"I was wondering," she said, nodding. Right then, though, she couldn't seem to hold a straight face, a bit of a grin breaking through after mere moments. "Good to know." And it was. She was nearly lightheaded with it. It wasn't that she was allowing herself to get swept away by the moment; it was that she couldn't seem to stop herself.

And why not? Things had been going well. Her dad was back on top where he belonged. She'd been elected and was doing good work. The island wasn't without its problems, but they were few and increasingly far between. For once, it seemed like everything was going her way. Why not this? Why not let herself believe, just for a little while, that it could work out? Letting go, giving in, was overwhelming, and still she wanted to try.