Fastening her hair in a loose bun with a tortoiseshell comb, she checked her reflection before applying a stroke of clear lip gloss and got out. There was a light, cool breeze so she grabbed her jacket from the back seat.
After taking the gifts from the back of the car and locking it, she paused to take in the view. This section of the island sat halfway on ascending land that fanned from the marina and mangrove flats opposite the mainland, to the high cliffs that butted against the Pacific Ocean. Most of the land had been cleared many years before for farming, though here and there were clusters of densely planted trees—eucalypts, she assumed—that suggested there were attempts to regenerate the natural flora and to act as wind breaks.
As Audrey approached the back of the hotel, her sens
