“Check this out,” he said. “Everyone’s here early to see what the hype is about.”

“Because the play was so good last night?” Esti told herself it was no big deal; in Ashland she had performed before bigger crowds than this.

“My dad got the word around. Hey, thanks for going snorkeling with me today.”

“Thanks for teaching me how not to drown.” She glanced around the parking lot again. People were staring at her, many of them whispering animatedly as their eyes moved between her and Rafe.

“A lot of them just want to see Esti Legard, jumbee whisperer,” Rafe continued casually. “They’re fascinated by you.”

“Huh?” She turned to him in disbelief.

“Huh?” he teased. “See, I’m not the only one. I’m just the lucky one.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I had a great time today.”

As he flashed his million-dollar smile, Esti realized Rafe was playing up his audience. She wondered if Alan knew the jumbee gossip had been spreading like wildfire.

“How old were we when we met?” Rafe added. “I feel like I’ve known you forever. That sounds dumb, though, doesn’t it?”

“Dumb as a doornail,” she said absently. After a moment, she focused back on Rafe, softening the sarcastic words with a repentant smile. She couldn’t get mad, even if he was using the moment to his advantage. She’d honestly had a wonderful day. “I was five.”

“And you split when I was eleven. How could I have wasted all these years? I’m an idiot, obviously.”

“Obviously,” she quipped. And you’re not the only one.

“My dad has front row tickets,” he said. “I’ll see you later tonight, even if you don’t see me.”

She nodded, her mind on Alan again. Trying to pretend the crowds of people weren’t watching, she reached behind her seat for the big plastic bag of Juliet costumes. “Thanks, Rafe. I had fun today too.”

Carmen stood at the doors of the theater, her expression incredulous as Esti approached the building with her costumes. “That was Rafe Solomon, wasn’t it? Lucia said she saw you leave together last night, but I wasn’t sure I believed her.”

Esti blushed as her eyes met Carmen’s. “I told you we were old friends.”

“Esti!”

She winced at Carmen’s shriek. If anyone had somehow missed her arrival with Rafe, they certainly knew Esti Legard was here now.

“Did you spend the night with him?”

“No, I didn’t spend the night with him.” Dragging her friend into the theater, Esti slammed the door shut behind them. “We went swimming today.”

“I thought you didn’t know how to swim.”

“I do now. He’s a certified instructor.”

“Right.” Carmen sounded impatient. “He’s certified, all right. You know he’s slept with half the girls on Cariba?”

“You already told me that.” Esti strode down the long aisle, wondering if Alan was listening.

“And I can practically guarantee he’ll tangle with the jandam before Christmas break is over. He attacked a cop last summer after they busted up one of his fights.”

“Your point is?”

“My point is, you’re smarter than that. Do you know that when the rest of us went out after the play last night, the only thing Greg could talk about was you? He never realized what a truly superb actress you are, and wasn’t it good Danielle got sick so you had a chance to prove yourself. I mean, like it never occurred to him before that you’re going to be this famous actress we can all say we went to high school with.”

Esti came to a dismayed stop. “Carmen . . .”

“I was thrilled, thinking how Danielle’s had this coming to her and you deserved glory more than anyone after being picked on so much. And here I bet you were fooling around with Rafe Solomon all night, weren’t you?”

Now Esti really hoped Alan wasn’t listening. “I was not fooling around with Rafe.”

“Carmen, you leave she alone.” Lucia’s dark eyes flashed as she approached. She stopped in front of them, jamming her fists on her hips. “Esti she does need to be perfect tonight, and so do we. You maybe just shut up now and get you costume together.”

Carmen frowned at Lucia, taken aback. “Well, sure,” she said. “Don’t get all worked up. I’m coming.”

As soon as Carmen and Lucia were occupied with their costumes, Esti slipped away. Although she appreciated Carmen’s concern, the drama seemed a bit overblown. Could Carmen be jealous? Quietly creeping into the back hallway maze, Esti felt her way to the staircase. She was grateful that Lucia had come to her defense, except, she thought uneasily, maybe it was because Lucia knew something she didn’t. It wouldn’t be the first time.

The air pressed against her skin, stifling and humid as she made her way down the narrow steps. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of her face as she wondered how much Alan had heard. She didn’t want him assuming she had jumped into the arms of a cute boy the minute she had a chance.

