“You’ll have that with Finn,” Anouk assured her. “He comes from a large family, no?”

“I’m not—we’re not that serious.” Finn was a distraction. A fantasy, like the landscape itself. Their attraction was like the sunlight here—brilliant, but also fleeting. It was true that he made her laugh, and that every day with him seemed like a new adventure. And yes, he got her talking in a way she’d never talked to anyone before. He made her feel sexy and alive, and thanks to him, she was the photographer she’d always wanted to be.

Still, she knew they were both holding back. His heart was out of reach, just as Roz and Vivi had told her. And truth be told, so was hers. She hadn’t given her heart away since Jace, and she didn’t know if she could ever do that again.

“That’s not what I’ve seen happening this summer,” Anouk observed, adjusting her sunglasses. “To me, this looks like a relationship, not a fling.”

Camille glanced over at Anouk’s beach novel, this one with a cover that was both lurid and enticing. The couple held each other in an embrace that was physically impossible, yet their total absorption in each other was strangely compelling. “How’s the book?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“Loving it,” Anouk said dreamily. “Books like this, they take me places I’ll probably never go. This one . . . ah, they’re in Hong Kong. So glamorous. But she has a wall. She keeps a wall around her heart to protect herself from getting hurt.”

“Smart girl.”

“No, she’s an idiot. And we’re not talking about Rosalinda.” Anouk set down the book.

“I don’t have a wall,” Camille said. “I have a life. A different life. It’s in a town the size of Bellerive, an ocean away. Finn’s life is here. We’re having a . . . it’s just for the summer. I have to go back. And he has to stay.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“Of course not. There’s really nothing to talk about.” Shading her eyes, she picked him out on the beach, his long, lean body gleaming with water and sunlight, wet board shorts plastered to his muscular thighs. With an undeniable flutter of attraction, she followed him with her gaze.

“Go for a swim,” Anouk suggested. “I’ll join you in a bit.”

Camille was about to do just that when Finn, in the distance, turned away from her. Instead of wading back into the surf, he climbed a rough path to a rocky ledge. A few swimmers were gathered on the sheer ledge, taking turns jumping into the clear, cool water.

The sight of Finn on the jagged stone outcropping made her shudder and draw a quick breath.

“You don’t like heights?” asked Anouk.

“Understatement.” Camille felt the blood surging in her ears as unbidden memories pulled her back to the worst day of her life. “When I was younger, I would have been the first one off the cliff, but I’m not that person anymore.”