She turned to scan the beaches a bit before surveying her local crew and the faces of her friends once more. “There will still be a legal fight someday, but it doesn’t hang like a guillotine blade above my neck at the moment. It turns out that when I love the work I do and the people I’m working with, it’s easier to take pride in who I am right now instead of worrying about who I may or may not be down the road.”

“Hear, hear.” Brogan clapped a hand on her shoulder. “And what’s more, you seem to have made the right call again, because here come Reg and Cobie.”

They all watched the star and her young handler stride up the well-worn path from the village to their part of the beach.

“I got her here straightaway,” Reg declared proudly.

Vic tousled the kid’s red hair and said, “You’ve earned yourself a regular appointment, unless Ms. Galloway objects.”

“Not at all,” Cobie said amiably. “I couldn’t ask for better company on my short commute. But if I’d known the rest of the crew was just milling around down here, I would’ve stayed in bed with a beautiful pop star.”

“Ms. Wilder will have to wait,” Sophia cut in quickly. “Tell her to order us some scones because we’re going to keep you busy for as long as we’ve got good natural light today.”

And just like that, everyone jumped into their jobs. Vic stood back and watched all the principal players work. Talia and Emma scribbled on scripts, techs tested mics over the soft sounds of the sea, camera operators bustled about carrying an array of equipment Vic still hadn’t learned the specific names for yet. And there, in the centre of it all, Sophia stood, hands on hips, hair stirring softly on the breeze, surveying the scene like a general preparing to orchestrate an invasion.

She was as commanding as she was beautiful, and when she raised her voice to call out instructions, everyone stopped to stare. For all the talk about Vic’s vision, she knew which of them would play the bigger part in sharing that vision with the world, and she couldn’t have been prouder.

She’d meant what she’d said about the title earlier. She slept well at night knowing they were using every ounce of their collective creativity to make something meaningful that would last, even if the title didn’t.

Then again, sleeping next to Sophia every night was a blessing, no matter how they’d spent the day.

“Places everyone,” Sophia called. “I want the big, sweeping scenic shots before the tide shifts. Clear the scene. Everybody but Cobie off my beach.”

Everywhere people hustled to get out of the way, and Vic took her place behind her fiancée as Cobie jogged down the shore several metres.