Cherry Roman had heart palpitations just looking at their bodies glistening in the dwindling sunlight on a white sandy beach. Her best friend, Sheri, would weep when she found out what she’d passed up, Cherry thought with an uncomfortable spurt of guilty happiness, thrilled at the prospect of adventure she was facing and, at the same time, deeply regretful that Sheri would miss out on it. Breathing in a deep, calming breath in an effort to dismiss the jitter of nerves about coming to such a place solo, Cherry dragged her gaze from the scenery on the beach and scanned the island and it’s surroundings. The horizon was beautifully striped in gaudy colors in every hue. The setting sun perched above the golden sea like a ball of fire, clouds rippling out from its center domination of the sky in bold streaks of scarlet. A breeze carrying the scent of salt and sand swept across her damp skin, offering some relief from the nearly unrelenting humid heat of a Southern summer. Though she was nearer to the equator here than in her apartment in North Georgia, the air coming off the water made the weather seem cooler than it actually was.
