Needless to say, Sean had no intention whatsoever of brushing Beth off.  The reason he had not returned her greeting in kind was that he was so struck by the beauty of the island under the morning sun, and so intent on his run, that he had simply not noticed the light touch on the back.  In some ways, he could be rather dense.<br/><br/>He was pleased, however, when she easily kept pace with him.  She was in good shape, as he was, much to his delight.  Sean had always had a soft spot for the sporty type of women, women who never really bothered much with makeup or girly girl outfits.  Give him a girl in a sports bra and a ponytail any day.<br/><br/>In fact, he had been so careful about keeping pace with her that she was starting to outstrip him.  He laughed, and increased his gait a little faster,  following Beth's lead.<br/><br/>They followed the beach for about a half mile or so until it ended abruptly, giving way to a steep incline and a rocky cliff.   Naturally, they were forced to stop running, but ever adventurous, Sean wanted to see what was on the other side.  Picking his way carefully from rock to rock, he ascended the cliff, then watched as Beth did the same.  From the vantage point of the bluff, they could see the bay on the other side of the island.  A natural rock formation had sealed off a tidepool from the rest of the bay, and within it, hundreds of brightly colored fish could be seen, glittering oranges and blues and greens ever moving, ever spiralling in an intricate underwater dance.<br/><br/>"Look at that view," Sean said.  "It's simply gorgeous."<br/><br/>But he wasn't looking at the fish.  He was looking at Beth, and grinning.