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Maye didn’t notice who Chris was talking to at first.

“Did my manager send you to keep an eye on me?” Chris said.

“You two seem to be having too much fun here. It’s time to get back to work,” Jayce said as he stepped out of the shadows.

“Yeah? You have some good news for us?” Chris asked.

“I have good news and I have more good news,” Jayce looked back and forth between Maye and Chris. “We sold the show!”

“Woo!” Chris lifted Maye ‌off the ground and spun her around. “Sorry, I—”

“No apology needed,” Maye said as she adjusted her sweatshirt.

“I took the footage we filmed for the pilot and cut together a few different versions,” Jayce explained. “The one that got the best response was you two going back and forth about the movie plot. Chris unabashedly defends it and Maye critiques it. It’s the way to go. We can still throw in some audience questions, but the engine here is your opposite perspectives.”

“I remember you talking about that,” Chris said. “I love it. So who bought the show?”

“Oh, um, a known network, of course,” Jayce said. “One that’s looking for unique programming to help expand its digital and streaming footprint. The upfront license fee is a little lower than we expected, but don’t worry about that; we’ll make it up on distribution. That’s where the real money is. But the other good news is we have a chance to really boost promotion because the big Christmas convention that wanted to see our pilot?”

“The GACFU?” Maye tried to recall.

“GACCofA,” Jayce clarified. “They want to premiere the show at their event and then do a live panel!”

“Wow!” Chris seemed impressed.

This all sounded like good news to Maye. “So…” she wasn’t sure how or what to ask. “So, we have a show?” she finally said.

“We have a show!” Chris repeated emphatically. “The Cheerful Chill Session will be a real thing!”

“I thought we went with The Spirited Social Mixer?” Maye joked.

“Or was it The Rhapsodic Rendezvous?” Chris added.

Maye tapped her chin. “Was it The Enthusiastic Huddle?”

“You guys don’t have to do this, you know,” Jayce interrupted. “There’s no audience or camera in sight.”

“Oh, this is just for us,” Chris said before turning back to Maye. “The Exuberant Roundtable?”

Let’s go with The Effervescent Hang-Out as a working title,” Jayce added.

“Yeah!” Chris slapped Jayce on the back. “There ya go!”

After a few moments of jumping in a circle together and high-fiving Jayce and hugging Chris, Maye asked, “So, Jayce, you came all the way to Greenville to tell us this news?”

“Well, that’s the other thing,” Jayce rubbed his hands together. “We need to record some shows, and we need to do it fast. Since you’re both here, I figured it was easiest for me to just come to you. Is there any place in town that’s decorated for the holidays that we can use as a set?”

“Hmm…” Maye thought for a few seconds. “I think I know who I can ask for some help. We might have just the place.”

The next afternoon, downtown was a lot quieter post-festival. It was a good time to meet with Tracy at Tay’s Choffee Shop since everyone’s Fall Fest obligations were completed. Maye, Chris, and Jayce sat across the table from Tracy.

“This seems serious,” Tracy said. “Am I in trouble? Have you been going through my archived tweets? I’d like to see your—”

“No, Tracy, it’s nothing like that,” Maye placed her hand on top of Tracy’s.