"Bennett, Cherie - Sunset Island 009 - Sunset Scandal" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bennett Cherie)

"This place is packed!" Emma said to Kurt as they squeezed through the crowded doorway of the Play Cafe.
"And how!" Kurt said, smiling back. "Looks like most everyone survived the storm. Including a few people who should have been swept out to sea."
Kurt pointed to a broad, leather-jacketed back just inside the front door. It was Butchie, one of the guys Kurt had gone to high school withЧan all-around nasty dude. The previous summer, Butchie had passed the time intimidating people at the pool tableЧuntil he had been out-hustled unexpectedly by Carrie, who had decided to teach Butchie a lesson and had surprised them all with her skill.
"Forget Butchie," Emma said lightly. "Look! There's Sam and Carrie." She motioned to a table under one of the Play Cafe's rock-video monitors.
It took Emma and Kurt some time, though, to work their way through the crush of bodies toward their friends. It seemed that half the island had turned out for the party, and apparently they all had stories to tell about Hurricane Julius, because everyone was jabbering away at a million miles an hour.
The deejay, meanwhile, was spinning an assortment of classic rock tunes that all seemed to have a storm theme. Emma picked out an Allman Brothers version of "Stormy Monday," the Doors' "Riders on the Storm," and Bob Dylan's "Idiot Wind." A bunch of people were already boogieing away on the cafe's tiny dance floor.
Kurt took Emma's hand and gave it a squeeze. Emma squeezed back. What a scene! she thought.
Finally they made it over to Carrie and Sam's table. In keeping with the theme of the party, Carrie was wearing a cute short
yellow rain slicker imprinted with tiny blue umbrellas, and a pair of black capri tights. Sam had on the short shorts that Valerie had given to Emma and the pink bra top she had described. And pinned to the bra topЧin honor of their nickname for Emma's father's young fianceeЧwas a Minnie Mouse pin.
Emma cracked up when she saw Sam's outfit. "Sam Bridges, you are a total original," she said. "You look great, too, Carrie. I didn't know you owned that slicker."
Carrie looked sheepish. "My mother stuck it in the bottom of my suitcase before I left. She'd heard it rains a lot in Maine. She should have been here a few days ago.'"
Sam reached for the tall glass of ginger ale that was on the table in front of her. "Don't look now, compadres," she said, "but my sensors are detecting the approach of radioactive alien life forms."
Emma looked in the direction Sam was nodding. Approaching the table were none other than Lorell Courtland and Diana De Witt.
Ever since Emma, Carrie, and Sam had arrived on Sunset Island, they'd had trouble with Lorell and Diana. Emma had attended
boarding school with Diana in Switzerland, and the two girls had held each other in contempt for years. It wasn't any better on the island. They'd met Lorell at the international au pair convention in New York the previous year, where Lorell had shown herself to be a pampered and supercilious social climber.
As luck would have it, Lorell and Diana were old friends. Both were also gorgeous. Diana had curly chestnut hair, blue eyes, and a perfect figure, while Lorell was slender with aquiline features and glossy dark hair cut in a crisp bob.
Oh, great, Emma thought as she watched Lorell and Diana approach them. Just what the doctor ordered to screw up a great night. A vision of Kurt and Diana locked in a passionate embrace flashed before her eyes. That's what they must have looked like when they were together, she thought miserably remembering their brief fling the previous summer. Stop that! Emma commanded herself. But the image lingered even though she tried to will it away.
"Well, well," Lorell drawled, her Georgia accent even thicker than normal, "if it isn't the guilty-conscience brigade! You know the
whole island's talking about how you do-good creatures got your hands all dirty tryin'Чand failin'Чto save those rundown hovels."
"So much work for nothing!" Diana cooed with false compassion. She eyed Kurt meaningfully. "But Kurt, it seems to have made your body even leaner and more muscled than I remember.' Of course," she added insinuatingly, "it is difficult to tell with all your clothes on."
Kurt took Emma's hand protectively, and Emma felt fire start to shoot from her eyes.
