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Zara's sandals sank slightly into the cool sand as she took a deep breath of salty ocean air. The outdoor cinema screen loomed ahead, a massive white rectangle against the darkening sky.

Her stomach fluttered with nerves. It was funny, she felt like this was her showing.

She’d played her part, but Tess and her crew had pulled the whole thing together. And from the looks of things, they’d sold a hell of a lot of tickets.

‘I’m going to be screaming,’ Anderson warned her.

‘Scream all you like. It’ll add something to the screening,’ Zara replied, smoothing down her dress and forcing a smile. ‘Again, thanks for this. All the string pulling for the permit.’

He waved a hand dismissively. ‘No bother. You haven’t got it yet, anyway. Not if they don’t pull it off tonight.’

Zara looked around at the gathering, chattering crowd. ‘You don’t know who the inspector is?’

‘Nah.’

‘What are they looking for?’

‘Roughly? A disorganised event, a dissatisfied crowd.’

Zara nodded anxiously. She hoped to god that Tess could pull this off.

‘Hey, no frowning. You’ll give the inspector the wrong idea,’ Anderson teased, nudging her gently.

She chuckled, despite herself. ‘Tess needs this to go well. I’m just a bit nervous for her.’

‘Man, you’re really in this one, aren’t you?’

‘I’m always in it,’ Zara replied.

‘No, but you want this one to work. What’s the big deal? You crushing on the cinema owner?’

Zara had to laugh.

‘What’s funny?’ Anderson asked.

‘You’ll get it when you meet her,’ Zara said.

‘Not hot?’ Anderson asked.

Zara thought it over. Tess was physically attractive; you couldn’t deny that. But she had the personality of a fire alarm that went off every time you made toast. ‘That’s not the problem,’ she said simply to Anderson.

They walked closer to the screen, passing clusters of people already sprawled out on blankets and beach chairs. The setup was impressive—Tess had arranged for rows of tiki torches to light the path, creating a warm glow that contrasted nicely with the cool blues of the ocean in the background. A small concession stand was already buzzing with activity, the smell of popcorn wafting through the air.

‘There she is,’ Zara said, pointing to Tess, who was waiting by the stand, hands on her hips, overseeing the last-minute details.

‘She’s your exact type,’ Anderson said as they approached Tess.

‘Shut up,’ Zara said quickly.

Hopefully, Tess wouldn’t have heard. She was locked on, clipboard in hand, as she spoke with her small staff. ‘Alright, everyone, listen up! We’ve got two hundred chairs, a hundred blankets, and not enough popcorn for a second batch, so let's make sure we pace it. Movie on at seven, sharp. We’ve triple-checked the tech but look out for other issues, environmental things we might not expect. And if the wind picks up, keep an eye on the screen flaps.’

A young woman, a very young guy and an old guy nodded, listening carefully. You could see they respected her.

‘You know what to do. Go and do it,’ Tess finished, releasing them. She turned to see Zara. ‘You came,’ she said, slightly surprised.

‘Everything looks amazing. You’ve outdone yourself,’ Zara said honestly. She was glad to compliment her.

‘We had a few hiccups, but nothing major. The sound system’s a bit temperamental, but I think we’ve got it sorted.’

Zara’s eyes widened. ‘The sound system?’

‘It’s sorted,’ Tess said with certainty.

Zara couldn’t help but notice that Tess looked more at ease than she’d ever seen her. It didn’t take long to figure out what the difference was. She was doing what she did, bringing cinema to people. In her element, she was a sight to behold. There was a quiet confidence about her.

‘Oh, this is my friend, Anderson,’ Zara said, gesturing.

Tess stuck her hand out stiffly. ‘Thanks for what you did,’ she said, her eyes struggling to stay on Anderson. ‘If you give your name at concessions, you’re entitled to a free medium drink and medium popcorn.’

Anderson laughed. ‘I don’t need perks for making that call. People are happy. It’s good for the community, an event like this.’

Tess looked at him at last. ‘I’d agree with that.’

‘I’m gonna take that free popcorn though,’ Anderson said and walked off to the concession stand.

As Anderson wandered off, Zara and Tess were left in an awkward silence. Tess checked her watch. ‘Starting soon.’

Zara nodded. ‘Yep. Better get seated.’

Zara got the hint and turned away to find a seat. People were still arriving, filling in the spaces between blankets and chairs. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving only the fading light of twilight and the growing glow of the tiki torches.

As the sky darkened, the movie finally began. The opening notes of the Jaws score played through the speakers, and the audience settled into quiet. Zara found a spot next to Anderson—slurping and munching his freebie—on a blanket. He’d managed to claim a prime viewing location not too far from the screen.

‘You wanna split this? A medium is massive,’ Anderson whispered.

‘Love to,’ Zara said settling down on his blanket, trying to focus.

But she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something could still go wrong. She scanned the crowd, wondering which one of them was the inspector. But as the movie progressed, the tension in her chest slowly unwound. People were gasping at all the right moments, and the sound—despite the earlier issues—was crystal clear. Tess was on top of things.

Zara liked knowing that. In all this, the one real wild card was Tess. Was she in the red because she was incompetent? If that had been the case, Zara might not have been able to combat it.

But looking around her, Zara could see that Tess was good at showing movies to the public. Zara liked knowing that.