“Alan?” She swept her hand over her forehead as soon as she reached the bottom, hoping he wasn’t upset with her. “Where are you?”

Despite the cooler air in the basement, the silence felt thick and heavy as muffled voices filtered in from above. She’d been sure Alan would be here somewhere, and she wondered if he just wasn’t answering. After calling for him one more time, Esti finally gave up and hurried back upstairs. As she ducked behind the curtain of the girls’ changing area to get into Juliet’s first gown, she uneasily touched her necklace.

“Guess what?” Carmen drawled from the dressing room doorway after Esti sat down in front of the mirror to put on her makeup. “Danielle’s here. Chaz saw her. He said the theater’s packed, and people are even sitting in the aisles and standing in the back.”

Esti was glad Danielle felt better, but she wanted to play Juliet again, to prove herself to the talent scouts—and to Alan.

“Don’t vex,” Lucia said, stopping in the doorway beside Carmen. She gave Esti a reassuring look in the mirror. “Danielle, she ain’t gon get onstage tonight.”

“She’s in the back row by the door, so she can make a run for the bathroom.” Carmen laughed at Esti’s expression. “And Rafe is in the front row, panting.”

“Stop it.” Esti’s head began to throb. Whether Alan was listening or not, everyone else in the crowded dressing room was soaking up every word. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Carmen,” Lucia snapped, “you worse than Danielle, or what?”

“I’m sorry.” Carmen glanced at Lucia, then sighed. “I’m acting like a witch, aren’t I?”

“For true.” Meeting Carmen’s eyes without expression, Lucia turned and disappeared into the girls’ changing area.

“Maybe I’m a little miffed.” Carmen looked at Esti in the mirror. “It just that you’ve been ignoring me because of your homework lately, and I guess I feel a little left out. Especially now that you’re really a shooting star. But that’s selfish of me, and I’m thrilled for you, truly I am.”

Esti grimaced, smearing her lipstick. It was true; ever since she and Alan started meeting more, she’d frequently put off Carmen with the excuse of too much schoolwork. But where was Alan tonight?

“I’m sorry, Carmen,” she said lamely. “I’ve been the selfish one lately. You know you’re my best friend.”

“That’s okay.” To her relief, Carmen grinned. “Here, I’ll help you with your makeup, like I did before. You’re looking nervous again, and you just messed up your mouth.” She started toward Esti. “I guess it’s not your fault that every talent scout on Cariba wants to sign you up now; we all knew it was coming. And I just can’t help it,” she snickered, “but after looking at Danielle and at Rafe, I do think the theater’s going to implode when Romeo kisses Juliet.” She stopped. “Where did I put the greasepaint?”

“Greg won’t give Danielle a passing thought.” As the smooth murmur tickled Esti’s ear, she gasped. Alan sounded like he stood right beside her.

Carmen gave Esti an apologetic look before turning back to the girls’ changing area. “Your costume looks great, you know. That’s what you wore on television, isn’t it?”

“You were stunning last night,” Alan whispered. “Better than I dreamed you could be.”

Carmen was far enough away, Esti thought, that she hadn’t heard him. No one in the room had heard him. How did he do that? She stared into the mirror, swept by guilt and relief, and an unexpected pang of worry that maybe no one had ever heard his voice except for her. She touched the solid necklace for reassurance.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Carmen called out.

“Tonight no one will exist for Romeo on that stage but his Juliet,” Alan added. “She won’t be distracted by anyone. Not by Danielle, and not by Rafe . . .” He paused for an instant, his voice tightening. “. . . Solomon.”

“You okay?” Carmen sounded concerned as she peered out from the girls’ changing area. “You’re white as a ghost.”

Esti could barely nod.

“Juliet has only one Romeo.” The longing in Alan’s words made it clear that he’d heard everything since Esti walked into the theater.

“Of course,” Esti breathed.

When Carmen raised her eyebrows, Esti bit down on her words, closing her eyes as Carmen smoothed on the heavy makeup.

“I’m done,” Carmen finally said. “I didn’t mean to get on your case so hard. I’m sorry.”

“No problem,” she managed. “I’m . . .” She trailed off helplessly, forgetting what she’d been about to say.

“Who would ever think someone like you could get stage fright so bad?” Carmen pinned the cap on Esti’s hair and patted her shoulder. “I’m glad I saw you go through it before, or I’d be worried. Lucia, can you get her some water? I’ve got to get out there.” She jumped to her feet.

