Page 74 of Vacation with the Ice Queen

Serena turned to look at her, struck by how Lila made connections others missed, how she saw past professional mantras to the human reality beneath.

"My board would say that's precisely my problem," she said with a rueful smile. "Allowing emotions to cloud judgment."

"Do you think that's true?"

"No," Serena answered, surprising herself with the certainty in her voice. "My emotional investment is what built Frost Innovations. I care about privacy protection and creating systems people can trust. That's not weakness; it's my compass."

The words felt like a revelation, though she'd never articulated them quite that way before. Somewhere along the way, she'd accepted the narrative that her success came despite her emotions, not because of them.

"What about your ex-wife?" Lila asked carefully. "Was that personal too?"

The question should have felt invasive. Instead, here beneath the vast sky with this woman who saw beneath her surface, it felt like an invitation to examine a truth she'd been avoiding.

"Rachel said I was 'married to my work,'" Serena said quietly. "That I was 'more machine than woman.' That I was... boring."

The last word still stung, years later.

"Boring is the last word I'd use to describe you," Lila said, her voice warm in the darkness.

"You're seeing me outside my natural habitat," Serena replied, though the words held no bite. "In New York, I'm all routines and schedules. Predictable to a fault."

"Or perhaps reliable. Consistent. Trustworthy." Lila shifted closer, until their arms pressed together lightly. "Context changes everything."

A comfortable silence settled between them as they watched a distant fishing boat move across the horizon, its lights marking steady progress against the darkness.

"My natural instinct right now is to plan," Serena admitted. "To map out contingencies for when I return, to minimize the impact of all this..." She gestured vaguely between them, struggling to name whatever was developing.

"And what's stopping you?" Lila asked, no judgment in her voice, only curiosity.

"You are." Serena turned to face her fully. "Being with you makes me want to stay in this moment rather than plan the next one."

The admission felt monumental, though the words themselves were simple. She'd built her success on always looking ahead, always anticipating, always controlling the next move. Learning to value the present was perhaps the island's most radical teaching.

A shooting star streaked across the sky, a brilliant flash that left a momentary trail.

"Make a wish," Lila said softly.

"I don't believe in wishes," Serena replied automatically.

"Humor me." Lila's smile was visible even in the dim light.

Serena closed her eyes briefly. What would she wish for, if such things held power? More time? Different circumstances? A way to bridge the inevitable gap between their worlds?

"The island has a theory about falling stars," Lila said, her gaze still fixed upward. "They say wishes made here come true, but rarely in the way you expect."

"That's a conveniently unfalsifiable claim," Serena couldn't help pointing out, though her tone was teasing rather than dismissive.

"The most important truths usually are." Lila's hand found hers in the darkness, warm fingers interlacing with her own. "What would you wish for, if you did believe?"

The question hung between them, weighted with everything that remained unspoken. Serena found herself answering with unexpected honesty.

"More moments like this one," she said simply. "Just this."

They remained on the terrace long after their wine glasses emptied, conversation flowing between deep revelations and comfortable silences. The night wrapped around them like a private cocoon, the distant crash of waves providing rhythm to their shared words.

"It's getting late," Lila finally said, though she made no move to leave.

Serena glanced at her watch—the elegant Patek Philippe she'd worn faithfully for years but hadn't consulted once during dinner. Time, that relentless master of her Manhattan life, had become strangely elastic on the island. Especially with Lila.

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