across the road. People were continuing with their lives, oblivious to Tess Morgan’s woes. They by-passed Zelda’s, the smell of greasy fish and chips making Tess feel nauseous, and headed automatically for Ryan’s bar. The dark cool interior of the pub felt safe after the experience in the studio. Tess picked a seat at the back while Andrea went to get the drinks.
“Bit early for vodka, but in the circumstances,” Andrea said wryly a few minutes later, plonking two glasses and miniature bottles of tonic water on the table between them. She took a sip of her own drink, looked at Tess gravely and deadpanned, “Well, the slot didn’t go too badly in the end, did it?”
Despite herself, Tess felt her mouth twitching.
“It’s launched my new career in style, that’s for sure,” she joked, but her hand still shook a little as she took up her glass. “Cheers!”
“Did you know the fortune teller was going to ring?” Andrea was perplexed.
“Of course I didn’t know! I thought I would be doing a straightforward read-through of the script, like we prepared.” Tess closed her eyes against the memory.
“And what about Cindy? Where did she come from? And the guy saying he wanted to know if he should allow his head to rule his heart. I was dying to hear more from him. I’m surprised you got so many calls without having anything set up.”
“I met that guy when I went to the fortune teller’s. I’m almost sure of it. I recognised his voice. It is so weird that they both rang in today! I wonder if they planned it?”
Andrea shrugged. “Maybe he’ll call back next week and you can find out.”
“Or you can find out. Helene will be hunting for a new Agony Aunt of the Airways so you’d better start preparing now.”
“She’s not going to drop you the first time out. Look, Tess, today was a baptism of fire, but you’ll know what to expect next time. You’ll be better prepared
and
you’ll soon learn to think on your feet.”
Tess shuddered. “No. Even if Helene doesn’t axe me, I’m done. In fact, if you see me going near a microphone again you have permission to cut my head off.” Tess shook her head ruefully. “Remind me again why I thought Ollie’s job was easy?”
“It looks easier than it actually is. Maybe that’s why Ollie is always bad-tempered. He’s probably full of stress with his figures spiralling downwards.”
“I’m full of stress and I don’t bite people’s heads off on a daily basis,” Tess said sharply.
“Anyway,” Andrea swirled her drink around her glass, “we’d better think up a defence for the post-mortem this afternoon.”
“Yes and it had better be a bloody good one!” Tess whipped around to see Sara approaching their table, a hand on her hip and a reproachful look on her face.
“How did you find us?” Tess asked. She needed to be left alone until she and Andrea could work out how to minimise the damage she’d done this morning. Sara looked at her pityingly.
“Zelda’s? Ryan’s? It wasn’t difficult to check both venues!” Sara pulled up a chair and plonked herself down, looking at Tess with saucer eyes. “What happened to you in there?”
“I didn’t know anyone was going to ring in and so I didn’t have any answers prepared,” Tess said truthfully.
“But you were doing so well – giving Cindy all that advice. Telling her to get a life – that was priceless!”
“Really?” Tess was astonished at what sounded like praise.
“It was great,” Andrea agreed. “Radio gold.”
“Except you ruined everything by walking off mid-sentence,” Sara reminded her. “What came over you?”
“I think I may just have had my first panic attack. I guess I’m not cut out to be on-air, which serves me right for all the times I sniggered at Helene for her efforts. Is she furious because I walked out?”
Tess interlinked her fingers to stop herself from fidgeting and steeled herself to hear all about the fallout from her disastrous
“Bit early for vodka, but in the circumstances,” Andrea said wryly a few minutes later, plonking two glasses and miniature bottles of tonic water on the table between them. She took a sip of her own drink, looked at Tess gravely and deadpanned, “Well, the slot didn’t go too badly in the end, did it?”
Despite herself, Tess felt her mouth twitching.
“It’s launched my new career in style, that’s for sure,” she joked, but her hand still shook a little as she took up her glass. “Cheers!”
“Did you know the fortune teller was going to ring?” Andrea was perplexed.
“Of course I didn’t know! I thought I would be doing a straightforward read-through of the script, like we prepared.” Tess closed her eyes against the memory.
“And what about Cindy? Where did she come from? And the guy saying he wanted to know if he should allow his head to rule his heart. I was dying to hear more from him. I’m surprised you got so many calls without having anything set up.”
“I met that guy when I went to the fortune teller’s. I’m almost sure of it. I recognised his voice. It is so weird that they both rang in today! I wonder if they planned it?”
Andrea shrugged. “Maybe he’ll call back next week and you can find out.”
“Or you can find out. Helene will be hunting for a new Agony Aunt of the Airways so you’d better start preparing now.”
“She’s not going to drop you the first time out. Look, Tess, today was a baptism of fire, but you’ll know what to expect next time. You’ll be better prepared
and
you’ll soon learn to think on your feet.”
Tess shuddered. “No. Even if Helene doesn’t axe me, I’m done. In fact, if you see me going near a microphone again you have permission to cut my head off.” Tess shook her head ruefully. “Remind me again why I thought Ollie’s job was easy?”
“It looks easier than it actually is. Maybe that’s why Ollie is always bad-tempered. He’s probably full of stress with his figures spiralling downwards.”
“I’m full of stress and I don’t bite people’s heads off on a daily basis,” Tess said sharply.
“Anyway,” Andrea swirled her drink around her glass, “we’d better think up a defence for the post-mortem this afternoon.”
“Yes and it had better be a bloody good one!” Tess whipped around to see Sara approaching their table, a hand on her hip and a reproachful look on her face.
“How did you find us?” Tess asked. She needed to be left alone until she and Andrea could work out how to minimise the damage she’d done this morning. Sara looked at her pityingly.
“Zelda’s? Ryan’s? It wasn’t difficult to check both venues!” Sara pulled up a chair and plonked herself down, looking at Tess with saucer eyes. “What happened to you in there?”
“I didn’t know anyone was going to ring in and so I didn’t have any answers prepared,” Tess said truthfully.
“But you were doing so well – giving Cindy all that advice. Telling her to get a life – that was priceless!”
“Really?” Tess was astonished at what sounded like praise.
“It was great,” Andrea agreed. “Radio gold.”
“Except you ruined everything by walking off mid-sentence,” Sara reminded her. “What came over you?”
“I think I may just have had my first panic attack. I guess I’m not cut out to be on-air, which serves me right for all the times I sniggered at Helene for her efforts. Is she furious because I walked out?”
Tess interlinked her fingers to stop herself from fidgeting and steeled herself to hear all about the fallout from her disastrous
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