Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Lucie wandered down the steps to the concrete platform at the edge of the water. At last, she was here. She loved nothing more than swimming in the sea. From where she was standing, the glacially clear water appeared like it could be freezing. How cold would it actually be? Only one way to find out, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she plunged in.

“How is it?” Isabel shouted down at her.

“Heaven!” Lucie shouted back. “It’s the perfect temperature!” This being July, the Mediterranean had been warming nicely throughout the past few months, and Lucie loved gliding through these waters. Most of her summers had been spent swimming in the frigid ocean off Long Island, and this seemed tropical by comparison. She swam out quickly to the farthest point, where a rope and buoy indicated the outer perimeter of where the current was safe, and flipped onto her back.

This was absolute bliss. The sea was so buoyant that she could simply float along without much effort at all, and she stretched out languorously, staring at the Faraglioni rocks looming above her. One of the enormous rocks had formed an arch perfectly through its middle, and she wondered whether she could swim all the way out there and through the arch. A small boat suddenly came speeding through it, leaving a violent wake and making Lucie think better of her notion.

As she bobbed along quietly, she began to hear the splish-splash of an approaching swimmer. “Lucie! Lucie in the sky with diamonds!” a voice said, and she turned to see Auden Beebe bobbing along next to her. “Or should I say, Lucie afloat in the ocean blue. You are quite the little mermaid!”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you seemed to glide over the water in record time. Took me twice as long just to catch up,” Auden said, catching his breath as he hung on to a buoy.

“I swam varsity at Brearley.”

“Obviously! I’ve never seen anyone execute the trudgen more perfectly.”

“Thanks. I take it you were on a swim team too?”

“Until I dropped out, yes. Are you on your college team now?”

“No. It’s not really the sort of thing one does at Brown.”

“Ah yes. I recently heard someone call it ‘an excellent school for people who want to read a lot and have feelings.’”

“Haven’t heard that one,” Lucie said, rolling her eyes.

“So … what does one do at Brown?”

“Well, mostly I read a lot and have feelings.”

“Ha!”

“Sorry, hope that didn’t come across as rude.”

“Lucie, don’t ever apologize for a perfect comeback. Besides, I’m in the business of having feelings, remember? I remember how excited you were last year to start college. So tell me, what was the thing you loved the most in your first year?”

“Hmm … probably my painting class.”

“What sort of things did you paint?”

“Mostly abstract stuff. I’ve been painting on unprimed canvases, and I love the feel of that.”

“Do you know the work of Morris Louis? He did his best work on unprimed canvases.”

“Of course! I love his veil paintings. I did a few earlier this summer inspired by him, and also by Helen Frankenthaler’s work.”

“That sounds marvelous. I’d love to see them sometime.”

“I have a few photos on my phone, but you can always see the real thing when you’re out in East Hampton next.”

“Let’s do both. Have you been around to any of the art galleries in Capri yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m hoping to.”

“Isabel’s got us all on quite a schedule with all the fetes, hasn’t she?”

“I’m loving it. The only thing I really want to do that’s not on the schedule is go swimming in the Blue Grotto.”

“That one’s going to be tricky. They don’t allow swimming in there anymore, but what they do now is row you into the grotto in a little boat.”

“Well, if I’m in a little boat, can’t I just jump in for a few minutes?”

“Spoken like a true rebel.”

“Have you been to the grotto?”

“Yes, many years ago.”

“And was it as spectacular as everyone says it is?”

“It was incredible. You really ought to go, especially since you are a mermaid. Also, make sure you don’t miss Villa San Michele.”

“That’s Axel Munthe’s house, isn’t it? I hear the art is amazing.”

“It’s more antiquities than paintings, but I think you’ll love it. The house and gardens are so beautifully situated, I’m sure it will inspire you. So, tell me, why did you choose Brown instead of going to RISD?fn2 I mean, it’s literally across the street in Providence.”

“Oh, you know, I’m trying to balance things out by being a biology major.fn3 I don’t think my mom would be too happy if I had just gone straight to art school.”

“Has she told you that?”

“Not in so many words, but I know she’d want me to do something more practical.”

“I think the most impractical thing one can do is not follow your passions.”

Lucie considered his words as she lay floating, looking up at the cloudless sky. After a few moments, she turned to Auden. “I think I’ve left the others long enough.”

“See you back on dry land,” Auden murmured, his eyes closed as he treaded water meditatively.

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.