Sophia sat back as the answer sparked two realisations. One, she’d have a lot more shooting time than she’d initially planned, and two, if she wanted to see full darkness, she’d be spending almost three hours with Vic tonight. She wasn’t sure which one of those things should take priority because all she could focus on was the fact that any remaining doubts she’d held about whether or not this was a date had just vanished.

••••

“So, does anyone call you Sophie?” Vic asked, sipping her second glass of wine.

“Does anyone call you Vickie?”

She wrinkled her nose.

“Exactly,” Sophia concluded. “It’s like a shoe that doesn’t fit.”

“Oh, I know all about those, both literally and figuratively,” Vic admitted, no longer drinking the wine so much as inhaling the bouquet and soaking in Sophia’s presence. The latter had a much stronger effect on her senses. “But aren’t actresses supposed to be chameleons of sorts?”

“Chameleons, not contortionists. I can certainly mimic any behaviours or affects I can observe, but I can’t change myself into something else entirely. I don’t believe any human can.”

“Change?” She leaned forward. “Do you honestly believe we’re all static creatures?”

“Maybe we change in small ways, habits, preferences, tastes, but not on any fundamental level. I may learn a thing or two about myself with each project, but I don’t become more villainous when I play a villain any more than I’ll become an actual princess by playing one for the next few months.”

“Hmm.”

“You disagree?”

“Maybe not about the title— those are hard to come by these days— but I’ve always hoped that if you played a part long enough it would eventually become second nature.”

Sophia’s dark eyes narrowed as if trying to see some small detail inside Vic. Had she caught the hint of wistfulness in the statement? Vic didn’t find the prospect frightening. She wouldn’t mind being truly seen by a woman of Sophia’s calibre, but years of experience told her not to expect that level of interest from the women she spent time with. Only Emma had ever come close, and Emma had warned her not to hope for too much tonight. In an attempt to heed that warning she forced her voice to remain casual as she added, “I mean, don’t some roles help define whole careers?”

“They can.” Sophia accepted the slight redirect. “And this movie has the potential to be one of those for me. I’ve made no secret about that fact. I went after this role hard precisely because it could change my life by earning my entry pass into a mostly pedigreed class.”

“How so? Aren’t you already well established?”

“Not in the way I want to be.”

“But you’ve got awards, and money, and some clout. You must have done something well.”