Bette laughs, her hands settling comfortably on Tina’s hips. “Who says you have to resist?”

“Stop it, Angie!” Mickey suddenly protests from the table, his little voice full of irritation.

Tina closes her eyes and chuckles. “Well, that question was answered pretty quickly.”

Bette laughs, glancing toward the children before returning her attention to Tina. “Rain check?”

Tina smiles. “Definitely.”

Bette leans in and steals another kiss. For a moment, they simply stand there, wrapped up in each other, the early morning sunlight warming the kitchen around them.

Angie’s small voice interrupts. “You guys kiss a lot.”

Bette’s lips curve into a smirk as she keeps her eyes on Tina. “Eat your breakfast, Angel.”

Angie scrunches her nose. “I’m just saying.”

Tina smiles.

Bette finally glances toward their daughter, lifting one eyebrow. “Angelica.”

Angie shrugs and turns back toward her plate. “Okay…” She picks up another piece of toast and takes a bite, deciding that her mothers are beyond help….

***

Later that morning, in her office, Tina sits behind her desk, surrounded by the organized chaos of amajor Hollywood production preparing to begin principal photography.

Three separate monitors display different aspects of Firestorm Protocol, the $150 million action thriller scheduled to begin shooting the following week.

Tina adjusts her reading glasses and leans closer to the budget spreadsheet. “What the fuck,” she mutters. She clicks on a highlighted line item. The special effects department has submitted another revised estimate, this time requesting an additional $275,000 for a practical explosion sequence scheduled for the second week of filming.

Tina picks up her desk phone and dials an extension. “Hey, Marcus, it’s Tina. I just got your revised effects budget.” She listens as the special effects supervisor begins explaining the additional costs. “Right, I understand the safety requirements, and I’m not asking you to compromise on those. But we already approved a contingency for that sequence, and now you’re asking for another quarter of a million dollars.”

Tina nods thoughtfully as she listens to Marcus’s response. “Exactly. I’m not trying to make the scene smaller. I’m trying to make sure we’re spending the money where the audience is actually going to see it.” She makes a note on her legal pad. “Work with the visual effects supervisor and get me a revised breakdown by four. I want both departments on the same page before I approve anything.”