Cupids on Beacon Street (2021) Movie Script
Good morning, Eve.
Could you take a look at Chapter 2
and make sure it's clean
before we hand it to Greta?
- Yep, got it!
- Great!
Um, why didn't you tell me
you needed to talk to Alex?
I could have accidentally on
purpose stopped by or something!
By the way, I'm making heart-
shaped pancakes for dinner.
Are you in?
Last night was heart-shaped
toad in the hole.
Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?
No one.
You could ask Alex out
and stop wasting your
Valentine's cooking on me.
- I can't do that, not yet.
- Why not?
'Cause he's way too cute,
and he's way too smart.
And he hasn't even noticed me yet.
Quinn, relax.
He's been here 2 weeks.
- Details!
- Guess what?
An editor position
just opened up in nonfiction.
That's perfect!
That's your dream job.
Should I ask Greta for a recommendation?
I mean, you'll never know until you try.
Oh, there you are.
Arthur and Ruth are coming by.
They want to talk about
changes to the book.
Changes?
She said minor, which usually means major.
But it's going to the printers in a week.
At the end of next week,
I know, yes.
So let's get the conference room set.
Let's break this up,
whatever this is, this chit-chat club.
Let's go. They're gonna be here in 15.
Here. You're gonna need
the caffeine more than I do.
And just ask her.
The worst that can happen
is she'll fire you
for wanting to switch departments.
Nice.
I'm just...
I'm kidding!
Ah, no I'm not.
She really does scare me.
- Eve...
- Hi!
Um, I was wondering if I--
Can you get some of those cookies?
You know, the little hearty
cookie thingies from downstairs?
From downstairs?
For--for the meeting.
For the meeting.
And can you get rid
of the echo in the room?
Sure, um...
- I wanted to ask you, though...
- Greta here.
...if you could...
You're not there anymore.
Ah! Did you ask for the recommendation?
Tell me you asked!
Timing was off.
And I kind of chickened out.
Not a great combo.
Apparently,
I'm supposed to get
these cookies for the meeting.
Oh yeah, right over there.
Uh, hi!
Hi!
Those are actually for eating here,
not for take-out.
Uh, sorry.
I didn't realize they
were in limited supply.
I mean, you're welcome to one.
One. Right.
Uh, OK, sure.
You can't do that!
You just told me that
I could only take one.
Yes, but now you've
touched it, so it's dirty.
Well, hey, look, like my aunt always says,
a little dirt never hurt anyone.
Who are you, anyway?
Oh, I'm a guest of the client.
OK.
What a waste of a perfectly good cookie.
I'll be thinking about that cookie
for the rest of the day.
No shortage of Valentine's here!
We aim to please.
You'd think we were in the
romance division or something.
So, what do you have on tap
for Valentine's, Evie?
I plan to snuggle up with a good book.
I meant in the date department.
I meant that too.
A date with a good book.
You see, that's what
comes of not believing
that true love exists.
Wow! Straight to the point.
That's not true. I just don't
think it exists for me.
Aw! Well, what are we reading now?
On the Origin of Species?
- Oh! Thrilling!
- Oxford English Dictionary?
What a page-turner!
Who's got the time?
I'm too busy reading best-selling romances
by my two favorite authors.
Ooh! Flattery will get you everywhere!
Don't worry.
You'll find love eventually.
Sorry! Sorry, guys!
It is crazy here!
Are you excited about
your Valentine's cruise?
Are we ever!
40 years ago,
I married this beauty!
- Oh, go on!
- I could, couldn't I?
No, seriously, go on!
I remember when she read
my very first novel.
- She said it was...
- Pedestrian.
- ...spiritless.
- Dull.
I fell madly in love with her.
- Aw!
- Mmm!
Oh, stop!
Listen, we love the work that
Evie's done on the book.
Yes, me too.
We just have a few little rewrites here.
Wow! The book is great as it is.
These pages are way better.
See, we just couldn't
see Luigi letting her go
on page 200.
So once we tweaked that moment,
we had to find a new middle to the book!
I mean, you don't want your
readers to hate Luigi, do you?