“Yeah, mon.” From the doorway, Lucia studied Esti’s face as Carmen hurried out of the room.

“You hold the house in the palm of your hand.” Alan’s words stroked Esti, soft as a kiss. “Thou doth teach the torches to burn bright.”

“Esti, you drink this.” Lucia held out a small paper cup, her expression clearly worried as she approached. Esti automatically took the cup from her, choking as something hot and powerful sluiced down her throat. She shuddered, then felt herself relax from the warmth spreading into her arms and legs. She wanted so badly to see him and touch him.

“Rum,” Lucia explained over her shoulder, taking the cup to the trash can. “Ma had watch you getting bazadee, gal. You can’t get crazy now. She say a shot of Cruzan calm you down.”

“Tonight you are Juliet . . .” Alan’s yearning melted into the warmth of the rum as Lucia walked away, until his voice was the only thing holding Esti up. “. . . for me.”

“You ready, or what?” Lucia’s dark face tightened with concern as she came back. “We had better go to the stage.”

“Yes,” Esti whispered. Desire and hope raging through her body, she forced herself to stand and follow Lucia out of the dressing room.

Juliet struggled to sit up, confused by the noisy blur of faces in front of her. She remembered killing herself, but something must have gone wrong. Where was Romeo?

“Rafe, you sure managed to get up on the stage fast. Help her over here, then.”

Rafe? She shook her head as strong hands helped her to her feet, pulling her away from the noise.

“That’s okay, Officer. Rafe can stay up here, but if everyone else would just leave us alone for a few minutes, she’ll be fine. Yes, the play was great and she was incredible, that’s why she’s all wrung out now. Esti is her father’s daughter, you know.”

Esti, she thought numbly, oh yeah. Juliet, doff thy name.

“Esti, you all right?” Rafe sounded upset.

She couldn’t help leaning into him, trying to shake off Juliet’s overwhelming despair. “I think so.”

As they reached relative privacy behind a set, Aurora unpinned the sweaty cap from Esti’s hair and held a cup of water in front of her.

Rafe let go of her. Startled, she watched his dark hands draw back from the pale skin of her arms. Compared to the chaos inside of her, the simple image was beautifully, intensely real. Impulsively, she reached out and touched her fingers to his before he could move away.

He squeezed her hand, giving her a piercing stare. “I never saw anything like what you just did,” he finally said. “I thought you killed yourself with that knife.”

Esti took the cup from Aurora, trying to steady her shaky hands. “Yeah. Me too.”

Aurora smiled at Rafe. “Amazing, isn’t she?”

“Scary,” Rafe corrected. “My adrenaline’s going, mon.”

Aurora laughed. “You know, her father would get light-headed after some of his performances too. It was like his own soul had to find him again.”

Esti wondered if her dad had ever fainted when the curtains went down. The thought seemed absurd.

“They were all incredible tonight, weren’t they?” Aurora continued. “What a talented group of kids.”

Someone peered around the edge of the set.

“Are you up to a quick appearance?” Aurora sounded concerned. “We’d better let them know you’ve recovered. Rafe, can you let Mr. Niles know we’re coming right out?”

“No problem.”

Esti finished the water as Rafe darted back around the set. As she started to follow him, however, she felt the blood drain from her face. A frangipani blossom rested on the floor, its sweet scent drifting up from where Rafe had crushed it with his shoe.

Esti leaned back against her chair, forcing a smile as Rafe held up his glass beside her. Although she had let herself be talked into joining the cast party, she could barely speak over the huge knot growing inside of her.

“We won’t be out long,” Carmen had assured her, “since we have our closing performance tomorrow. But we have to celebrate tonight, after that awesome show. Did I tell you Chaz asked if I would sit by him?” Her eyes sparkled. “Rafe might as well come too. I mean, everyone already knows him.”

The theater would be empty by now. Esti itched to run back and fling herself at Alan, demanding that he become the Romeo he’d promised, but it had been impossible to disappear without attracting attention. He must have seen Rafe’s arms around her after she passed out, watching as she grabbed Rafe’s hand when he tried to pull away. Why hadn’t it been Alan rushing to the stage? Where was he when she needed someone to hold on to? Surely he knew that her mind-wrenching Juliet existed only because of him.

