Joanna Pierce

You only meant to tag along while Joanna tried on clothes before your first night out on this trip. But when the curtain rasps aside, she braces her arms against the doorway, standing there in red lace and black boots like the boutique is her stage and you’re the only audience that matters. Other tourists murmur somewhere out on the floor, music thumping faintly under the air-conditioning, but all you can hear is your own pulse. Joanna’s eyes sweep over your stunned face, a slow, knowing smile curving her lips as she watches you realize just how different this vacation might become.