No. No, I don't.
But we do go to the printers in one week.
Yes, but--but Evie here
is a very fast worker.
Part of why we love her.
I'd be happy to do it.
- Ah!
- You're sure?
Yes.
Oh, sorry, hey!
It's over Valentine's.
Oh, that's OK!
You're sure that you can
pull this together in 5 days?
I can do this. Totally.
It'll be fun!
I have an idea.
It's so busy here.
You've got a roommate.
Why don't you stay at
our house while we're away?
Oh, that's sweet.
I wouldn't want to impose.
No, it's no imposition at all!
No, you're not imposing.
Hey, you can water my ferns!
Now, we're not gonna
take no for an answer.
You'll be able to edit in peace there.
- Ruth, I like this idea.
- Mmm.
Well, you know, what do I always say?
What do I always say?
The writer is always...
Are always right.
Writers are always right.
The writers are right.
Music to our ears!
Here you go, Eve!
You'll like these, Greta.
We need to save Luigi!
Can't wait!
So, you can work in the study
or down here or wherever you like!
Make yourself at home.
Hey, forgot to mention,
every couple of months,
a life coach, well, our nephew, actually,
will be hosting his
How to Rekindle Love workshops
in the living room.
His place is too small.
Here?
You know, why don't you sit in on it?
It's only a couple hours a day.
- Ah, I'm gonna be so busy.
- No, no, no, no, no.
It's always good to hear about
love problems. We learned a ton.
I mean, it helped us
connect with our readership.
That's nice. It's not
really my thing, though.
Well, do your best.
Yeah, but it'll help with the edit.
And remember what
Greta always says.
- The writers are always right.
- Yes.
She did say that.
Well, here he is already.
OK! We're off.
- Have a great week!
- Thanks for this.
Have a good trip!
- Jake!
- Hey, guys!
Yeah, she's here!
OK, great!
Well, have fun then.
- Yeah, you too.
- Thank you so much.
Uh, hi.
Hi.
You're the house guest?
You're the life coach?
Uh, wow!
Well, this should be interesting.
So, they talked you into
sitting in on my course, huh?
It's all good! You're welcome!
I can sit in for today, but I
have their book to edit, so...
The reluctant participant, my favorite.
You know what you should do?
You should head over to my website,
check out the testimonial page.
It's full of people
who said they really didn't
want to take the course.
Is that an accurate assessment
of your whole situation?
No comment.
They ended up loving it!
Didn't see that coming!
Are those from the office?
I can't believe you took them!
Uh, actually, the receptionist
told me where she got them,
and I bought these this morning.
The bakery is just, uh, around the corner.
Oh. I'm sorry.
Forget I said that.
Can we start again?
Ah! Oh my goodness!
What a lovely touch, those cookies.
- They're so...
- Romantic?
Thank you, yeah.
Yesterday, I was at a
fantastic publishing house.
My, uh, my aunt and uncle
are writers there.
- I hear they're fabulous.
- They are.
And their editor, who they adore,
put these out at a meeting.
I happened to be in the waiting room.
- Really?
- Yeah. I'd given them a lift.
Hmm, you don't say.
And to cut a long story short,
their very friendly
receptionist, um, Anna...
- No.
- Samantha.
- No.
- Taylor.
- Quinn.
- Quinn, that was my next guess.
Quinn told me where she got them,
and I couldn't resist.
It makes sense, considering it's almost...
- : Valentine's Day.
- Yeah.
Um, also, just so that you know,
I'm gonna put all of
my food on the bottom shelf.
It's organic.
It cost me a fortune.
So could you just not eat it, please?
Not eat it. I can definitely,
definitely try to do that.
Oh, people are here.
Uh... I actually forgot the cream.
Is there any way that I
could borrow some, please?
I promise
I'll replace it.
Oh, organic!
Perfect. Thank you.
Hi! I'm Sunny.
Hi! I'm Eve.
Who are you here with?
I'm here by myself, actually.
Your partner backed out.
Oh, what a drag!
We almost didn't make it.
Between soccer, swimming, laundry,
and now Valentine's Day
on top of everything.
