“I see you’ve got a taste for the local cuisine,” Dolly says, breaking my concentration. I look at her and see she’s not talking about my food but nodding to the woman at the door. “That girl is like a daughter to everyone on this island,” she says, turning to face me. “You hurt her, and I’ll turn you from a sea cucumber into a clam with one shuck.” She tips her glass to me as she takes a sip and walks over to the other side of the bar to take a drink order.

I watch as the woman moves up to the bar and leans over to give...