“Oh please.” Sophia ran her finger lazily around the rim of her pint glass. “And while you’re at it, maybe you can explain it to me, because the last thing I remember clearly is a bottle of gin, and rocks against a windowpane. Everything after that’s been a bit of a blur.”

Emma gave an excited little squeak and tapped her index finger against the table. “Details, I want all the details right now.”

This time Vic’s smile was genuine. Many people might have cringed at the invasion into their private life, but she much preferred that topic to the weight of responsibility pressing on her chest moments before.

For the first time in her life she was in a relaxed space with friends who knew her well enough to pry and a beautiful woman, with a story to tell. For tonight she wanted to luxuriate in experiences the rest of the world took for granted.

••••

Sophia didn’t even know what time it was anymore. She wasn’t wearing a watch, and she didn’t want to check her phone for fear the outside world might try to creep into this perfect evening. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had an uninterrupted meal in a public place. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a casual outing at all. Two days ago, she wouldn’t have thought it possible, even on her own, much less with someone of Vic’s status and profile. And yet even the last of the Friday Club had given up trying to eavesdrop and one by one headed out. Their polite and staggered goodbyes left her, Vic, and Emma plenty of time and space to get several drinks and many conversations into the night. She needed to stop soon, on both counts, but for once her sense of professionalism finished a distant second to her enjoyment of the moment.

Still, even the thought of why she needed to head back to the castle soon made her jaw tighten once more. Either Talia had brokered a deal with Brian and the production company and she’d return to a much more fraught set tomorrow, or no deal had been secured and she’d have to take it on herself to make some concessions to get the production back on track. Her stomach turned at what those concessions might entail. She squeezed a fist tightly under the table and shook the thoughts from her mind.