I'm actually just auditing,
so, um, I might join in later,
but I've got a ton of work to do.
- Oh!
- Yeah, it's a long story.
It's kind of like homework.
Well, if it's got anything to do
with 5th-grade math
or 7th-grade social studies,
I'm your gal.
Let's go break these in, shall we?
Besides, there are cookies! Mmm!
That's not my name.
OK, so, uh, first off,
I just want to say how glad I am
we're all here together.
Uh, my name is Jake Hampton.
And, uh, this workshop
is about reigniting love.
Now, obviously,
you guys all love each other,
because you wouldn't
be here if you didn't.
But love is this living thing
that needs out-of-the-box
thinking to thrive.
And the question is, where do you find it?
Especially now, during Valentine's.
Under the fourth load of laundry, yeah.
Well, if it were that easy,
I'd be out of business.
Uh, I think you can find it
if, first, you love yourself...
and two, if you put in the effort,
and three, if you add the secret sauce,
which is the ability to risk
looking foolish or vulnerable.
It's a recipe for love,
and it's unique to every couple.
Uh, so I think what we should do now
is just go around the room,
introduce ourselves.
Tell us a little bit
about each other's stories,
how long you've been married,
uh, all that good stuff.
I can go first.
My name is Jake.
I am a life coach.
And, actually, I am single.
- Oh!
- Uh, I know, ironic.
So, who wants to go first?
My name is Annie.
I am the bookkeeper for
a chain of hair salons.
And this is Max.
Uh, I work in IT for a cell phone company.
I'm Max.
I said that.
Right, she said that already. Um...
And we've been together for 7 years...
- Seven years this March.
- ...this April. March.
Mary.
Um, I just finished my
undergrad in interior design.
And, uh, I'm still looking
for my first real interior design gig,
so if anyone needs their
living room redone...
Please. Our living room
has been redone 3 times now.
Hey!
I'm Juan.
We've been married for almost a year.
Mm-hmm.
And I work in finance at the bank.
But what I really love is cooking.
And I learned every
single thing that I know
from my abuelita in Mexico.
And--and...
And you make the best mole sauce.
Makes me happy.
I love when you're happy.
And I love you.
: Mmm!
: Um...
Sunny, Bob?
Oh.
Uh, I'm Bob, in-house
photographer at a university.
I'm Sunny.
I'm home with our kids.
We have three of them: 12...
- ...10...
- ...and 8.
So it's busy!
It's very busy.
Yeah, you don't realize,
you know, what you're in for.
And then, next thing you know,
there's kids. And then...
No time for Bob.
OK, OK.
Hi!
Um, I'm Eve.
And I am an editor at Suffolk Publishing
in the romance department.
And I'm also single.
So, like Jake said,
I guess that's ironic?
Uh, OK. That was great.
Let's, um, let's take a break,
check our messages, uh, get some refills.
When we come back,
we can talk about Valentine's
and what our goals are for the workshop.
OK? Great!
- Settled in?
- Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know.
That's an oddly long answer
to a short question.
Have I moved into Ruth
and Arthur's place? Yes.
Did I know that their nephew
would be running
his life-coaching workshop
out of their living room while I was here?
- No.
- Oh!
And Ruth and Arthur think it would be
good professional
development that I sit in.
- Because?
- I don't even know!
Because couples talk about love
and I edit books about love,
even though I don't really
believe in the whole love thing?
Ouch!
Ugh! To make matters worse...
There's worse?
The life coach is the cookie thief!
Hold on.
That--that cute guy from yesterday?
That's Arthur and Ruth's nephew?
Yes! And he is impossible!
The plot thickens!
And forgetful.
And his website is horrible,
which as you know, for me, is...
A clear indication of character.
Exactly.
I kind of thought you two had chemistry.
What? No, we didn't.
The whole back and forth
about the stolen cookies?
It was sweet!
Kind of crackly.
You've read one too many romance novels.
Listen, what I need now
is an answer for this exercise.
What exercise?
The one we're doing after the break.
OK. What do you have to do?
