“I haven’t ordered any food yet,” he says by way of greeting. “But I told Alex you’d probably want a red, something Italian.”

With a sigh, I turn to face him. “Thank you.”

As if on cue, the bartender—Alex—sets six ounces of red wine in front of me.

“Salut.” Paul lifts his glass and I do the same.

The wine is earthy and oaky, with notes of cherry. It warms me from the inside and coats my tongue and throat when I say, “You saw Amy today.”

Paul takes another sip of scotch before he answers me. “She was at the coffee shop near the office.”

“And then you called me?”

He shrugs. “We spoke about you.”

“What did you say?”

He sighs. “Honestly, Sophie, I think I made a fool of myself. I told her how well suited you’ll be for the show.”

I take another sip of wine. “Why would that make you a fool?”

He frowns into his glass and like with Amy, waiting him out gets me nowhere.

“Why would that make you a fool, Paul?”

“I didn’t come here to talk about this.”

“About what?”

He slings back the last few fingers of his drink. His voice is deeper, guttural as he turns to me and says, “It makes me a fool because I’m obviously in love with you, Sophie. But I told you that tonight isn’t a date. I’m not here to talk about that.”

I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say. There’s nothing to say. Other than, “I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t. It’s not... I fucked up. And I know that. I’m not asking for second chances. I’m trying to give you an opportunity.”

“It’s not just that you fucked up. I fucked up, too.” He shakes his head but I press on. “I rushed into things with you because...well, because of my mom if I’m being honest. You know how she is. She’s always wanted me to get married, have a family. That wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry.”

I rushed into things to try to make other people happy but even if we didn’t know each other for long, I know Paul and his eyes plead with me to drop it. “What’s the opportunity?”

“You probably noticed an increase in activity on your social media accounts after we announced you’d be on the show?”

I nod.

“The producers noticed. You were a fan favorite on Pop-Up. And you’re going to be a favorite with Cooking for Camilla, too. They want to offer you a job, Sophie.”

“But... I already have a job.”

He laughs. “We need a host for a documentary style show. Think Bourdain but you don’t just go and eat all around the world, you cook there, too.”

“But... I’m a chef.”

Paul’s smile is kind. “Exactly. That’s why we think it should be you.”

“You want to send me around the world to cook in different restaurants?”

“In restaurants, night markets, scratch kitchens, farms. Wherever the food is.”