Bente was completely taken aback. “What? You’re the one who’s bought the bar?”
“I am.”
“‘An investment.’” Bente laughed. “I thought you were going to say you’d bought another company offering a cloud-based platform that could revolutionize a client’s current business. But ... you don’t know anything about the restaurant industry. Oh, I know! You can make Ellie the manager. You’ve met her, she’s amazing, she ...”
“Tell her the best bit,” Agneta interrupted.
“The bar is yours.” Hanna’s eyes were twinkling.
“Mine? I don’t understand.”
Hanna placed her hand on Bente’s. “I’ve bought the wine bar for you, so you can make Ellie the manager if you want. As you say, I know nothing about the restaurant industry. I know nothing about wine bars. I’m completely ignorant when it comes to wine, though I do mix an irresistible Manhattan.”
Bente pulled a face at this claim.
“You see—you’re already dismissing the only thing I think I’m good at within the culinary sphere,” Hanna protested. “I can’t run the wine bar. It’s yours.”
“It’s out of the question. I can’t accept it.”
“I told you she’d say that,” Agneta said.
“We knew you’d say that,” Hanna went on. “If you won’t let me give it to you, then I’d like you to run it for me. Then you can buy it from me over time, when you can afford it. But you have to run it for me.”
“I’ve got the TV show to ...”
“Yes, well, you know what I think about that, but ...” Hanna sighed. “I can see how passionate you are about this story, and I’m happy for you. I really hope the show turns out well. You can do both, can’t you?” She squeezed Bente’s hand. “Running your own business is your dream, isn’t it?”
Bente didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say yes, but the TV show seemed to be making progress. She could step back into the limelight now, maybe work on more shows. Would she even have time to run a wine bar?
“If you’re not interested, I can convert it into a tech hub,” Hanna continued. “A kind of tech nursery. Bring in keen young people who can spend all day every day coding, creating, and programming.” She gazed dreamily into space. “I’m thinking loads of green plants along the walls, table tennis, pinball machines. Maybe a room with couches and pillows where anyone can go for a little rest.” It sounded more like a day-care facility than a tech hub to Bente. The very idea gave her palpitations. “The wine cellar would be perfect for the servers; it’s cool down there. Plenty of space. All the bottles of wine were part of the deal, so we can use them to mix drinks for our after-work gatherings—sangria, Aperol spritz ...”
“No, you can’t do that.” Bente took a deep breath. “And you can’t use those wines to mix drinks—I selected some of them personally.”
Hanna gave a little smile. Shrugged.
“In that case, you’d better run it for me.”
31
Didrik smiled at his aunt. The interview had gone well.
She had asked him some probing questions. The Friday show always included a longer, more in-depth conversation with the special guest, and of course Krissie was a journalist—he wouldn’t have expected anything less. For example, she had asked what his parents thought of his career choice, which had made him laugh before admitting that while his father was his greatest admirer, his mother wished he had stuck to the world of academia. Honesty in prime time—Mom could handle that. Krissie had smiled in mutual understanding; over the years she had suffered her own share of digs and jibes from her sister.
She hadn’t mentioned his separation, though. When he got back from Paris, Krissie had contacted him to offer sympathy on the split. Sometime later, she had come by his office with lunch, and he had told her most of the story. It had been easier to talk to Krissie than to his own mother.
Appearing onKrissiemade for a nice break from brooding over his conversation with Bente. They hadn’t been in touch since she’d insinuated that he didn’t mean that much to her.
Just anybody.
He couldn’t let it go.
They were due to travel to Bordeaux in a couple of weeks. Didrik believed in the show. He wanted to be involved, and he had managed tobook several exciting interviews during their trip that he believed could take the content they already had to another level.
But were they going to be able to work together?
The cooking segment came next, and he helped Krissie and the guest chef prepare a chicken dish. After that, the book panel offered tips on what to read over the weekend. Didrik had also brought a book to recommend, a biography of Queen Elizabeth. He loved the whole concept of Krissie’s show, and realized he was really enjoying the live broadcast. His aunt was so good at making everyone feel comfortable.
Krissie looked into the camera. “And now it’s time for our wine slot. This evening we are joined by the sommelier Bente Hammar.”
