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“You, PJ Wallis, are scared,” SondraBeth said teasingly.
“Well, as you said, I am all squish and elbows,” Pandy replied cheerfully.
The sun blazed through the windshield. “Whoa!” Pandy jerked the wheel to avoid an iguana the size of a large house cat.
“It’s just too bad, is all. I’m sure if he knew you were interested—”
“He’s with Lala Grinada, remember?”
“Oh, that. That means nothing.” SondraBeth waved this away. “Besides, he might not still be with her.”
Bouncing over the rutted track, Pandy remembered Doug braced above her. When she’d gripped his smooth, muscled arms, she’d noted, curiously, that his skin felt as soft as cashmere. In that moment, she’d told herself she must be the luckiest woman in the world. And in the next moment, she’d realized it couldn’t last. It was just too perfect. Like a scene in a movie.
“Naw,” Pandy said now, steering the cart up to the house. “I’m done.” As she opened the door, the cold air-conditioning hit her like a slap. SondraBeth closed the door behind her. Pandy suddenly felt like she was being sealed inside a refrigerator. She walked across the polished living room floor to open the French doors. She inhaled the warm air and turned back into the room.
“The thing is, I had my fun with Doug,” Pandy said. “I mean, I had sex with a movie star, right? That’s not something that happens every day. On the other hand, it’s never going to be my life. So why bother?”
“Oh, right.” SondraBeth yawned pointedly. “I forgot that’s all Doug is to you. An actor. A notch in your belt. He is a person, you know? But if you’re really not interested…”
“It’s not that. I mean, of course he’s a person.” Pandy sighed; she hoped SondraBeth wasn’t going to get all huffy about being an actor again. She looked at her watch. “Do you think it’s too early for a drink?”
“Probably,” SondraBeth said. “I’m going to take a Jacuzzi.” She went into her room and closed the door.
Pandy shook her head and went into her own room.
She sat on the bed and picked up the remote. Apparently it was siesta time, but Pandy wasn’t tired. She got up, went out to the balcony, and looked at the ocean.
Suddenly bored, she marched across the living room and knocked on SondraBeth’s door. “Squeege? Maybe you’re right. Maybe we should call him. Just so we can make fun of the fact that he’s with Lala.”
SondraBeth yanked open the door and pulled Pandy into her room.
Frowning as if she were in some kind of agony, SondraBeth plopped down onto the bed. “I’ve been thinking, too. About this whole Doug Stone business. And I realized it’s not really about him, or you. Or even you and him. It’s about her, Lala Grinada. She’s trying to fuck with me. She’s trying to send me a message.”
“She is?” Pandy asked.
“Yes. Don’t you see it? She’s sending me a message through you. And Doug.”
“Hold on,” Pandy said with a laugh. “How did I get involved in this? I don’t know anything about a message.”
“She hates you because you put the kibosh on her playing Monica. And now, she intends to get even. With both of us.”
“By having sex with Doug?”
“She knows you and Doug were together. She knows you and I are best friends. And because of that, she knows that by hurting you, she’s hurting me, too.”
“I doubt she’s smart enough to figure that out.”
SondraBeth banged her hand on the pillow. “And by hurting us, she’s hurting Monica.”
“Oh, jeez.” Pandy sighed. “Is this what you were thinking about when you were going all stork out there? Getting even with Lala Grinada? If that’s the case, I’m definitely going to need that drink. Let’s go to the club.”
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“Fine.” SondraBeth swung her feet off the bed and wrapped a sarong around her waist. “All I’m saying is that this isn’t personal. It’s business.”
“Business.” Pandy nodded dutifully.
SondraBeth lowered her gold Ray-Ban sunglasses, and giving Pandy her brilliant Monica smile, added, “Monica business.”
