Page 88 of Vacation with the Ice Queen

Lila reached for her water glass, buying time while emotions battled inside her. The water tasted of cucumber and mint, exactly how she prepared it herself each morning. Another small detail Serena had somehow noticed and remembered.

"You hurt me this morning," Lila said quietly. Honesty deserved honesty in return.

"I know." Serena didn't flinch from the truth or offer excuses. "And I'm sorry."

"I've been down this road before, Serena. Opening myself to someone who pulls away when things get real. I promised myself I wouldn't do that again."

"I'm not Sophie."

"No, you're not," Lila agreed, studying the woman across from her. "Sophie never would have shown up on my doorstep with dinner and an apology. She never admitted when she was wrong."

A hint of hope flickered across Serena's face, quickly concealed behind careful neutrality. She was trying so hard to give Lila space, to not push or demand or control. The effort itself revealed how much this mattered to her.

Beyond the porch railing, the night sky sparkled with impossibly bright stars, the same ones that had witnessed theirfirst kiss in the midnight pool. Five days under those stars was all they had—not enough time for promises or plans, barely enough for beginnings.

But maybe, just maybe, enough for something real.

"If we do this," Lila said slowly, "we need to be clear about what we're choosing. Five days of presence, of honesty, of whatever grows between us—knowing it ends when you leave."

"That's what I'm asking for," Serena nodded, relief and anticipation mingling in her voice. "No pretending this is something it can't be, but no artificial limitations on what it might become within the time we have."

Her own words from days earlier, returned to her with perfect recall. Lila felt something warm unfurling in her chest, a cautious hope she hadn't expected to feel again after that morning.

"And when fear comes back?" she asked, needing to know Serena had thought this through.

"Then I'll tell you that's what's happening," Serena promised. "I won't just shut down or run. I'll... talk to you." She smiled ruefully. "Novel concept for a CEO who prefers spreadsheets to feelings."

Despite herself, Lila smiled back. "Very novel."

Their eyes held across the small table, possibility shimmering between them like heat waves. Whatever happened—joy or heartbreak—at least they were approaching it with open eyes. No illusions, no fairy tales, just two women choosing connection despite knowing its end date.

"Okay," Lila said simply.

"Okay?" Serena repeated, unusually uncertain.

"Five days," Lila clarified. "Being present. Being real. And seeing where it leads."

The smile that spread across Serena's face transformed her entirely—not the polished curve of lips she presentedin corporate settings but something genuine and a little bit vulnerable. It made her look younger, softer, more like the woman Lila had glimpsed in rare unguarded moments.

"I think our dinner's getting cold," Lila said, nodding toward the untouched food.

"Worth it," Serena replied, her eyes never leaving Lila's face.

And just like that, something broken began to mend.

They ate with a new ease between them, the tension that had filled Lila's cottage gradually giving way to something warmer. Conversation flowed more naturally as they sampled the local dishes Serena had chosen: fresh-caught fish prepared with island spices and tropical fruits in combinations that surprised and delighted the palate, flavors both complex and comforting.

"This is incredible," Lila said, savoring a bite of mango drizzled with spiced honey. "How did you know I love the local island cuisine?"

Serena looked almost sheepish. "I asked the chef what you ordered most often."

The small revelation—that Serena had specifically sought out things Lila would enjoy—sent a flutter through her chest. It wasn't grand or showy, just thoughtfully attentive in a way Sophie had rarely been.

"Tell me about New York," Lila said, settling back in her chair as they finished their meal. "The real version, not the corporate highlight reel."

Serena sipped her water, considering. "It's... intense. Always moving, always demanding. The city has a pulse. You can feel it beneath your feet on the subway platform, hear it in taxi horns at midnight, taste it in food from every corner of the world."

"You love it," Lila observed, catching the affection beneath Serena's description.

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