With the wave of one hand, he brushed that off. “Semantics. I am making an important point here. Even as I started to respond to Paul, you stopped me and stepped in, and you gave him the dressing down he deserved. The woman I met on the beach had a mouth on her like I couldn’t believe. She was feisty, and sexy, and endlessly fascinating. But I don’t think she would have had the capability to do what you did so effortlessly earlier today. Sometimes when I look at you, I can see you still doubt yourself. You overthink things, and you worry constantly about whether or not you’re doing the right thing.”

“You’re right,” she muttered. “I do.”

“On one hand, it shows you have a conscience.” He tightened his arms. “But on the other hand, I wish you could trust yourself the way I trust you. I wish you could see how much you’ve grown, the way I can see it. You do the right thing more often than not, and when you don’t, you’re fluid enough that you’re capable of executing a course correction and getting back on track. You have something. It’s not just a moral compass, although it’s that too. You have the ability to find your way in difficult circumstances, but it’s also the ability to take command, to establish boundaries, and to back somebody off if they need to be backed off. I would like to see you to rely on that more. You are stronger and more capable than you believe, and I respect the hell out of you.”

When he finished speaking, she was silent for so long he had just begun to wonder if he had said something wrong, then she whispered, “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me.”

“I didn’t say it to be touchy-feely.” He was not a fan of touchy-feely moments. “I’m telling you the truth as I see it.” He stirred. “Ready to go back up to the house?”

“Yes.”

Since she had her arms full, he lifted her up effortlessly and set her on her feet. Within minutes, they had stepped back into the house. In the living room, Eva lay stretched out on one of the couches, reading one of Pia’s paperbacks.

Followed by Skeeter, Dragos wandered into the kitchen to pull out leftover filet mignon from the icebox. While he stood at the counter and ate, he listened to the women talking in the other room.

Pia: “Are you sure you’re okay with watching Niall tonight?”