"Oh, it is. I have a strict curfew around here. No one out of their trailers after eleven."
"Really?" she asked.
He grinned. "No. I'm joking. Come see me later. I've got to give my all to the rest of this night. Even now, I have to use the rest of this break to give notes to a few of my cast members over here."
"Go ahead. Please. Judd already told us about staying back with the crew."
"I won't be able to say 'hi' again until midnight."
She nodded.
"Come hang with me in my trailer. Your sister might want to hang out with some of the cast and crew. There's always a group who stays by the fire on nights when we do camp scenes. We could sit at the campfire, if you want. I could snuggle with you."
She shrugged. "We're already raising eyebrows with you hugging me a second ago."
"Hang on, I'm about to do something else," he said. He leaned in and gave her a quick but tender kiss on the lips. Her mouth was soft and warm, and it was all he could do to stop after one little peck.
"Okay, I'm going to work," he said reluctantly.
She smiled. "Have fun. Thanks for having me here."
"Thanks for making breakfast. I'll talk to you about your plans when I see you tonight."
"That'll be great," she said.
He turned and walked away, and she went back to her sister. Alex had to leave Josie, but knowing she was there made all the difference in the world. He had set himself up to be working in a high-pressure, high-stakes situation, and he didn't regret it. He was thriving as a director because he believed in the project, and he was a natural leader who held everyone to the highest standards. He was making it just fine with functioning in the chaos. But Josie's presence made him feel happy and at peace. Having her there was like a security blanket. He never had one of those as a child, but he could imagine that they would give about the same feeling.
"Hey, Cameron, can you go to Wagon One and get some fabric to give that baby a blanket?" he said over the headset when he had the thought.
"What baby?"
"It's the little boy at your twelve o'clock with his mom. The toddler. Can we give him a blanket?"
"For him to hold?" Cameron asked over the headset.
"Yes. He's with the family at the edge of the shot. Have him just hold a blanket in his hand, kind of dragging behind him."
"Got it. I'll grab some fabric and tell his mom."
"Thank you," he said with a smile.
***
And just like that, it was midnight.
Alex heard a light knock on his trailer door, and he glanced at the clock before shifting his gaze to Cameron.
"It's late," he said. "Josie's here. I'm going to hang out with her."
Cameron nodded and stood up, gathering her clipboard and headset.
"Come in!" he said in a louder tone that woke Judd up. He was sleeping on the small couch that was adjacent to Alex's desk, and Alex leaned over to shake Judd's thigh. "Thanks for today," he said to him.
"Yeah, good stuff," Judd said, nodding sleepily. He got to the edge of the couch, blinking toward the door as Josie walked inside.
"Oh, hey, Cameron, I didn't mean to interrupt. Hey Judd." Josie's eyes scanned the trailer and finally met Alex's. "I can come back," she offered, looking worried.
"No, we're done," Cameron said. She kicked at Judd. "He's been sleeping for thirty minutes already."
