“So it’ll be really pathetic, I know. But I’ll find a way to entertain myself… and all the dorky rangers.” She threw back her head and laughed at herself.
During the short amount of time Caitlin had known her, she’d discovered that Nicole loved to make up “scenes” and then act them out. Usually, these theatrics involved flirting with young men who were instantly taken in by her charms. Once, Caitlin watched as the server at a bakery gave Nicole a coffee and pastry for free after she pretended to be a French tourist who’d lost her purse. Another time, she convinced a random guy on a hiking trail that she needed to use his bicycle to circle the parkbecause her puppy had broken free of its leash, and she was desperate to find it.
Her charades supposedly were just in good fun. According to Nicole, she was “practicing her art,” or “getting into character,” and to her credit, she was a very talented actor. But it bothered Caitlin that she’d play on people’s emotions, and she didn’t want Nicole taking advantage of Donald and the other students’ kindness toward her.
She bit her lip before tentatively suggesting, “You don’t have to entertain anyone or put on an act, you know. You could just hang out and let people get to know therealyou.”
“The real meisan actor,” countered Nicole. “But if you don’t want me to come to the party, I guess I’ll just have to go to the Club with Bob and Pam. I thought it would be special for them to spend their last evening on Dune Island alone, so they’d end our vacation at The Windmill Cottages on a happy note. It would kind of make up for the fact we didn’t have electricity for a couple days, but whatever…”
She had struck a soft spot and she knew it: Caitlin would do whatever she could so Nicole’s parents wouldn’t badmouth the cottages. “I never said I didn’t want you to hang out with me and my friends.”
“Great, then what time are we leaving?”
“Quarter-to-six. The party runs till ten o’clock, and I want to stay till the very end,” Caitlin informed her. “So don’t expect me to leave early because you change your mind and want go to the Club with your mom and stepdad after all.”
“As if,” scoffed Nicole.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” Nicole raised her right hand and stated with exaggerated sincerity, “I, Nicole Dixon, do solemnly swear I won’t change my mind and ask you, Caitlin Hines, to give me a ride to the Club or to leave the party early for any reason.”Then she dropped her hand and said, “I promise, we’ll stay as late as you want, and I won’t complain or make fun of anyone or anything like that. You’ll hardly even know I’m there.”
I beteveryonewill know you’re there,because you always make yourself the center of attention, thought Caitlin resentfully. But she agreed, “Okay. I’ll be waiting on our porch at five forty-five—don’t be late.”
“Got it,” Nicole agreed. “Pam will drop by in a little while to confirm with Lydia that there really is a party, there won’t be any drugs or alcohol, and you’ll drive carefully, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.”
“Yeah, I know the drill,” said Caitlin with a sigh.
True to her word, Nicole came traipsing across the green at 5:45. But instead of walking with Caitlin to the driveway, she veered toward the windmill. “I just wanna see if the waves have died down since the storm.”
Ever since Lydia gave Nicole permission to go upstairs, the teenager made an excuse to visit the windmill loft almost every day. “I’m just taking apeek-a-booof the water,” she’d tell Caitlin, facetiously quoting Lydia. Or else she’d claim she was “grabbing extra TP for our cottage,” even though there was a stack of spare rolls next to the filing cabinet downstairs.
Caitlin had quickly realized that Nicole was using the loft as a hiding place for her makeup, as well as for an assortment of skimpy halter tops and miniskirts, or anything else her mother prohibited her from wearing in public. Nicole would change into the forbidden clothing and then layer her regular outfit over it. Once she was out of sight, she’d take off her outer garments. Then, when she returned to Windswept Way, she’d sneak back into the windmill loft to wash her face and hide the other itemsagain, confident that Caitlin would never tell anyone about her secret wardrobe.
Usually, Caitlin didn’t care what Nicole wore; she figured if she was deceiving her mom, or if Pam was being too strict about her daughter’s clothing, that was none of her business. But this evening, Caitlin could barely stand to wait another minute before reuniting with Donald.
“You’re not interested in seeing the water. You’re only going up there to put on a miniskirt or something,” she grumbled. “You already look really nice the way you are. Why would you want to change?”
“You just answered your own question,” Nicole said over her shoulder, before disappearing inside the windmill. “I don’t want to look reallynice. I want to look irresistible.”
Oh brother, what “character” is she going to pretend to be tonight? And what poor guy is going to be her next victim?Caitlin wondered. She poked her head inside the windmill and threatened, “If you aren’t down here in three minutes, I swear, I’ll leave without you.”
“No, you won’t. You’re the type who’d never leave someone behind,” she called from the top of the stairs. “You’d feel too guilty.”
Just try me, thought Caitlin, pacing angrily, but only a few minutes later, Nicole hopped through the door and accompanied her down the driveway.
“I didn’t want to make you wait, so I brought my cosmetic bag with me. I can put on my makeup in the car,” she said, as if she were doing Caitlin a big favor. “Are you sure you don’t want me to do your eyes for you? They’re such a pretty blue, but you could bring out the color even more.”
“Thanks, but I’m good,” said Caitlin, secretly flattered by Nicole’s rare compliment.
They drove in silence as Nicole peeled off her T-shirt: beneath it, she wore a black, midriff-baring top. Next, she writhed out of her leggings to reveal a pair of very short denim cut-offs. Then she unclipped her barrette, allowing her dark, thick hair to fall in waves around her shoulders.
“My lipstick totally melted in the loft. Look, it’s all soupy.” She showed Caitlin the tube and then flipped down the visor to study her reflection in the mirror. Nicole pulled a kohl eyeliner pencil from her cosmetic bag and began applying the color to her upper eyelid. “We have to stop so I can buy another tube.”
“No way!” exclaimed Caitlin. “I want to get to the beach.”
“Relax. It’s not like you’re going to get a detention for being tardy,” argued Nicole. “There’s a pharmacy coming up soon. Turn right at that stop sign, and it’s like, half a mile down the road. I’ll run in and out before you can even find a parking space.”
“No. Youpromisedyou wouldn’t make me late.”