Share my feelings about Valentine's.
Oh, well, that's easy.
You hate it. And why?
Let's see. You are all work and no play.
The only other thing you do is read.
And you avoid it at all costs.
OK, that's not really...
And you have been in
two failed relationships.
I'd like you to ask them
why you're not in love,
even though you are clearly a great catch!
- I'm not gonna ask them that.
- Fine!
I will speak to you later.
I love you.
I love you too.
OK! Let's do this.
You and your partner try
and finish this sentence:
"We want to refind the
Valentine's spark because..."
Why don't you guys start us off?
We get along really well. But...
Well, lately, our dating life has...
...slipped into a bit of a routine.
Yeah. Yeah. Yes.
We used to do all the romantic standards,
like walks on the beach and...
...candlelit dinners.
We took a tango lesson.
We took bubble baths together,
long bubble baths.
And I'm tall. I barely even
fit in the tub, so...
- We made it work.
- But we made it work.
And now...
We've heard,
7 years in, couples can
get tired of each other.
- And we...
- We don't want that.
We don't want it to happen to us.
We want this Valentine's
to recapture the magic
of when we first met.
Great! Great.
Uh, Mary, Juan:
"We want to refind the
Valentine's spark because..."
Because we got married
at the spur of the moment.
And, uh, we're both very different.
Even though we truly
love each other, right?
Of course.
But she loves all these expensive,
beautiful, beautiful things...
Juan's only luxury that
he indulges in is foot care.
He's caught up in a job
that he doesn't love.
- He should be cooking.
- Yes, I should.
But who can open up a restaurant nowadays?
It's just so risky and expensive.
And on top of all of that,
we can't even decide what to do
for our first married
Valentine's Day.
Sunny, Bob?
"We want to refind the
Valentine's spark because..."
Because...
Because... Because!
Because we've been married
for 15 years, and, uh...
And we are caught up
in the busyness of life.
- Yeah.
- We want to reconnect, Jake.
We really do.
But frankly,
I'm just too tired
to find the gumption for--for anything.
Sunny used to love to travel.
Right.
Now the only trip
I take is to our
local Sri Lankan specialty store.
I don't know if you
know anything about okra,
but it's really the best.
- It's incredible.
- OK.
And I used to take photos
of interesting places
in my free time.
But, uh, who has the time?
You used to take photos of me.
I still take photos of you.
Anyway, here we are.
OK.
Eve.
I'm in a really great place.
You know?
I just--I don't feel like
I need a partner to be happy.
Really? Even on
Valentine's Day?
Yep. Even on Valentine's Day.
Hmm.
I don't know. I--
No, it... We're not here
to put anybody on the spot.
Everyone's got different timelines
for how long it takes them to open up
or get in contact with their feelings.
That's totally normal.
What about you, Jake?
Oh. Yeah, we're out of--
we're out of time.
Um, but you know what?
I got your, uh, your homework
assignments here for tonight,
these envelopes.
So everyone take one of these. And...
I'm just wondering,
who's gonna be Eve's
partner for the workshop?
Oh, um, actually, I hadn't
really thought of that.
I don't think Eve is...
Yeah, no, I'm--I'm actually
just sitting in, so...
But is that fair,
if the rest of us are
putting ourselves out there?
I have an idea.
Why don't you two pair up?
: Oh!
No, no. That's OK.
- Oh, that's a good idea.
- I think so too.
Sure.
Sure.
: Date exercise number one: a warm-up.
Write to each other about
what you think is romantic.
Be vulnerable. Let your mate
see and feel your heart.
Are you a fairy-tale romantic
or a pragmatist?
Do you prefer candlelight
dinners or bungee jumping?
Your letter must be handwritten,
or use some other pre-digital method.
No texting or emailing allowed!
And have fun.
Dear Jake Hampton...
Dear Eve...
Am I a fairy-tale romantic
or a pragmatist?
Neither. Thanks for asking.
People break up.
They get divorced.
That's the reality.
There's no such thing
as a fairy-tale romance.
There. I'm letting you see
and feel my heart.
