I splashed my face with water and changed into the turquoise maxi dress I had bought a week before just for the trip. I tied the halter around my neck and chose a pair of sandals from my newly organized closet.

I plodded over the dirt trail to Cynthia’s cabin and found her already on her spacious veranda reading one of the many books she’d packed. She wore a large brimmed hat and square shaped sunglasses, her legs stretched across an adjacent chair, properly crossed. Even in her remote casita, she remained a lady.

“Hello, Dear,” she said, laying her book pages-down in her lap.

“Hi, Mom. How’s your cabin?” I asked, taking a seat beside her.

She leaned toward me and smiled. “It’s beautiful. And yours? What do you think about the island?”

“My room is great. I’m not sure about the island, yet, but I’m sure it’s going to be… interesting. No cars, no jet skis, no phones, no Wi-Fi, collected rain for water…not exactly what I imagined when you said you wanted to vacation in the Caribbean.”

“I’m sure you and Jared will find something entertaining to do. There’s snorkeling, fishing, and so on. Take care not to burn,” she said, returning to her book.

I took that as my cue to let her be. I strolled back to my cabin and decided to continue my walk, following a trail that led me to the beach in minutes. I gasped at the sight of it. The fishing boats on the horizon, the clear water and the Technicolor clouds were beginning to glow blues and yellows from the descending sun; it all would have been the perfect shot for a postcard.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Jared said from behind me, folding his arms around my waist.

I leaned my head against his chest and stared out onto the ocean. “I think it’s the company more than anything,” I said, relaxing into his arms.

He pressed his lips against the bare skin of my shoulder and I smiled at the warmth left behind. “You are absolutely beautiful.”

I turned around and slipped my arms under his and tightened them around his middle. He was still in his crisp white shirt and jeans, but his sleeves were rolled up and he had changed into a pair of casual sandals.

“Why didn’t you correct the driver when he called me your wife?”

He grinned. “I guess I just liked the sound of it so much I couldn’t tell him he was wrong. Did it offend you?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. I’ve always liked to pretend on vacation.”

Jared raised one eyebrow, amused. “Are you royalty this time or an award winning actress?”