Summary

Chapter One introduces us to the protagonist of the novel, Beatriz Perez. At twenty-two years old, Beatriz has been proposed to four times, and the novel opens with her fifth. She kindly rejects her suitor as he kneels before her at a Palm Beach gala and steps outside to the balcony for a breath of fresh ocean air. While taking in the salty air and thinking of the Cuban homeland she was forced to leave behind when Fidel Castro took over, Beatriz is startled by the approach of someone behind her. She turns to see golden-haired, devastatingly handsome Nick, who wants to know the results of his cousin’s proposal.

Despite being flustered by his good looks and charm, Beatriz manages to keep her cool as she answers his incisive questions with skilled flirtation. Nick Preston flirts back and the two share a...