Caddie found herself embarrassed for the other girl, not just because she knew that in Nick’s case this was a lie, but because Nicole seemed to think this was something to be proud of. “You’ve never slept with another guy?” she said.

Nicole shook her head. “Just Nick,” she said. “What about you?”

For a moment Caddie thought Nicole was asking her if she’d slept with Nick. Then she realized she was just asking about the presence of any kind of boyfriend in her life. “No,” she said. “I don’t have a boyfriend. Not right now, anyway.”

“Nick has a brother,” Nicole said. “Joey. Really sweet. Maybe we could all go out sometime.”

Caddie was having a hard time hating this girl, although she badly wanted to. She was stupid, or at least way too naive for her own good. Nick, Caddie thought, was probably sleeping with every girl in town. Meanwhile, Nicole was undoubtedly planning their wedding. She deserved to know what her boyfriend was really like.

“Nicole,” Caddie said. “Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to date different guys?”

“Why?” said Nicole. “Nick’s perfect for me. He understands me.”

But do you understand him? Caddie thought. Clearly, she didn’t. Which was kind of surprising, given that guys were pretty simple. They wanted to sleep with everyone and they didn’t want you to care that they did it.

“Yeah, but do you ever think about what else is out there?” Caddie couldn’t help pushing the issue a little more.

“I’m happy,” Nicole said. “That’s really all that matters, right?”

“Maybe it is,” said Caddie. “I wouldn’t know. I guess I’ve never been happy.”

“That’s sad,” Nicole said, and when Caddie looked at her, she saw pity in the girl’s eyes. Seeing it made her feel queasy. She didn’t want pity from anyone, least of all a girl who thought Monterey was Wonderland and that her cheating boyfriend was Prince Charming.

“That came out wrong,” Caddie said quickly. “I mean, I’ve been happy. Just not with any one guy.”

“You’re still young,” Nicole said sagely. “It will happen.”

Caddie almost laughed at her. She sounded so old. But what was she, maybe nineteen? She talked as if her whole life were already set in stone. Which, Caddie guessed, it more or less was. She would probably marry Nick, have a couple of kids, and live in Monterey until she died. But she’ll be happy, she told herself. And she probably would be. Even if she did realize that Nick was an asshole, she’d probably continue to love him just the same. She was that kind of girl, the kind who made her life what she wanted it to be, no matter how much pretending it took.

“I’m so glad we met,” Nicole was saying, bringing Caddie’s attention back to the conversation. “I don’t know why, but I feel like we’re going to be friends. Besides, if Nick likes you, I like you. He has good taste.”

She laughed at her own joke. Caddie wiped her lips with her napkin, pretending she had too much food in her mouth to respond. She didn’t want to be Nicole’s friend. In fact, she hoped she never had to see the girl again, although she doubted she’d be able to avoid her forever. Johnny’s was pretty much on her way no matter where she walked in Monterey. She was bound to run into Nicole—and Nick—one of these days.