Page 24 of Deep Fried Devotion
The thought of Soren sitting in some sterile Manhattan conference room, politely declining Peter's offer, made her grin. She could picture his face—that serious expression he got when he was choosing his words carefully, the way his shoulders would relax once he'd made his decision clear.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Mrs. Plum:How are you holding up, dear? Any word from our boy?
Birdie typed back:Confident he'll make the right choice. Working on our business plan.
That's my girl. Let me know if you need anything. The knitting circle is dying for updates.
Of course they were. Birdie was starting to understand that their entire romance had been community entertainment from day one. The thought should have been embarrassing, but instead it felt like being wrapped in a blanket made by people who cared about your happiness.
Around noon, her phone rang. Nate Banks.
"Birdie! Perfect timing. I just got off the phone with Food Network, and they're even more excited than I expected about featuring you and Soren."
"That's wonderful news."
"The thing is, they want to fast-track production. Start filming next week if possible—they think your story could be perfect for their fall lineup." Nate's voice carried the enthusiasm of someone who smelled a hit. "The angle is perfect—competitors to partners, traditional meets molecular, small-town fair to big dreams. America's going to fall in love with you two."
Birdie felt a flutter of nerves mixed with excitement. Television exposure could change everything—bring customers from across the region, establish them as authorities in their niche, provide a platform that usually took years to build.
"There's just one thing," Nate continued. "They'll need both of you committed for the full six-episode arc. No backing out halfway through if things get complicated."
"Things won't get complicated," Birdie said with more confidence than she'd felt about anything in months. "We're in this together."
"Excellent. I'll send over the preliminary contracts today. This is going to be huge for you both."
After hanging up, Birdie stared at her planning materials with new urgency. Six episodes of national television meant theyneeded to have their act together—not just their food concepts, but their business structure, their long-term vision, their story. They'd have one chance to make the right impression.
She was deep in sketching logo concepts when her phone rang again. This time, the caller ID made her take in a shaky breath.
"Soren."
"Hey." His voice sounded different—lighter somehow, like he'd set down a weight she didn't realize he'd been carrying. "How are you?"
"Planning our empire. How did the meeting go?"
A pause, then a sound that might have been laughter. "It went exactly like it needed to. Peter's still Peter—all flash and big promises and absolutely no understanding of what actually matters."
"So you told him no?"
"I told him I already had a partnership that was going to change everything. He didn't take it well."
"Poor Peter. He has no idea what he's missing."
"His loss is my gain. Speaking of which—are you free this afternoon? I have something I want to show you."
"I'm always free for you. What kind of something?"
"The kind that requires meeting me at the fairgrounds. Bring your planning materials."
The fairgrounds. Of course that's where he'd want to meet—the place where everything had started, where they'd first discovered what they could build together.
"I'll be there in an hour."
"Birdie?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For believing this could work before I was brave enough to believe it myself."
