Postcards From Last Summer

 

“If readers thought Becky Bloomwood of
Shopaholic
fame was bad, wait until they meet Alana Marshall-Hughs . . . The author of
Party Girls
and
Girls' Night Out
again delivers a lighthearted, entertaining comedy.”—
Booklist

 

“A pleasant, easy read, enlivened by fast-paced storytelling.” —
Romantic Times

 

 

 

“Even better than her first outing, Bailey's second novel is delightful and impossible to put down.”—
Booklist

 

 

 

“Roz Bailey's trio of fabulous 30-something Manhattanites are still the eponymous party girls in this
Sex and the City
-style urban romp.”—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Bailey's tale is snazzy, fun, and filled with likable characters worth rooting for.”—
Booklist

 

“An invigorating story, filled with dynamic, appealing characters . . . Highly recommended,
Party Girls
is a thoroughly satisfying read. ”—
Romantic Times

 

 

 

 

 

Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.

Postcards From Last Summer

ROZ BAILEY

KENSINGTON BOOKS
www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

Many thanks to my brother, Jack Noonan, the windsurfing engineer, for his accurate and comical surfing tips. Special thanks to Nancy Bush for reading over trouble spots and to Lisa Jackson for her guidance on all things promotional, and to both sisters for their constant support. My editor, John Scognamiglio, is the most patient, savvy man in the publishing industry and I thank my lucky stars for him every day. And finally, a shout to my kids who succumbed to way too many meals of peanut-butter toast and yogurt while I was finishing this manuscript.

 

press my hands to my cheeks, feeling very much like the psycho man in that Edvard Munch painting
The Scream
. Really, what the hell am I doing here in the middle of all these acutely fashion-conscious people in designer heels and Botox-enhanced faces and skinny camisole tops with skinnier straps over their airbrushed tans? Handsome young waiters, their bronze skin a stark contrast to their crisp white shirts, circulate through the crowd dispensing trays of lemon drops and smiles. This is the Hamptons I'd spent my childhood competing with: the other side of the dunes, where the rich kids crash their parents' Jags and down fifths of Dewar's on the beach as they lament over piddly problems.

Certainly not what my grandparents envisioned when they settled here, my grandfather serving as town doc to the local shopkeepers and hunters, farmers, clammers, and fishermen. They came to love the isolation of the east end of Long Island, its substantial distance from New York City, beyond the reach of expressways. Feeling more simpatico with New England to the north, Grammy and Grandad lobbied for this area to secede from Suffolk County and form their own Peconic County.

What would Grammy think of this McMansion of a building set on a bluff overlooking the beach, its neat green-and-white striped awnings and etched glass windows shrieking “look at me!”? How Grandad would crow over the expanse of green lawn, the “unnatural” appearance of grass in an ocean setting, the conspicuous consumption of it all. And Ma . . . she'd really sink her teeth into all this juicy “hoopla” over her daughter. My mother would have been quite at ease here, but I am freaking quietly inside.

I am sitting at a table stacked with dozens of copies of my book, ready for purchase and personalized autograph, as if any of these people care. The lemon yellow cover tugs at my heartstrings, as I've poured so much of myself into this piece and hate to see it so on display, so vulnerable and neglected. It's titled
Greetings from Bikini Beach
, and the cover features a simple black string bikini, an image I have always loved until this moment when I look down and see it taking the shape of a face, the bikini bottom smiling back at me.

God help me, it's alive. If one strap slipped, the damned cover would be winking at me.

“Could you sign this for Carole with an
e
?” A woman hands me a book. Her blond hair is pulled back in a twist, emphasizing her cheekbones. Huge cheekbones. She could be hiding golf balls in there.

“Sure,” I say effusively, worried about my cover. “Are you Carole?”

“No, it's for my friend. She likes this kind of book.”

Liar.
I wonder what kind of book that might be . . . perhaps novels with winking bikinis on the cover?

“Where's the guest of honor?” a cranky female voice demands. “I'm looking for the guest of honor!”

Oh, God, that's me, but she sounds so imperious I don't dare look up from the book I am signing for Carole, with an
e.
Not that I'd be able to get away from Carole, the crystal-eyed woman murmuring under her breath as she waits for an autograph. Her eyes are so blue, I wonder if it's those colored contacts or worse . . . transplants. Are they doing eye transplants yet? Pick your eye color; choose classic baby blues or rare, exotic purple. “Do I have stories to tell you,” she prattles. “My boyfriend is the bouncer in a private club, and the things that go on there . . . You could write another book, maybe two.”

“I'll bet.”

“Really, I'll have to take you there sometime. It's a sex club.”

“Really?” I try to keep that squeaky squirrel quality out of my voice. About to hit my thirties and having published a book, I shouldn't sound like a five-year-old anymore, but I do. And I'm sure the big, round belly of baby bumping into the table isn't helping me look like a worldly, sexy sophisticate. As I try to sign the book, the pen seems to be running out of ink, and this is a woman who'd probably be a complainer if the signature is too light or not loopy enough. “We'll have to catch up on stories someday.” I say this hoping it will never happen, of course. Although the woman looks familiar—one of Elle's neighbors? A clerk in a Hamptons store?—I don't think we'll ever get together and chat, but I don't know how to tell her that I've got a bazillion stories swirling in my inadequate brain and a significant lack of organization and time to write them all down.

“Where's the guest of honor?” the woman with the cranky voice demands, and I see her pausing beside a giant bin of pansies, a remarkably petite little thing for such a big voice. A waiter points her over to me as the next person in line slides her book over.

“You're not at all what I expected,” Carole tells me, her eyes mysterious marbles behind a thicket of moussed bangs. “I mean, you're so much older than I thought. And, well, look at you . . .”