"Well, Diana," Sam said cheerfully, jumping to her friend's defense, "from what I hear, you've seen just about the entire male population of the state of Maine without clothes on. It must get hard to differentiate after a while."
Diana looked at Sam archly. "Oh no, I only bother with the really interesting ones," Diana said coolly, "such as a certain bass player from Flirting with Danger."
Diana could only be referring to Presley Travis, Sam's partner in flirtation and sometime boyfriend. "Listen, you dirtbagЧ* Sam began hotly.
"Ta-ta, kiddies!" Lorell trilled, leading Diana away.
"What a bitch," Kurt moaned in disbelief, burying his head in his hands.
*0h no you dont," Emma said, tugging gently on Kurt's hair. "I want everyone to see that you're here with me."
"Hey, look what just blew in the door!" Sam said, pointing through the crowd. "It's Trent!"
Sam was referring to Trent Hayden-Bishop III, Emma's socially correct "boyfriend" with whom she had attended society parties when she was growing up. Emma had never really thought of him as more than a friend, though Trent had professed to be devastated when she told him that. Trent and Sam had gone out a couple of times the previous summer, though Sam, too, didn't find him all that hot. Rich, but not hot.
"Who's that with him?" Carrie asked, craning her neck for a better look.
"It's Daphne Whittinger!" Emma said with surprise. "At least I think it's Daphne. She looks great!"
"Trent and Daphne a couple?" Sam said. "Unbelievable!"
"They're coming right this way," Emma sighed. Just what I need, she thought. The anorexic, diet pilled-out girl who tried to slash me last summer and the old boyfriend whom I never loved.
Emma knew that Daphne had gone into treatment, and had even seen her briefly when Daphne had apologized to her at their spring break party on the island. As Daphne and Trent came closer Emma had to admit that Daphne looked much healthier.
"Trent! Daphne! Will wonders never cease!" Sam said, laughing. "Did you two get hooked up on Love Connection?"
"Hi, all," Trent said in his breezy, upper-crust Boston accent. "Hi, Emma," he added.
Trent looks just the same, Emma thought, looking at his slender five-foot-ten frame and his blandly handsome face topped by brown hair cut short in the back, long in the front. It was the standard rich-boy, preppy hair cut, and Trent wore the standard rich-boy, preppy clothes. But then, that was Trent. As far as Emma could see, he didn't have an original bone in his body.
But DaphneЧcould it be true? Emma thought. She's definitely put on some
weight. She actually looks almost normal. Her clothes don't just hang on her body anymore.
Daphne smiled and took Trent's hand. "Trent and I are both in recovery," she said to all of them. "We met again at a twelve-step group."
The girls and Kurt looked at one another in wonder. Gould Daphne actually be telling the truth?
"Yeah," Trent added. "It's true. I decided that I had to get my drinking under control or else I would ruin my life." He looked over at Daphne. "And Daphne decided that she had to get her anorexia under control. We met at a clinic that helps people with a lot of different problems. Now we go to twelve-step meetings together."
Daphne smiled again. "It's wonderful to have my life together again. I was a jerk last summer. I was worse than a jerk. But I have a new life now. Will you forgive me?" She looked directly at Emma.
Emma noticed that Daphne's smile never left her face. What can I say? Emma thought. / don't exactly trust her, but I don't
want to be a bitch, either. And what's with that smile?
"Of course, Daphne," Emma replied graciously. "I'm glad you're feeling better about yourself. You too, Trent."
"Great.'" Daphne said, still smiling. "I hope we all get to be true friends. Let's go dance, Trent. I think the Flirts are ready to start playing."
The girls and Kurt watched them leave. "Wow," Carrie said. "That's the last thing I expected to see tonight."
Kurt spoke up. "I think it's great," he said. "Don't forget how messed-up she was last summer."
"How could I?" Emma asked. Daphne had been so zoned up on diet pills that she'd thought Emma was out to get her, and had attacked her with a shard of broken glass. It had been a total nightmare.