Catfight! he mouthed, grinning. I widened my eyes and nodded in agreement.
It was more like a cat-puppy fight than anything. Olivia had her claws out, but Jacinta clearly just wanted to make friends and play.
“We should collaborate sometime!” Jacinta suggested brightly. “Cross-posting features, or writing a post together, something like that. You have the best Hamptons coverage of anyone, year-round.”
“I can tell you think so,” Olivia said. “I mean, based on how often you post about things that I’ve just posted about.”
Jacinta looked at her in surprise. I think it was just beginning to occur to her that Olivia might not have the best intentions. Jacinta was kind of mysterious and possibly a liar or at least a major exaggerator, but she was not a bitch. I don’t think she had a mean bone in her entire long, skinny body.
“So you’re European, right?” Olivia asked, popping her sunglasses up on her head.
“Yes,” Jacinta said a little cautiously. “Well, partly. My mother’s family is from Montana. My father’s family is Spanish.”
“That’s funny,” said Olivia. “Because ‘Trimalchio’ is an Italian name. Isn’t it.” She raised an eyebrow. She was acting like a cop who was just beginning to interrogate a perp on SVU or something.
“Spanish by way of Italy,” Jacinta said without missing a beat.
“I’m sure,” Olivia said. “And where did you go to school?”
“Oh, all over,” Jacinta said. “Tutors, mostly. A bit of time in a Swiss boarding school.”
“Which one?” Olivia asked, widening her eyes with the fakest curiosity you ever saw. “My sister teaches in Bern.”
“In—oh, she’s in Bern,” Jacinta said. “Yes, well, we were out in the countryside—far, far away from Bern. Little boarding school. Only about fifty students. No one has ever heard of it.”
“My cousins all go to a little boarding school in the Swiss countryside,” Olivia said. “I wonder if it’s the same school.”
“Probably not,” Jacinta said.
“I think it’s so interesting,” Olivia said, “that you comment on all these parties and what everyone’s wearing, but you’re never actually at any of them.”
“Well, I’ve been traveling a great deal,” Jacinta said. “Living all over the world. This has just sort of been a hobby of mine.”
“Looking at strangers’ party photos and writing about their outfits,” Olivia said.
Jacinta looked her straight in the eye, with a level expression. “Exactly,” she said firmly. “That’s how I have my fun.” Then she smiled brightly.
I could’ve hugged her. She wasn’t backing down in the face of this jerk’s attitude, and she’d dispensed with trying to win her over.
Olivia looked frustrated, and then she shoved her sunglasses back over her eyes.
“Well,” she said. “Nice talking to all of you.” Her tone indicated that it had been anything but nice.
“Lovely to meet you,” Jacinta said sweetly.
Without responding, Olivia turned on her heel and stalked off down the beach.
“She’s a real charmer,” Jeff said when Olivia was a safe distance down the beach.
“Jacinta, come sit with me,” I said, scooting over so that I was sitting in the middle of our giant beach towel. Jacinta gratefully plopped down next to me and gave me a little side-hug.
Jacinta asked Jeff about his most recent golf game, and he lit up and started talking about how he’d almost hit a deer on the back nine. Surprisingly, Jacinta seemed to know a lot about the big golf stars (I couldn’t have given a crap), and she and Jeff were trading facts about some guy named Graeme McDowell when something suddenly blocked the sun and cast an enormous shadow over the three of us. It was quickly joined by two slightly smaller shadows. I looked up and right into the eyes of Teddy Barrington.
“Hi, Naomi,” he said with a broad smile. “It’s so great to see you. Where have you been?” His two companions, who looked like less handsome carbon copies of himself, peered at me with curiosity.
I cringed inwardly. I hadn’t seen him since the night I caught him shoving Misti at Baxley’s. I could tell he was doing the “everything’s totally fine and completely normal” thing, and that I was expected to play my part.
“Hi, Teddy,” I said uncomfortably.
“Theodore,” Jeff said, reaching up.
“Jeffrey,” Teddy said, and bumped fists with him.
“Brock, Reilly,” Jeff said, bumping fists with each of the other guys in turn. It was like watching some weird male-bonding ritual. I felt like an anthropologist in the field.
“Guys, this is Naomi,” Teddy said, gesturing to me. “She’s friends with Delilah and special friends with Jeff.”
“We’re more like buddies,” Jeff said, slinging an arm around me. As awkward as I felt around Teddy, I couldn’t help but appreciate the warmth of Jeff’s skin against mine.
“S’up,” said Brock.
“Hey,” said Reilly.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “And this is Jacinta.”
Teddy raised his eyebrows, and a slow smile spread across his lips. “The Jacinta Trimalchio,” he said, peering down at her. She looked nervous and twisted her hands a little.
“Teddy Barrington,” he said, sticking out his big hand and shaking her delicate one vigorously. When he released his grip, I could tell by the way she flexed her fingers that they were a bit sore.
“Nice to meet you,” Jacinta said faintly.
“She’s Delilah’s new best friend,” he told Brock and Reilly. They nodded in tandem.
“In fact,” Teddy added, “they hang out so much, I feel like I barely see my own girlfriend anymore. At least not until the nighttime. But I guess that’s when it counts, right?” He let out a dry chuckle. Jacinta’s big eyes widened, and for a moment I genuinely felt worried. She looked like a tiny animal confronted by a huge beast. “I’m surprised I didn’t recognize you right away,” Teddy said, staring at Jacinta intently. “There are so many pictures of you and Delilah on Facebook now.”
She gave a light laugh. “Oh, not so many,” she said. “Ten. We were just playing dress-up the other day at my house. Doing our hair and makeup. Silly girly stuff.”
“Yeah, that’s what Teddy and I do when we hang out,” Jeff said.
“That reminds me of an episode of Oh, Those Masons!” Teddy said, a faraway look stealing over his eyes. “The brothers dressed in drag to get into a hot girl’s birthday party. I was in makeup for two hours. The director said I looked pretty in pink.”
“That’s kind of creepy, bro,” Jeff said, cracking up.
“It wasn’t creepy,” Teddy said seriously. “It was art. You know what I mean, right, Naomi?”
“Uh, sure,” I said. “Acting. It’s art.”
“Exactly,” he said, smiling down at me as if I had just said something truly profound. “See, your girl gets me, Jeff. Me and her, we’re on another level. She gets it.” He winked at me, and I pretended not to notice.
“You been hanging out with Delilah at all, Naomi?” Teddy asked.
“Sometimes,” I said cautiously. “I actually haven’t seen her for a few days.”
“That’s too bad,” he said. “You should come over for dinner sometime. You can bring Jeff, too, if you have to.” He laughed as if he’d said something really funny.
“Thanks, bro,” Jeff said.
“Maybe one day you could let Delilah see her old friends,” Teddy said, looking pointedly at Jacinta.
“Oh,” Jacinta said, looking flustered. “You know Delilah—she does whatever she wants.”
“I do know Delilah,” he said. “I’ve known Delilah since we were in kindergarten.”