“Coproducer, unless I end up quitting,” Jessie countered. She was so used to his dramatics, River didn’t even blink at the threat. “While you tried and failed to walk down a road, I tried and failed to get someone from city hall to answer the phone about our nonexistent permits. I gave up. No one is going to answer. If I can’t get copies through email, we’ll have to go down there.”

“Fine, Jessie. I’ll add it to the list.”

“Top of the list.” Bree, her audio specialist, jumped out of the SUV, laptop in hand. “I can’t film in town without them.”

“We can’t film.” Jessie sighed. “Really, ladies, I’m more than happy to be outnumbered, but I do exist.”

“Do you though?” Bree arched an eyebrow at Jessie, then snickered at the annoyed expression on his face.

Jessie’s hair was always messy, and he was very pale, as if he’d rolled off the couch in his grandmother’s basement to emerge in the actual sunlight, when in actuality, he preferred to spend all his spare time outdoors like Bree and River did. Their mutual love of hiking and rock climbing had bonded the three beyond the usual professional camaraderie in their industry. Fair skinned to an extreme, even a little sun left Jessie sunburned and peeling. That fair skin had been an issue on every single movie they’d worked on together, to the point that River knew more about Jessie’s skin care regimen than her own.

But man…was he talented. River couldn’t have asked for a better cameraman and coproducer, even if he was difficult to work with sometimes. Jessie’s attitude had gotten him on the wrong side of the wrong director, and like River, his job options were quickly shrinking. And as good as Jessie was, Bree was absolutely invaluable to River.

South Asian with a degree in film studies, Bree was beautiful enough to be on the opposite end of the camera she was so good at using, but she was also one of the best in the business at sound. The only reason River had managed to steal her from a big budget job was Bree’s love of being outdoors. The call of Alaska had been enough to get her to come along. For River, this documentary was the most important thing to happen to her career-wise since she’d landed her first acting role. For Bree, it was a paid vacation.

A car edged around their vehicles, the driver giving everyone a dirty look. River’s impromptu chauffeur frowned. The beard hid a lot of his facial expressions, but his voice was clearly unhappy with the parking situation.

“Where are we on moving your vehicle?”