He nodded. “It’s so beautiful, the view is perfect, and it’s super close to Charlotte and Iris.”

“But what about your boat?”

“That’s why God made marinas.” He smiled.

Then I had a brand-new thought. I looked at Charlotte for some reason. “Wait. If Jeremy is alive, am I still married to him?”

A stunned expression crossed her face.

“Were your other marriages illegal?” Julie asked. “Are you a polygamist, Alice?”

“Oh, the heyday Juniper Shores Socialite is going to have with this one!” Grace said.

We all started laughing, though it wasn’t that funny.

“How about we sort all that out tomorrow,” Elliott said. “Tonight, let’s celebrate.”

Moving forward, I thought. Moving forward. Sometimes that meant moving altogether. The mommune had been the most magical time of my life. But it was time to move on. For all of us. It shocked me to realize that I couldn’t wait.

JUNIPER SHORES SOCIALITE

@junipershoressocialite

Sharing bad behavior and delicious drama in North Carolina’s most exclusive coastal zip code. DM with tips, pics, and juicy deets.

SEPTEMBER 17, 8:49 P.M.

36 Posts

12,107 Followers

34 Following

You didn’t hear it from me, but…

PIC 1: Third time’s the charm, or so they say… and we are counting Elliott P. as Alice Sitterly’s third husband because that Jeremy positively does not count. This is her mulligan marriage. (We make the rules here. Don’t argue.) Did you see that estate ring he gave her already monogrammed AP? We know a fairy tale when we see one!

PIC 2: Iris Sitterly rules the day! Juniper Shores Prep’s own darling daughter solved the crime, recorded the confession, and found the evidence to free her hunky daddy! Okay, okay. So maybe, just maybe, the FBI was on the trail too, but we give Iris all the credit. Iris for president! Or at least homecoming court.

PIC 3: We’ve heard that our dearest Julie is working late tonight, crafting the perfect front-page story. What, oh, what could she be writing about? And—send us some tips—we still want to know if she’s writing a love story too!

TNT (’Til Next Tabloid)

JUNIPER SHORES SOCIALITE

Iris Shooting Star

“So, are you going to tell Ben?” Merit asked when we got in the car.

“Are you going to tell your mom?” I asked.

He shot me a look. “Iris.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Okay. Your truth is bigger than mine. I just want you to be happy and no one is going to care.”

As he pulled out of the driveway, he said, “Iris, I want you to be happy and no one is going to care.”

“Well, I hope Ben cares,” I said under my breath. Then I sighed. “But, like, it’s just going to change the dynamics of everything. You know? Chloe, Dabs, Ben, and I can hang out now and it’s normal and—”