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Lucie arrived back at the shore just as the girls were getting up for lunch. She quickly toweled herself off, put on her clothes, and joined the girls upstairs at the restaurant, where they were seated at a long table on the outdoor deck overlooking the bay.
“You were out there with Auden for quite a while. I’m so jealous!” Isabel declared.
“Why?” Lucie wondered.
“Don’t you think he’s amazing? Every time I talk to him, I feel like I’ve had a decade’s worth of therapy.”
“He’s an interesting guy,” Lucie volunteered.
“He never gives anyone that much one-on-one time. Do you know how much he charges for his private coaching sessions?”
“Well, we weren’t having a session. We were talking about swimming.”
“Yeah, you sure swam out far! Let’s hope you’ve built up an appetite!” Isabel said, as a battalion of waiters arrived right on cue with the food.
Before long, the table was laid out family style with the most delectable array of dishes. There was insalata caprese—the island’s namesake salad of sliced buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil—deep-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, sesame-crusted tuna over a bed of arugula and cherry tomatoes, fresh langoustines, risotto with squid and shrimp, gnocchi with radicchio and caciocavallo cheese, linguini with clams, and what turned out to be Lucie’s favorite—spaghetti with pistachio pesto, clams, lemon, and basil.
“Oh my God! I think I’m going into a pasta-induced coma!” Isabel sighed, finally surrendering her fork.
“I’ve eaten at some great restaurants, but this is one of the best Italian meals I’ve ever had in my life!” declared Daniella.
“Does the food taste better because we’re sitting here surrounded by this incredible view, or is the food really that good?” Isabel wondered.
“I think it’s definitely both. Atmosphere is everything. I mean, look at the water! And the rocks! And up there is my dream house,” Sophie said, pointing up at the beautiful white-columned villa perched high on the edge of the cliff.
“Isn’t it spectacular? I’ve been eyeing it all morning,” Daniella said.
“I wonder how prices are here compared with Sydney. You can’t get anything on the water anymore for less than ten million,” Sophie said casually.
“I bet it’s pricier than Sydney. Capri is one of the most expensive property markets in the world because they stopped allowing people to build anything new on the whole island back in the sixties. There’s so little inventory, you basically have to wait for someone to die,” Daniella replied.
“Daniella, you’re such a property goddess! I bet the first thing you did when you got here was head straight to the property agent!” Isabel teased.
“No, the first place I headed to was Il Laboratorio, the boutique. Then I went to the property agent!”
“How do you even get up to that villa? I don’t think there’s a road anywhere near it,” Talitha wondered.
“Can you imagine the view from up there?” Daniella said.
“Ladies, stop looking up there. You’re missing quite a view down here. Delicious dude alert!” Amelia suddenly declared. All the heads at the table swiveled to where she was pointing.
Lucie’s eyes widened. Walking toward the water’s edge was George Zao, wearing nothing but a white Speedo.
“Stop it! That’s my cousin George!” Isabel shrieked.
“OMG! That slice of chiseled heaven is your cousin?” Amelia gasped.
Isabel gave Amelia a look of disbelief. “Second cousin, actually. You think he’s cute?”
“Um, yeah! He’s a total snack! You could cut diamonds on that jawline. And check out that six-pack on him.”
“More like twelve-pack!” Talitha gawked.
“You know, for so long he was just this scrawny kid, I hadn’t really noticed his transformation. What can I say, he’s got great genes,” Isabel deadpanned, flicking her hair for effect.
The girls watched as George climbed up to a high rock, stretched out his arms, and executed a perfect dive into the sea.
Amelia clapped her hands. “I’ll give that ten points!”
