was open, exposing the silky Betsey Johnson. “Come with me, you guys,” she stated gravely. She beckoned to Brooke and Caleb, propping one of the doors open.
Brooke exchanged a quick glance with Caleb. He hopped out of his seat. It took her a little longer to hop up; her knees were a little shakier. Plus, she was wearing heels.
A blast of ocean wind struck Brooke’s face as she chased the two of them across the pool patio, toward the paved path that led past the tennis courts out onto the golf course. The unpleasant flutter in her stomach upgraded to a full-fledged churning.
“Hey, Charlotte,” she called. “What’s going on?” Brooke hated being left out of anything.
“Shh!” Charlotte hissed. She whirled around and raised a finger to her lips, pausing at the path entrance. “We can’ttalk anymore after this. Just follow me, and don’t make a sound. You’ll see…” She tiptoed out onto the path.
Caleb followed obediently, mimicking her every motion, down to the hunched form of her back.
Brooke stood there, unable to move. She watched them scramble onto the golf green, ducking down like burglars. Normally, an insane scenario like this would have sent her into a fit of hysterics. But for some weird reason, she was legitimately worried. Georgia had obviously lied about running off to meet her dad. Duh. But if Ethan had caught Georgia sneaking out to the golf course, it obviously meant Georgia hadn’t ditched Brooke and Charlotte to meet him. Which meant…what?
This was all getting very complicated. Too complicated for summer.
Brooke raced after Caleb and Charlotte onto the golf course, teetering in her Manolo mules. No need to worry. In all likelihood, Georgia had used the phone call as an excuse to be by herself. Brooke told little lies all the time, as did Charlotte. If you needed to be alone, you needed to be alone. But any other form of betrayal was, in Brooke’s book, not to be taken lightly.
Charlotte and Caleb crept behind the shrubbery near the 2nd hole. Charlotte waved Brooke over, and gestured wildly toward three shadowy figures perched at the edge of a distant sand trap. Caleb’s eyes followed. His jaw dropped.
Bunching up the skirt of her Prada dress, Brooke crouched low beside them and squinted, struggling to keepher balance. Gradually, her vision began to adjust to the dim moon and starlight.
Now she understood why Charlotte had looked so shocked.
They’d found Georgia. They’d also found Marcus and Valerie.
“Is this some weird threesome thing?” Caleb asked.
“Shut up!” Charlotte hissed.
Brooke’s stomach squeezed again. Not just one betrayal. A double. Georgia Palmer had simply decided that the hot new lifeguard and the hot new chick were better company than the two girls she’d grown up with, and who were closer to her than her own family. She’d also conveniently decided to ignore the Second Unspoken Rule: Thou Shalt Not Poach Thy Friend’s Love Interest.
Unless she was just helping Valerie do the poaching.
“Should we say something?” Caleb stage-whispered. “Why all the secrecy?”
In the darkness, Charlotte and Brooke exchanged an understanding glance. Both girls knew that they couldn’t say anything now. They’d deal with it when they saw Georgia tomorrow.
Brooke got to her feet, shaky in her heels on the grass. She knew Charlotte would try to be the big person when confronting Georgia about her lie. But Brooke didn’t want to be a big person.
She was one heartbeat away from planning revenge.
Chapter Nine
Hang-Ups
Charlotte decided to make the call at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
Georgia would be up by now. Knowing her, she would have already stretched and worked out to a Pilates video. The entire Palmer family always went a little exercise-crazy over the summer. Charlotte could picture the scene in their Martha Stewart-perfect kitchen: the three of them, all goddamn perky, bustling around in their tennis whites, brewing the first pot of
Brooke exchanged a quick glance with Caleb. He hopped out of his seat. It took her a little longer to hop up; her knees were a little shakier. Plus, she was wearing heels.
A blast of ocean wind struck Brooke’s face as she chased the two of them across the pool patio, toward the paved path that led past the tennis courts out onto the golf course. The unpleasant flutter in her stomach upgraded to a full-fledged churning.
“Hey, Charlotte,” she called. “What’s going on?” Brooke hated being left out of anything.
“Shh!” Charlotte hissed. She whirled around and raised a finger to her lips, pausing at the path entrance. “We can’ttalk anymore after this. Just follow me, and don’t make a sound. You’ll see…” She tiptoed out onto the path.
Caleb followed obediently, mimicking her every motion, down to the hunched form of her back.
Brooke stood there, unable to move. She watched them scramble onto the golf green, ducking down like burglars. Normally, an insane scenario like this would have sent her into a fit of hysterics. But for some weird reason, she was legitimately worried. Georgia had obviously lied about running off to meet her dad. Duh. But if Ethan had caught Georgia sneaking out to the golf course, it obviously meant Georgia hadn’t ditched Brooke and Charlotte to meet him. Which meant…what?
This was all getting very complicated. Too complicated for summer.
Brooke raced after Caleb and Charlotte onto the golf course, teetering in her Manolo mules. No need to worry. In all likelihood, Georgia had used the phone call as an excuse to be by herself. Brooke told little lies all the time, as did Charlotte. If you needed to be alone, you needed to be alone. But any other form of betrayal was, in Brooke’s book, not to be taken lightly.
Charlotte and Caleb crept behind the shrubbery near the 2nd hole. Charlotte waved Brooke over, and gestured wildly toward three shadowy figures perched at the edge of a distant sand trap. Caleb’s eyes followed. His jaw dropped.
Bunching up the skirt of her Prada dress, Brooke crouched low beside them and squinted, struggling to keepher balance. Gradually, her vision began to adjust to the dim moon and starlight.
Now she understood why Charlotte had looked so shocked.
They’d found Georgia. They’d also found Marcus and Valerie.
“Is this some weird threesome thing?” Caleb asked.
“Shut up!” Charlotte hissed.
Brooke’s stomach squeezed again. Not just one betrayal. A double. Georgia Palmer had simply decided that the hot new lifeguard and the hot new chick were better company than the two girls she’d grown up with, and who were closer to her than her own family. She’d also conveniently decided to ignore the Second Unspoken Rule: Thou Shalt Not Poach Thy Friend’s Love Interest.
Unless she was just helping Valerie do the poaching.
“Should we say something?” Caleb stage-whispered. “Why all the secrecy?”
In the darkness, Charlotte and Brooke exchanged an understanding glance. Both girls knew that they couldn’t say anything now. They’d deal with it when they saw Georgia tomorrow.
Brooke got to her feet, shaky in her heels on the grass. She knew Charlotte would try to be the big person when confronting Georgia about her lie. But Brooke didn’t want to be a big person.
She was one heartbeat away from planning revenge.
Chapter Nine
Hang-Ups
Charlotte decided to make the call at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
Georgia would be up by now. Knowing her, she would have already stretched and worked out to a Pilates video. The entire Palmer family always went a little exercise-crazy over the summer. Charlotte could picture the scene in their Martha Stewart-perfect kitchen: the three of them, all goddamn perky, bustling around in their tennis whites, brewing the first pot of
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