Swallowing her agitation, Esti lifted her glass. “And a toast to the best Nurse I’ve ever known.” She smiled at Carmen and Lucia. “And to an amazing Lady Capulet.” They had just pulled off the show of a lifetime; it was the performance she had always dreamed of. Everyone had seen the talent scouts converging on Rodney afterward, chattering with excitement.

To her relief, she felt Rafe rise to his feet, pulling her up along with him. “We’re leaving,” he said. “I think Juliet needs some recovery time.”

“Yeah sure, Solomon,” Chaz said. “We all know what you think Juliet needs.”

Although Esti’s mouth tightened at the laughter that swept through the cast, Rafe didn’t let go of her hand. He led her outside the little café, stopping only when they reached the far edge of the sand.

“You’re not doing so good, are you?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her body still ached with the passion of Juliet, and she had no idea how to handle it. Before she could decide what to say, Rafe abruptly leaned over and scooped one arm behind her knees. In a single motion, he picked her up and carried her into the water.

“Rafe, stop.” She pushed against him with her fists. Suddenly she realized she was afraid, and it wasn’t because she thought she would drown. Rafe’s arms felt delicious and perfect, despite everything she knew about him, and she knew she was hovering on the brink of something dangerous.

“Shh. I’m professional, remember?” Rafe stopped only when the water reached the level of his chest. Letting go of her legs, he steadied her against him, holding her gently by the waist. “My mom used to do this whenever I got upset as a little kid. She told me the sea would always give me strength when I need it.”

As the warm swells rocked her with their gentle rhythm, Esti took a deep breath, trying to relax.

“My parents’ house is on Coqui Beach,” Rafe said softly, staring out over the infinite ocean. “I remember having a lot of bad dreams when I was little. Whenever we were back here on vacation, my mom would bring me outside in the middle of the night and carry me into the sea. For some reason, the water always made my nightmares disappear.”

To Esti’s surprise, she did feel better..

“My dad’s gotta be racking up a huge phone bill after what you did tonight.” Rafe looked back at her with an awkward grin that reminded her very much of her devoted best friend in grade school, then he slowly shook his head in puzzlement. “You sure don’t seem too happy about it. Are you okay?”

“I’m thrilled.” Esti forced a wry smile. “Just feeling a little lost. Maybe my soul is pissed off because it can’t find me.”

“You mean Juliet isn’t letting Esti back in?” His teasing eyes caught hers, reflecting the light from the beach bar, and she found herself leaning into him before she could stop herself.

Her lips touched his with a shock that hit her body like a bolt of lightning. As he eagerly returned the kiss, drawing her against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. The warm sea tickled her skin as she clung to him for a fabulous moment of bliss, and then reality crashed down on her.

She should be with Alan, not Rafe. She wanted to be with Alan. Yanking herself away, she stretched her legs through the water, looking for a place to put her feet. Alan should be celebrating her success with her, showing the world their triumph together. How could he hide at a time like this?

Rafe grabbed her as she overbalanced, her head dipping beneath the warm, salty swell for an instant. When he pulled her up, she shoved him away, choking for air.

“Chill,” he said, “or you’re going to take us both down.”

Still gasping, she let him carry her through the water until it became shallow enough for her to walk. Her soul had apparently returned, every bit as soggy and disheveled as the rest of her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She doubted if even Shakespeare could have come up with a more embarrassing first kiss.

To her surprise, he let out a burst of laughter. “Did you just apologize for kissing me?”

A whirlwind of emotions raged through her, sucking any intelligent response out of her mind and throwing it straight into the sea. Although she still tingled from the touch of Rafe’s lips, a far more bewildering passion roiled deep beneath the surface. Juliet has only one Romeo.

“I’m a little confused,” Rafe said. “You got a boyfriend or not?”

You’re confused? She couldn’t bring herself to look at Rafe as she nodded.

“Is he the reason you’re scared?”

At the hint of machismo in his voice, Esti couldn’t help wondering if Rafe had known all along it would take less than twenty-four hours before she kissed him. “I’m not afraid of him,” she said tightly.

“Where is he?”

“I can’t talk about it.” She sagged, knowing she sounded utterly ungrateful for everything Rafe had done today. “Thanks for helping me, but I need to go home.”

Rafe stared at her for a long time, then finally nodded. “Yeah, mon. Whatever you want.”