don’t have anything to be snobby about. My dad’s on unemployment, and my mom got a job at Kinko’s to make ends meet.”

  Jeremy was silent and stroked her hair. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, holding her close.

  It felt go
od to talk about all this. Eliza had never really told anyone what happened to her—what her life was really like. She was so comfortable around him, knowing that he wouldn’t judge her, somehow knowing she could tell him anything, anything at all about herself, and he would still like her.

  “I never realized I was so spoiled before. I used to charge my lunch at this fancy restaurant in the city every day—like, thirty-dollar hamburgers and stuff—and I never gave it a second thought. And I would go into Barneys and Bergdorfs and buy whatever I wanted. Sometimes I’d even harass the salespeople to find things at other stores if they didn’t have it in my size.”

  She paused, remembering those heady, halcyon days, when she had her own Town Car at her beck and call and her AmEx didn’t have a preset limit.

  “I know this sounds really shallow, but I really miss it. I miss it more than I ever thought I would. Before, I could walk into any room, and everyone thought I was so special just from looking at me. Sugar and Poppy used to be in my clique in high school. They were part of my group. My clothes were always the coolest, the newest, the most expensive. My hair was always the blondest. I had it highlighted every thirteen days. I was thinner than everybody. Even the building we lived in—it was the hardest one to get into in the city. I just had IT, you know? But now I can’t afford to have IT anymore. I just look like everyone else.”

  She looked at him, afraid she would find him laughing at her. Eliza knew they were stupid, silly, material things. But it practically broke her heart when the strap of her Mombassa handbag broke. She knew she would never be able to afford another one.

  “I know it’s kind of funny. I mean, please, I know people are starving somewhere. But I’m really kind of . . . sad,” she said.

  “You have every right to be,” Jeremy soothed. “It’s only natural. But Eliza—you have nothing to worry about. The first time I saw you, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. And it had nothing to do with whatever “IT” is or whether you have the latest Dolce and Gambino or whatever; you just have this glow about you.”

  He took her face in his hands again, cupping her chin. “You’re absolutely beautiful. And I know we’re just getting to know each other, but I think you’re beautiful inside and out.”

  It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her.

  She kissed him long and hard. One day she was going to show him just how much he meant to her.

  the only good thing anna perry has ever said

  ON MONDAY MORNING ANNA CALLED AN EARLY MEETING in her office. Mara and Eliza walked to the third floor, the only level they hadn’t yet explored. They found their boss inside a magnificent, book-lined room, sitting in front of dainty writing desk, dictating a memo to Laurie, who had her pen poised in readiness.

  “Thus I feel it is in everyone’s best interest that I chair the fund-raiser this year,” Anna said crisply. “I expect my choice of lead designer to bring in thousands in guaranteed contributions.”

  Anna looked up and raised a finger so Mara and Eliza wouldn’t interrupt. “All best, Mrs. Anna Farnsworth Perry. The number is on the fax machine.”

  She waved the girls to sit down. They sank into the velvet-upholstered armchairs. Mara looked around at all the beautiful hard-covered books on the walls. She wondered if Anna even bothered to read them. Eliza had a shy smile on her face. She was still thinking about Jeremy.

  “We have to take the kids back to the city this week to meet with their independent private school admissions counselor,” Anna said. “So we’ll have to skip this week’s progress report. You don’t mind, do you, girls?” She smiled.

  Mara and Eliza shook their heads. Not at all. They didn’t mind one bit. Especially since they had yet to have a weekly progress meeting anyway, and they were already more than halfway through the summer.

  “By the way, I haven’t seen that—Jacqui—around very much. Is she ill?” Anna asked, concerned.

  “No, she’s, uh—giving Cody his bath,” Mara improvised.

  “Yeah, she’s been working on his water treatment,” Eliza agreed. “Some kind of South American theory.”

  “Good. Good idea.” Anna nodded crisply. “Can you please excuse me for a moment, girls?” Anna teetered in her Manolos toward the hallway.

  “I’m so sick of covering up for her all the time!” Mara complained when Anna left the room to check on the fax she’d asked Laurie to send. She and Eliza had noticed some really strange clothes coming in and out of their cottage, but they hadn’t seen their third roommate in the flesh since . . . well, since the polo match, come to think of it.

  “Where do you think she is?” Mara asked.

  “Beats me. Maybe she has a new boyfriend. She’s certainly not sleeping here.”

  “I’m worried about her,” Mara said.

  “She’s fine. Jacqui’s a big girl. She can take care of herself,” Eliza said.

  “I hope so.” Mara frowned.

  “Don’t stress yourself over it; she’s not worth it. I mean, she obviously doesn’t even care to tell us where she is, so why should we bother?” Eliza had nothing against Jacqui except to begrudge her getting out of a fair share of the work. Another pair of hands would have been sorely appreciated the day William decided to try out his krav maga training on his sisters.