We both look down at me, at the bulk I had thought the table hid fairly well. “I'm not thirty yet,” I tell her. “Not quite.” My upcoming birthday would slam me into that new decade.

Mrs. Cranky pushes ahead, shouldering the woman out of her way with a linen suit so crisp it could cut the brie on the cheese platter. “Are you Lindsay McCorkle, the guest of honor?” She tips her head down so that she can spy me over the wide lenses of her sunglasses. “I just had to introduce myself—Esther Lefkowitz, lifetime Hamptons resident. When I heard about your book I knew you'd want to meet me, since I know everyone and everything in the Hamptons.”

“How wonderful for you,” I say, confused. The book is written, and since it's fiction I didn't exactly interview people for research.

“Yes, I'm fourth-generation Southamptonite. My grandfather was a trapper, back in the days when folks knew the only good beaver was a dead one.” She folds her arms across her black and red print smock. “So go on, ask me anything about the Hamptons . . . I know it all.”

“Um . . . actually, I'm working on my next book, which is set in Seattle, and I've already switched gears.”

“Did you know Tony Curtis used to vacation here? Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller honeymooned in Amagansett. And let me tell you, I've met all the big ones. Donna Karan, the famous fashion designer. JFK Jr.—such a pity about that boy, and thank God Jackie didn't live to see it! I've rubbed elbows with Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol. And Lorne Michaels and that Chevy Chase fella. I know which house belongs to Jerry Seinfeld and which one used to belong to Billy and Christie. Oh, and Sarah Jessica . . . such a doll, and the manners on that girl!”

“That's quite a gallery of celebrities.” I nod, realizing there's no one else in line and I'm stuck with Esther, at least for the moment. Unless of course one of my friends arrives and saves me. What are the chances of that? My husband is here, but I doubt that he'll make any rescue attempts—my best friend is known for choosing the path of least resistance. “Esther, would you like me to sign a book?”

“No, thank you, dear. I'll pick up a copy at the library.” She knocks on the cover with her tiny fist. “I've already got you on order.”

“Thanks. I'm flattered.”

“And such a fancy-pants party. You must be very important to your publisher.”

I am tempted to tell her that my publisher isn't even here and the party is being paid for by one of my old friends who's been hung up in Paris and can't even be here, but I'm feeling deflated enough as it is.

“Thank you, young man,” Esther says, stealing a V-shaped lemon drop from a passing waiter's tray. She slugs back the drink, blinking. “I'd offer you one, toots, but I see you're in no condition. So . . . did you ever think you'd become a big, hotshot writer, getting paid for your autograph?”

“The autographs are free; it's the book that'll cost you.”

“Very good.” She finishes her drink and nods like a bobblehead. “So go on, don't be shy. Ask me about anyone. If they've come to the Hamptons, I've met them.”

I mention a television star, and Esther rolls her eyes. “Couldn't come up with anyone more challenging? Let me tell you about Penny . . .”

As she begins to recollect the many times she'd met Penny, my eyes wander to the near horizon, the beach below our grassy bluff, where a handful of kids kneel in the sand. The skinny girls bent over, digging in the sand, probably for sand crabs or seashells, remind me so much of my friends and myself, some twenty years ago. Most of us were eight when we met—goofy third graders who enjoyed riding bikes, having bubblegum bubble-blowing contests, and staying up late to watch
Saturday Night Live
. Even at age eight, our personalities were well formed. There was Darcy the Queen Bee; Tara, the noble voice of jurisprudence; Elle, the brilliant eccentric. And me? I guess I was always the sucking-up peacemaker, the great facilitator.

As I watch, one of the scrawny girls slings a bucket of water on her friend, who shrieks and leaps to her feet to chase her friend and wrestle her to the ground.

I smile, recalling the first year the four of us were together . . .

 

 

Now, watching as one of the skinny girls stomps off the beach, I sigh. It's a wonder that Tara, Darcy, Elle, and I are still friends. Then again . . . here I am at my big pompous book signing in the Hamptons—the party Darcy insisted on—and where are they?

“Who else?” Esther prods, tinkling her fingers at a waiter with a tray of drinks. “Who else would you like to know about?”

I tap my chin, wondering if the number 15 sunblock will be enough to keep my skin from burning. It's supposed to be particularly bad to get a sunburn when you're pregnant, though I cannot remember the details on why that is so in my Esther-induced glaze. “How about Darcy Love. Have you ever met her?”

She accepts another lemon drop and holds it high with flair, as if to say: Ole! “Do you mean Darcy Love the actress?”

Is there more than one?
“That's the one,” I say, opening my eyes wide. “What do you hear about her?”

“She's a hot one now, isn't she?” Esther puts her drink down on one of my books and makes a show of adjusting the rings on her fingers—sapphires and amethysts, like jewels from the sea. Cocktail rings, my ma used to call them. “I happen to have attended a party here, when this place was the Love Mansion.” She nods toward the house looming behind me. “Of course, back then Darcy Love's parents were players in the Hamptons. The money they threw around! It was appalling, but not so bad if it was getting thrown on you.”

“Esther,” I say, intrigued. “Were you a player, too?”

She presses her palm to her cleavage, her rings sparkling in the sun. “Esther Lefkowitz. I write the Beach Buzz column for the
Hamptons Register
.”

I blink. “A reporter?”

“A gossip columnist,” she says. “And over the years, I must admit, my columns have gotten a few boosts from the activities of the Love family. But now Darcy . . .” She sighs. “She's become quite the phoenix, hasn't she? From the ashes rising? We all love a good redemption story.”

“Esther,” I pretend to be dumbfounded, “it sounds like you've read my book already!”

Esther snorts. “No, dear, but I can tell you a thing or two about Darcy Love. The girl spent every summer here. Let me tell you . . .”