They were seated under the gazebo tents, all business set aside. Soft music drifted across the patio from inside the building, a pleasant undertone to the clanking of serving trays and the more subdued rumble of conversation. Stewards tipped cloth-wrapped bottles of champagne with their trademark flair, never once making eye contact. The steaming cuts of meat and fish smelled positively divine. A cool breeze flowed inland from the sea with barely enough strength to ruffle the tablecloths. The stars shined down upon them from a night sky so clear it appeared incapable of ever producing rain.