  Mara sighed. “I just hope she knows what she’s doing.”

  Anna returned to the room, looking a little ruffled and arguing with her hapless assistant. “I told you to type it up on my personal letterhead, not just a blank piece of paper.”

  “I’m so sorry; I didn’t check.”

  “Well, send it again. They might not even look at it! I know the committee is meeting today.”

  “Yes’m.” Laurie bowed, skittering out of the room.

  Anna looked surprised to find Eliza and Mara still sitting in front of her desk. “That’s it, girls. You can go. And don’t worry, we’ll be back for Super Saturday, and if you need anything . . . Ryan is in charge.”

  It was like music to their very tan ears.

  ryan calls a very important meeting in the hot tub

  THE REST OF THE WEEK FLEW BY IN A FUN-FILLED BLUR. Without any kids to look after, Eliza and Mara spent the entire time perfecting their tans and discovering new shopping streets. On Wednesday they hit the Saks in Southampton, Thursday was the Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, and on Friday they bought matching vintage Lilly Pulitzer dresses at Colette. They were also spending a lot time with the boys. Eliza and Jeremy had explored the vineyards on the North Fork, and Mara had been taking surf lessons from Ryan, sans Camille, thank goodness

  Friday night Ryan called a house meeting in the hot tub.

  “So I was thinking . . . it’s about time we had a little party,” Ryan said, grinning from behind the bubbles. “You know, just a small party—only close friends,” he suggested.

  “That sounds awesome!” Eliza cheered.

  “Sure, it sounds like fun.” Mara nodded.

  “Okay, so tomorrow night, then. Mara, you’ll come with me to get the food. Eliza, you have the best ID, so I’ll put you in charge of the booze. And Jacqui, hey, where the hell is Jacqui?” Ryan asked, his face furrowing. “Has anyone seen her lately?”

  Mara and Eliza shook their heads a little guiltily. They knew something was up with Jacqui—but both of them had been so wrapped up in their own lives, they barely paid attention to anything else.

  * * *

  The next evening Mara and Ryan set off to Barefoot Contessa to amass party treats. They were picking out smoked salmon platters and choosing between canapés when Mara’s phone started ringing incessantly.

  “Who’s trying to get a hold of you so bad?” Ryan asked, balancing several baguettes in one arm and holding a jar of caviar in the other.

  “Jim,” Mara explained. They hadn’t talked about Jim or Camille since their almost-kiss the week before, but they also hadn’t come close to anything like that again, so Mara was ready to chock it up to the cabernet (and the margaritas, ahem). “I just kind
of need a break from us for a while. I really can’t deal with him right now.”

  “Mmm,” Ryan grunted.

  “But it’s not, like, permanent or anything,” she added hastily, for no good reason.

  Mara looked sidelong at Ryan while she pretended to pick out tortilla chips, and she couldn’t help but notice that maybe, just maybe, he looked a little down when she’d said it wasn’t “permanent.”

  eliza always gets what she wants, even if she doesn’t want it anymore

  “I THOUGHT I SAID CLOSE FRIENDS ONLY,” RYAN GROUSED as he surveyed the fully packed living room, dining room, ballroom, game room, pool area, patio, and sundeck. Everyone under the age of twenty-one in the Hamptons was present and accounted for, including several rock star offspring and the cast of MTV reality shows.

  Sugar and Poppy had done what they did best—spread the news—and keeping things “small” was in no way part of their agenda. They had even hired a publicist, who had secured a party permit and made sure there was valet parking for guests.

  “Great idea, bro!” Sugar hooted at Ryan as she was carried, sphinx-like, by an army of admirers toward the back cabana.

  Ryan shook his head. Oh, well, might as well enjoy it. He turned up the stereo so that the rafters shook to the beat of the Hamptons’ perennial “It’s All About the Benjamins.”

  Already all the bedrooms were occupied, and the smell of pot was strong in the air. A clique of British teens were huddled around the glass dining room, and a fedora-wearing dealer (a Bennington alum on his summer vacation) was making the rounds.

  Ryan found Mara standing to the side, sipping a glass of white wine.

  “You having fun?”

  “Who are all these people?” she asked in astonishment.

  “Beats me. They must all be my sisters’ friends.” Ryan laughed. “C’mon, I see my boys down by the patio.”

  * * *

  Eliza kept an eye out for Jeremy. He was supposed to be here by now. He had promised he would be there by eleven, after he got off his second job as a waiter at TGI Friday’s in Hauppauge. She fluffed her hair in the mirror and made herself another vodka tonic. Things were going so well between them, every time he left her side, she missed him instantly. She didn’t know she could feel this way about anyone.