“All right,” Monte conceded and nodded, stepping away. “I understand that you still need time.”
“Thank you.” She sighed, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. “I think we’re ready for the live video.”
“Are you sure I should do this?” His tail whipped wildly as she stared at her vidphone setup. “I’m not good at speaking to a crowd. How am I supposed to speak in front of who knows how many people?”
“Hundreds… Thousands… Millions…” She flicked her gaze in his direction, taking in his worried stunned expression and chuckled. “Really, it can be any amount, but usually the first live video is your smallest viewership.”
“Millions?”
“You would have to be blessed by your Moon Goddess herself if you get millions of views for your first time,” she soothed. “It’s easier if you just pretend that you’re talking to yourself in a mirror.”
He snorted and frowned deeply, brow creased. “The last time I did that, I broke it.”
“How?”
“I don’t know!” He threw his hands in the air. “Perhaps this is a mistake. What if I’m too ugly and break your vidphone?’
“You aren’t ugly.” She rolled her eyes. “You need to stop letting your nerves talk and relax. All you have to do is follow my lead. I won’t let you fail.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. I will begin the live feed, and introduce us,” she offered, scanning over the details of the website to see if there was anything that needed changing. “And then I can help you with selling the first few pieces until you get a hold of it. You won’t need to go live often, only when you have new collections, but once you’ve established yourself and become popular, word of mouth and announcements on your social media will be enough.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.” Satisfied that she’d hadn’t missed a thing, her hand hovered over the confirmation button. “Are you ready to launch your website?”
“All right.” Monte huffed, attempting to appear as if he weren’t nervous, but Kiri could tell by how his shoulders were slouched and the lack of movement of his tail that he was. “Let’s show them what we’ve got.”
As she hit the final upload button with a flourish, Kiri sat back with a satisfied sigh. “And we’re live! Mountain Monte’s Woodworking Wonders is officially open for business.”
Monte blinked at the screen, looking awed and a little overwhelmed. “I can’t believe it. You’re incredible, Kiri. I never could have done this on my own.”
“I’m happy to help. I believe in you and what you do.” Kiri nodded, though her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the camera angle. “We’ll start with an introduction, then go through each item. Be yourself; people will love your authenticity.”
“Be myself,” Monte repeated, his deep voice laced with both doubt and hope. He positioned himself beside her, the warmth of his body a comforting presence.
“Ready to go live?” she asked, her heart pounding, breath catching in her throat.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied, his eyes locking onto hers, seeking guidance, a trace of nervousness underlying his gruff exterior. He moved closer, their shoulders brushing, a subtle spark igniting at the contact, glancing at the camera with obvious discomfort. “I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“Hey.” Kiri reached out, laying a reassuring hand on his furry arm. “You’ve got this. Your craftsmanship speaks for itself. Once people see the quality of your work, they’ll be lining up to buy.”
Monte’s dark eyes met hers, softening with gratitude. “Thank you, Kiri. For everything. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
“That’s what partners are for,” she murmured, her heart giving a treacherous lurch at the word.
If only…
Ruthlessly shoving the wistful thought aside, Kiri focused on the task at hand. “Okay, here we go.” She took a deep breath, hitting the button to start the stream.
The screen flickered to life, and as the countdown began.
Three… Two … One...
“Hello everyone,” she began, her voice gaining practiced confidence. “I’m Kiri, and this is Monte, an incredibly talented woodworker and artist from Monster Island.”
“Hello,” Monte rumbled, his large hand waving awkwardly in front of the camera. Kiri stifled a giggle, finding his shyness endearing.
