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“Oh,” she said. “Your hair isn’t that big.”

“Thank you,” Leo said.

“I can draw another one.”

“No.” He glanced at the card. “I like this one.”

“Even the hair?”

“Especially the hair.”

Sally beamed directly at him.

Leo hid his own smile as he sat beside Nate while pizza boxes opened and plates were passed around. Miriam asked Sophie about work. Jonah ate too many rolls. Nicky wanted to know whether Leo could make all the plates float at once.

“No,” Nate said before Leo could answer.

“I’m sure I could.”

“Please don’t try.”

Jonah laughed, and Nate’s hand found Leo’s under the table.

Leo turned his hand to hold it properly.

For years, he’d listened to this house settle around him. Now he could barely hear one person over another.

He liked it.

After everyone had gone, Leo found Nate in the kitchen, watching the afternoon’s footage on his phone.

Onscreen, he changed the direction of his stirring.

A few moments later, the spoon stood up in the sauce.

Nate paused the video. “We don’t have to use this.”

Leo studied the image. The kitchen looked beautiful. Nate looked happy.

He also looked like someone who shouldn’t be trusted with a saucepan.

“It’s funny,” Leo said. “It’ll go over well.”

The channel had paid for the cabinets and counters, and most of the roof. Nate still checked the figures as though someone might ask for all the money back, but the viewers kept returning.

People continued to call him names. Leo had stopped reading those comments after realizing that it was far easier just to delete them.

Noah had apparently discovered the delete button too.

A few days earlier, he'd left a farewell comment beneath one of their videos.

I've decided to retire from video production. I'll be closing this channel and taking the compilation down with it. I shall leave the storytelling to you from now on.

I'm very glad I sent you that listing, Nate. I hoped you might be able to help the house's resident. It's lovely to see that you've made a home there together.

Wishing you both nothing but happiness.

"He sent me the listing," Nate had said after reading it aloud.