Just then, Mitch and Kyle came out of Kyle’s room. They’d been in there talking for some time. Both of them had smiles on their faces.
Kyle rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to get Ruthie and fix her a bottle, then we’ll be ready to watch.”
Joyce’s chest felt tight. The screen flickered to life.
Mitch nodded. “I’ll get a bottle warming.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Kyle went into Ruthie’s room.
Beryl brought two cups of tea to the table and placed one in front of Joyce. “Drink that, now. You’ll feel better.”
Joyce picked up the cup and took a sip. It was good. Beryl knew how to make a cup of tea. Joyce took another sip. It helped. Tea always helped. She prepared herself for the worst. She opened a browser and connected to YouTube. From there, she went to Lucas’s channel, which she’d already subscribed to.
There was no new episode yet. She checked the time. A few minutes yet to go.
Beryl returned with a plate of biscuits and sat next to Joyce. Kyle, with Ruthie in his arms, took a chair on the other side of Joyce. Mitch brought the bottle to Kyle, then sat.
He adjusted the laptop so they could all see the screen.
Joyce felt like she might throw up.
Mitch was staring at her. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “I’m…nervous.”
“It’ll be all right,” Kyle said. “You guys are going to be great. Don’t you worry.”
Easy for him to say. Joyce drank more tea and tried to breathe. She really didn’t know where all of this had come from, but nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
How was one supposed to act while on the verge of public humiliation?
Mitch moved the cursor, then tapped the touchpad. The screen refreshed and a new video appeared front and center.Theirvideo.
Joyce inhaled as it began to play.
Lucas appeared after the fancy intro that featured the logo Frankie had designed. “Hello, fellow foodies! Welcome to a very special episode ofPrime Kitchen. I have two amazing guests here with me today, Joyce Crenshaw, and her sister, Beryl Furling. They’re all the way from the U.K. and they’re going to teach us how to make something incredibly delicious, the traditional Sunday roast. I can tell you firsthand you donotwant to miss this. Ladies, take it away.”
The camera cut to Joyce and Beryl standing at the stove, smiling.
Joyce put her hand to her mouth. That was her. On video. She looked like a blooming idiot.
“Wow,” Kyle said. “You guys look great.”
She glared at him. “Are you daft? I look like a right mental case.”
Mitch snorted. “No, you don’t. Listen, I know it can be a shock when you see yourself on video for the first time, but trust me, you look fantastic. Both of you.”
“Hush,” Beryl said. She tapped the button to turn up the volume.
Joyce sat quietly as the episode went on. Beryl seemed to be enjoying it. Kyle and Mitch laughed and smiled. Slowly, Joyce started to feel less like throwing up.
Didn’t mean she suddenly liked seeing herself on the screen. It was awkward and strange to see herself like that. Beryl didn’t seem to have that problem.
Joyce finally smiled when Frankie appeared as their taster. Frankie looked beautiful. She said such nice things about the food, too.
Lucas closed the episode by asking his viewers when they’d like to see Joyce and Beryl again, then gave everyone a farewell as he joined Joyce and Beryl in a wave.
Joyce exhaled, glad to have it over.
