the room. “She’s back again. You should warn me next time. I’ll tip off the paparazzi to start a little buzz.”
She laughs breezily and flips her short hair so it swivels around her face. “Oh, trust me. You’ll have plenty of buzz the moment promo starts up. Your pretty face is sure to rack in a whole lot of ratings.”
I know she’s being flirty, but there’s something about the way she entirely omitted the mention of my food that irks me. “Just wait until they see what’s on the menu.”
“Well,” Faye says with a perk of her brows, “I was hoping we could start talking logistics after your class today. Maybe over a glass of wine at Shooters?”
My eyes flick over to Maggie, who appears to be stealing glances at us. Discomfort snakes through my chest as I’m forced to answer Faye. This is business. “Sure. But you still haven’t told me how the conversations are going with your network. You’re talking like we have a show. Do we?”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Yes and no.” She must see my smile fall, because she jumps in quickly. “But hear me out. I’ve only primed them. I told them all about my rough concept for Edible Desire. So far, they’re intrigued.”
“Intrigued?” The excitement in my chest deflates like a worn-out tire.
She’s quick to catch my disappointment and steps forward with a raise of her brows. “Yes. That’s a great thing, Desmond. Trust me. I still haven’t delivered a solid pitch to them. I’m still brainstorming that one, which is why I’m here. I’m going to sit through class for inspiration, and then we can discuss next steps.”
Disappointment is still heavily weighing on me. I’m afraid I started to think this was a done deal. What if she can’t find her hook? What if the network nixes my kitchen show before she’s able to give a proper pitch? What if the past three months of dreaming about the kitchen’s future has just been a big waste of time?
“Okay.” I draw the word out slowly, my mind still reeling. “Feel free to take a seat at the island, and just let Maggie know if you need anything.” Then I glance at my new assistant, whose eyes are now glued to us. “I assume you already met Maggie?”
Faye nods, and I can sense there’s a question on the tip of her tongue in regard to my new assistant. Or maybe it’s a feeling I’ve made up in my mind after seeing the way Maggie is scoping us out from the other side of the room. I would say Maggie looks jealous, but that thought is laughable. Until an hour ago, the two of us couldn’t be in the same room without yelling at each other.
“Oh, yes. We’ve met. She wanted to know if I was interested in booking a class with you.” Faye’s flirtatious laugh and squeeze of my bicep don’t sway from her usual style, but for some reason—in front of Maggie—it’s making me want to crawl out of my skin. Maggie’s expression as she watches the exchange doesn’t help either. Her face turns bright red, and she looks away as if she thinks she’s intruding.
Shit.
Faye speaks up again. “Actually, I wondered if it would be okay if I brought in a cameraman today to take some footage home with me for inspiration.”
That makes me feel really uneasy. “I don’t know, Faye. My class isn’t prepared for that.”
“The camera will be focused on you. We don’t have to show any of your students’ faces. And this is just for me. It’s nothing we would actually air.”
I pause, thinking deeply about what Faye is suggesting. It sounds harmless enough, and if I’m serious about this show prospect, it would be smart to give Faye whatever she needs to create a hard-hitting pitch. I cringe in preparation of my response. “Okay, but only one camera. And you need to be discreet. My students are paying for a class, and I can’t have disruptions.”
Faye flashes me her brightest smile. “Deal.” She walks to the door and lets in a guy with a professional video camera. I’m happy to see there’s no big crew with them—it’s just a guy, his camera, and Faye giving him instructions.
“What’s the camera for?” Maggie hisses to me when I approach her again.
“Faye wants to record me teaching class today. It’s just for her, for research purposes. Can you let the students know when they walk in? Assure them that