When She Fell for the Billionaire(40)

The rhythmic sound of the crashing of the waves, the ebb and flow of sea water on her feet, the wind ruffling her clothes and hair–it had been balm to an introverted little girl growing up with an absent mother. She was lucky they lived near a beach. When she had found her first piece of sea glass–a green one–she had been hooked for life, adding pieces to her collection and storing it in a big jar. She had spent countless hours on the beach. The sea glass had saved her from utter loneliness.

She didn’t know how long she had been looking, but her back began to ache. Straightening up, she saw Luca lounging on top of a boulder farther back from the shoreline. She walked up to him, her finds wrapped in a huge bandana.

His hair was damp and sleek, plastered to his skull, throwing his elegant bone structure in relief. He rose slowly as she approached, his board shorts slung dangerously low on his hips, bits of sand clinging to his elegant bare feet.

“Productive?”

In answer, Sabrina opened the bandana and showed him the contents. There were about six pieces of quality sea glass, most of them in green and blue, but one was different. She picked it up between her thumb and forefinger. It was a spherical frosted white glass the size of a marble. Splashes of red and orange like melted wax were swirled on one side.

“I’ve never seen one like this,” she murmured.

“But you’ve heard of them most likely.”

She shot him a questioning look.

“It’s Murano glass.”

“I’ve heard of Murano glass.” The world-famous glass was made in Venice on the island of the same name. “How did it get here?”

It never failed to amaze her how something people considered trash was made beautiful by time and nature. One of the exciting things about sea glass was trying to guess its origins. Most were from discarded bottles, some from broken dinnerware, others from boat lanterns. Since the island didn’t look to have any inhabitants, Sabrina was curious about its origins.

“Long ago the factories for glassmaking were located in Venice. The republic of Venice was afraid of fire and decided to have all the glassmakers relocated to the island of Murano. They were made virtual prisoners. They couldn’t leave the island because the republic was afraid they’d reveal trade secrets to outsiders. Some managed to escape, and legend has it that they settled here on Isola Vetra. When the quality of their product didn’t meet their standards, they threw it out to the sea.”

“You happen to know a lot of the legends around these parts.” She sat on the boulder he had been sitting on awhile ago. It felt good after all the bending.

“As I’ve told you, I spent a lot of summers here.” He pointed to the boulder. “That’s my rock you’re sitting on, by the way.”

Her eyebrow lifted at his playfully possessive tone. “Does it have your name on it?”

“Right under your ass.”

Sabrina shot him a look that he better not be playing her. True enough, his initials L.A. were carved on the stone.

“I told you,” he said smugly. “My brothers and the Konstantinos boys used to fight over ownership of the strategic rocks. We used it as look-out for pirate ships.”

Sabrina fought the envy she felt at his childhood. He had siblings and friends to have silly fights with. “It must have been wonderful.”

“It was. We have remained close to the Konstantinos boys.” He speared her with an enigmatic look.

Sabrina sensed that he was waiting for her to say something. She longed to know more about the Greek brothers but she held her tongue instead.

“No one lives here?”

“There were a few families who did when we spent summers here. They were the descendants of the glassmakers, but eventually the younger generation wanted a different life and moved to the mainland.”

“It’s so peaceful here.”

“You sound like you wouldn’t mind living here.”

She stowed her finds inside her eco bag, making sure it was safe. “It would be heaven, for a few weeks at least, and then I’d go crazy without Wi-Fi. I sell my accessories online so it’s a necessity.”

“I’ve seen them.” Her jaw went slack in surprise at this revelation. “They’re very beautiful and innovative.”

“Th-thank you.”

“We are always on the lookout for aspiring and talented designers. You might want to consider applying as one of our in-house accessory designers.”

“I’m flattered.” And really, she was. The House of Argenti was known for feminine yet cutting edge designs. She knew Luca wouldn’t have offered it if he didn’t see something in her. After all, he already had the milk, so there was no need to buy the cow. It would be a big coup if she managed to land a job in the company, but Sabrina didn’t want anyone interfering with her vision, her designs. She wanted to be the one who made the calls.