The pair lapsed into casual conversation and Kim reluctantly put the book aside. She’d read some more later. Whoever the writer was, the insights penned were well and truly hitting home with her. Stuff about being true to yourself, letting go, and taking risks spoke straight to Kim’s soul.

“What’s that?” Annie frowned then, as some commotion further down the beach got their attention.

Kim sat forward and screwed her eyes up against the sun.

“I don’t know. Looks like something happened.” She jumped to her feet quickly then, when she spotted a guy run back up the beach with a woman in his arms.

It was Colette.

The girls rushed down to the shore to meet him and saw that Colette seemed to be bleeding from her temple.

Then all of a sudden, a lifeguard was speaking rapidly in Italian and neither Kim nor Annie had a clue what was being said.

The man who had apparently pulled Colette from the water was speaking with him and before the others knew what was happening, some paramedics and a stretcher had arrived to take their friend away.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Kim grabbed at the Italian man’s arm.

“It’s OK. We follow in my car. We go to the clinic. They take Colette there,” he replied.

“Who are you? And how do you know our friend’s name?” Annie demanded.

“I am Luca. I explain in the car,” he said as he turned and stalked away toward the steps up to the car park.

“Who?” Annie asked Kim as they gathered up their things and moved to follow the stranger. “Did Colette say anything to you about some Italian guy she knows?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “I can only guess they got talking on the beach.”

“But what the hell happened? And how do we know we can trust this fella?” Annie said.

“How can we not at this point? Do you speak enough Italian to know what’s going on?” Kim pointed out.

“Still, are we really getting in a car with him? He could be a murderer.”

“We’re just going to have to trust that he isn’t. And we have to be sure Colette’s all right.”

“OK, but I’m going to keep my eye on yer man.”

Kim looked balefully at her. “For safety or for other reasons?”

As they began the long trek back up the steps, there was no denying that this Luca was very handsome, with his chiseled abs, broad back, and toned strong arms.

She wasn’t blind; she’d noticed this Italian male paragon, too, but right now Colette was their priority.