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15
Sienna was having a marvelous time, clinging to Carter on the back of his moped, her arms around his waist, the scenery flashing by. With its dark volcanic soil and reddish dirt, even the earth of Santorini was awash in color.
The other girls drove their own scooters, but Sienna wanted to ride behind Carter.
It was strange, because she hadn’t actually liked him that day on the catamaran. Sure, he was good-looking, and he’d been polite after Tamryn dumped the drink over the terrace. But talking on the open water, Sienna had seen him as a playboy who put pleasure above work. Yet now she wrapped her arms around him and held him close.
She hadn’t felt this way about a man in years, maybe never. She’d had her share of flings, but only the job had been truly important. Maybe it was the freedom of vacation, the beauty of Santorini, and that her mother wasn’t here to steal knowing glances at her. Not that her mom would be upset to find her clinging to Carter. Mother, all mothers probably, wanted her to find a man as if love was the only goal in life.
What she wanted right now was to tug off her helmet, feel the wind rush through her hair, and lean her cheek against Carter’s broad back.
Santorini was only sixteen kilometers long, and a circuit probably took less time than a commute back home, but they’d made stops along the way, first for pastries and coffee at a café. Now Carter led the group to a lighthouse on a bluff at the southern tip of the island.
Sienna climbed off. Carter pushed down the kickstand while she pried the helmet off her head, turning her face to the wind blowing across the promontory.
“We can’t even get inside,” Tamryn complained. “There’s a fence all the way around.”
The lighthouse was stark white in the sunshine, the way of most buildings on Santorini, and topped by a green dome, the light inside to warn sailors.
No one bothered to lock down their helmets. There were only a couple of other vehicles, a rickety old car and a quad bike beside a kiosk for drinks and food.
Carter laughed at Tamryn. “We don’t need to go inside. We can walk all around.” He led them all to a path Sienna hadn’t seen.
“Honey, I’m going to fall and break my neck.” Tamryn’s voice rose as if she were contemplating panic.
Maybe the endearments applied to everyone because Bill threw an arm around her. “No worries, sweetheart, I’ll walk in front, and if you fall, I’ll catch you.”
She laughed and cuffed him on the shoulder. But Sienna saw the reason for her anxiety as they started down the rocky slope. Tamryn wore sandals and two of the guys had only thongs, but Bill, Carter, Alyssa, Irene, and Sienna had worn shoes. Carter warned her they might do some trails. She was sure he’d warned Tamryn as well.
They made their way single file, climbing over rocks and heading down.
Sienna looked up, sucking in a gasp, and hearing her, Carter turned. “It’s a pretty cool sight. Akrotiri Lighthouse, built in 1892. They stopped using it briefly in World War Two.”
She liked that Carter knew something about everything. The lighthouse, with its green dome and white walls, perched atop the promontory, having weathered years of strong winds and sea storms. It still glowed white in the sunlight, its small windows like eyes and its dome like a top hat. She snapped a few photos.
“It’ll get a lot busier later when people come for the sunset.” Carter smiled at her. “Did I do all right on this one?”
She nodded. “You did great.”
The cliff face wasn’t a sheer drop, but there were enough spiky rocks to make a tumble painful. Yet Carter’s feet on the rocks were as sure as a mountain goat.
They made it down to the plateau and along a path to the edge that gave them unobstructed views of the sea. The expanse of the caldera lay before them, illustrating how the islands had once formed a volcano. Boats and catamarans sailed across the blue waters, flitting between the islands. She could make out the town of Oia at the far end of Santorini.
The wind here was cool and fresh against the warmth of the mid-June day.
They made their way around, climbing up a twisty path back to the top where they’d parked. Standing on the edge, she pointed to a building in the distance. “What’s that?”
“It’s the old Minoan village destroyed when the volcano erupted 3600 years ago. Discovered in the 1860s, they didn’t do a major excavation until the 1960s. They’ve secured most of the ruins inside a modern building to preserve them from rain and the elements.” He looked at her, still standing close, and she could feel his body heat against her arm. She hadn’t been this aware of a man in a long time. “Would you like to visit?” he asked.
“I’d love it,” she said, her voice breathless. She wondered if Carter noticed.
“We’ll do it another day, so we can bring your mother. I’m sure she’d like to see it.”
“She probably saw it when she was here before.”
His brows knitted. “Wasn’t that thirty years ago?” When Sienna nodded, Carter added, “Then I’m sure she’d like to see it again. They’re always excavating, so there’ll be new finds.”
She nodded again, her head like a bobblehead dog who agreed with everything. And for once, Sienna didn’t care.
