Page 85 of Be More Lucy

Em had managed to grab a seat by the heater in the cafe when Jack and the rest of the crew appeared.

‘That looks cosy,’ Jack said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

‘It is. But I still haven’t thawed out entirely. I think your need is greater than mine, though.’ She got up and offered him her seat.

Normally, Jack would be gentlemanly and refuse, but not today. ‘I’ll let you have it back in a minute.’ He rubbed his hands together then held them out near the heater.

‘Did you get it all done?’ Em asked.

‘Yes, after three takes. It’s not perfect, but it will have to do. I can do a voiceover in the studio for the rest.’

‘What about Clara? I thought you were going to do a piece to camera together?’

‘Her assistant texted Ian. She’s out of action for the rest of the day. She thinks she’s got flu.’

Perhaps Clara was genuinely ill, or she’d taken one look at the weather forecast and decided a warm hotel bed was the better option.

‘Shall I get you a fresh cup of coffee?’

‘Yes, please. You’re an angel.’ He shivered.

While Em was at the counter, she noticed Ian slide into the seat next to Jack. They were in deep conversation when she returned.

‘Ian’s got a proposition for you,’ Jack said.

Ian got up and offered Em his seat while he perched on the edge of the table. ‘You’ve done television before, Em.’

‘Only when I won the Unity Portrait Award. That was just the interview with Clara, then a few shots of me working in my flat and walking across the beach.’

‘Yes, and you were very good, particularly on the beach. I remember watching it at the time because Jack said his portrait might be featured.’

‘I hadn’t thought about putting “walks well across a beach” on my CV,’ she laughed.

‘Perhaps you should,’ Ian said. ‘It’s certainly a skill we’d appreciate now, as well as staring off into the distance, looking deep in thought.’

‘I thought that was Jack’s speciality?’

Ian laughed. ‘A good sense of humour helps as well.’

‘Sorry, where is this conversation going?’ Em had a good idea, but she couldn’t quite believe it.

Jack chipped in. ‘What Ian’s trying to get round to asking is, will you co-present with me?’

‘But I don’t know anything about pirates.’

‘Yes, you do. You know more than Clara. You proofread my book. And you’ve had to listen to me talk about them for weeks on end. I’ve written the scripts, so you only need to learn the information in those. You don’t have to be word-perfect. I have every faith in you, and so does Ian.’

Ian nodded. ‘Why don’t we record the piece Clara should’ve done today with you now? See how you feel about it then.’

‘Ok. If you think I’m good enough.’

‘Of course, you’re good enough. Angie!’ Ian called to the makeup artist who was sitting at another table. ‘Sort Em out, will you? The rain’s easing off a bit, so there’s a fighting chance some of her make-up will stay on.’

‘And cut. Brilliant.’ Ian sounded pleased.

‘Really?’ Em thought it had gone reasonably well. Much better than she had expected, to be honest. But she wouldn’t have said brilliant.

‘Yes, really. You had a natural conversation with Jack. You asked him all the right questions. Your voice was clear. You sounded genuinely interested. It looked great on camera. You can watch it back if you like.’

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