After a traumatic year that blindsided Chicago Fire’s Violet and viewers alike with the unexpected tragic demise of the paramedic’s boyfriend, the NBC drama is giving Violet a reason to smile in Season 12.

In addition to her beau Evan Hawkins’ death, Violet also recently said a tearful goodbye to her friend Gallo, who moved out of state, and will watch her best friend Sylvie Brett leave the Windy City later this season. Despite those losses, the future is finally starting to look brighter for Violet.

“What’s great about Violet is that she’s just incredibly strong,” showrunner Andrea Newman tells TVLine. “She’s gone through a lot, and she’s going to come out of it much stronger for it in some great ways. We get to see that play out over the course of the season and get to see her step into the spotlight in a great way. So we’re very excited about Violet’s [arc].”

Understandably, Violet spent much of last season mourning Evan, who died just when the couple’s relationship was starting to get serious. But with time, Violet started to express, at the very least, a physical attraction to her colleague, firefighter Sam Carver, whom she not-so-subtly ogled in the locker room.

“That vibe is very there,” Newman acknowledges. However, “she’s been through a lot, so it’s not like she wants to jump into anything.”

Still, one cannot deny that something is happening between the pair this season, which has found Violet and Carver sharing playful barbs and pointed looks. In the season opener, Violet couldn’t exclaim fast enough to Carver that she doesn’t need a pity date to Brett’s wedding. And in this week’s episode, after Carver told Violet that he’d never forget how she put herself on the line to save his job, there was a gaze so full of promise that Violet abruptly took off.

“There is definitely some undeniable tension between the two of them, and we’ll be playing with that a lot,” Newman shares. The EP describes the dynamic between Violet and Carver as “really fun” and “very playful,” which are qualities the paramedic could definitely use after a difficult time. “It’s not a tortured relationship,” Newman adds.

So does that mean Violet is ready to move on, romantically, with a new man?

“Somebody might be wanting her to. Whether or not she takes the bait, we’ll find out,” Newman replies.