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"She might not be very graceful, but she's trying very hard. Doesn't effort count for anything?"
"Non," Madame replied. "This is about performance. If you cannot perform, you cannot be part of my class."
"C'mon Mara," Eliza said, pulling her away.
"This is such bull!" Mara cried.
"Let's go," Jacqui said.
They hustled the little girls down the rickety steps. Mara was still so annoyed. "That woman should not be allowed near children!"
"There's a great Pilates studio that just opened up. I met one of the teachers at Scoop the other day. Really sweet. Anyway, they have a kids' class." Eliza suggested. "I'll tell Anna about it."
"I used to do pilates, it's so much better than ballet," Jacqui told the little girls. "More fun and more relaxed."
The next day, it was settled. Zoe and Madison were enrolled in Pilates, and took them shopping for cute new outfits, to make up for the loss of the black leotards. They all agreed pink tights were for babies anyway.
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at the mercedes-benz polo match, not all the cute Boys are loaded
On the field the horses' hooves sounded like roaring thunder. A loud, sharp THAWK filled the air as the redshirted team whacked the ball with mallets and sent it flying to the opposite end, tying the score 1-1. The star center, a dashing nineteen-year-old Argentine, raised his hand in victory
"How hot is he?" Eliza marveled.
"Who's that?" Mara asked.
"Nacho Figueroa. Charlie's dad stole him from Peter Brant's team this year."
"He's gorgeous," Mara said, admiring Nacho like a fine oil painting.
"Saw him first!" Eliza teased.
The girls giggled. Having a crush on Nacho was like having a crush on Orlando Bloom. Gisele and that other Brazilian model from the Victoria's Secret catalogue were cheering for him on the sidelines. He wasn't someone Mara or Eliza could really take seriously as a romantic possibility. Still, it was nice to look.
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Nacho scored another goal, and the crowd--especially the girls--went wild.
In the VIP tents no one paid much attention. The guests filled their plates with beluga, guzzled magnums of champagne, and gossiped about each other's new outfits. Mara and Eliza turned back to where Jacqui was trying to find a table for all four kids. Ryan pulled an empty chair toward the table. He'd been hanging out with them all morning trying to help.
"Mr. Perry! The Hamptons' answer to Brad Pitt! And Miss Waters! In a four-hundred-dollar dress bought on sale for two hundred dollars at Scoop!" Lucky Yap said, giving Mara two air kisses on each cheek and shaking Ryan's hand vigorously. "Let's get a shot!"
Mara posed prettily in her new red dress. She felt a little awkward in it, and every once in a while she would grab the end of the too-short hemline and yank it down over her butt, but only when she was certain Ryan wasn't looking. She felt a little self- conscious, but looking around, she could see that her tiny dress and high heels were perfectly appropriate for the Hamptons.
Ryan excused himself to rustle up two more flutes of champagne. Every once in a while he would look back just to sneak a peek at Mara's legs in that dress. When she had walked out to the car wearing it earlier, he had almost fallen out of the driver's seat. She was such a babe, and the best thing was, she didn't even realize it.
"Hey, Lucky. Good to see you again," Mara said.
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"Oh, you'll be sick of seeing me soon. I'm everywhere. Honey, did you see your picture in the Post?" he asked.
"No! I didn't!" Mara said, shocked.
Lucky nodded. "Check it out. It's still online. Gotta run, I see Lara Flynn Boyle with a huge ice cream cone!" he said, bouncing off toward his prey.
Ryan returned with the goods, clinking glasses with Mara. He was about to tell her how pretty she looked when her phone began to chirp.