But that's about all
I'm gonna share with you here,
because I couldn't help but notice
that you were supposed to share
today during session and didn't.
Well...
Two can play that game.
If you won't make yourself vulnerable,
why should I?
Yours truly, Eve.
Dear Eve...
First, I want to apologize for
not answering my own question
in the session today.
That was not the height
of my life coaching.
I figure it's because, well,
I was hurt by my last relationship.
We almost got married, but didn't.
It wasn't meant to be,
but I'm still trying to
understand the reasons why.
A long and not-so-sordid story
for another time.
So, take two.
"Take two."
Here are my ideas for romance.
I love going to fun places,
like Paris, Rome or New York City,
but not doing the official things
like going to the museums
or--or dining at
the most expensive restaurants.
I like to eat from the market
or do easy take-out
from a deli, nothing fancy.
And I like dates that
are about being creative,
but with no pressure,
like a Bob Ross painting party
or a beginner's pottery class.
No need to feel intimidated, by the way.
I assure you,
I am terrible at both.
And here it comes, the big reveal:
I especially love
all the shmoopy, corny Valentine's stuff:
pink bubbly, chocolates
in heart-shaped boxes,
red roses, the "will you be mine?" candy...
So I apologize for not
playing by the rules today.
- "You deserve better."
- ...and...
I can do better.
Yours truly, Jake.
Morning!
Morning!
So, what's going on in spring training?
There is no way the Red Sox
aren't winning the pennant this year.
Sorry! Only have eyes for the Yankees.
What?
How un-Bostonian of you.
My dad was from New York,
so I grew up arguing
Mets versus Yankees.
Oh, OK. I suppose.
Thank you for your note.
And thank you for yours.
You're welcome.
If I could just, uh,
delicately broach what you wrote.
Do you have to?
That's my orange juice!
Oh, uh, sorry.
It's really good.
Um, here's the thing:
It's just like life.
You're only gonna get out of this workshop
what you put into it.
If I were registered.
Registered, shmegistered!
I bet you you won't feel
the same way about love
at the end as you do now.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
OK, well, if you're such an expert,
how come you're still single?
I'm not "still single."
I'm sort of not-too-long-ago single.
Right.
And besides,
I'm waiting for the one.
Part of that shmoopy
Valentine's stuff that you like?
It is. And proud of it.
I am not very good at arts and crafts.
You don't have to be perfect.
You just have to try.
Don't you remember
the cute Valentine's cards
from grade school?
Yeah. I wasn't that good back then either.
Did you make one for everyone in class?
Yeah, so no one felt left out.
I did.
Did they love them?
I don't know that I got that
much feedback of any kind.
Let me help you.
You mentioned you were a photographer.
I bet you have some
amazing photos on your phone.
Yes! You should make a collage.
Good idea.
What about you, Eve?
What are you doing?
I don't know.
I'm trying to make a poem about
stolen Valentine's baking.
Weird, but OK.
Nothing rhymes with "Valentines."
So far, I've got "guidelines,"
"deadlines," "porcupines..."
- "Calamine."
- "Frankensteins."
"Frankensteins." I like that.
How's it going in here?
There's an arts-and-crafts
extravaganza in the kitchen.
That's all I'm gonna say.
So, tonight's assignment:
You're all Partner A.
And all the Partner As
are going to organize a date
all about what Partner B
loves to do on a date.
How am I supposed to know that?
- They told us in their letters.
- Right.
Greta, hello!
How are the edits coming along?
Yeah, it's going great!
I'm already 30 pages in.
Really?
Yep! I'll send it over.
I just told my boss
I'm 30 pages in,
but I've only actually done 12.
I'm sorry. I can't do
the homework thingy tonight.
What? I'm only officially
observing, right?
Well, no, not really.
I mean, you're--you're
part of the group now.
It's work. I can't help it.
Wow!
How hard is it to wash your mug
and put it away, huh?
"Although my baking you did take
"and cause my heart a bit to break,
"I'm thinking now that you are fine.
Will you be my Frankenstein?"
Aw!
You know what?
I can totally handle this.
I'll text you where in a bit.
7:30, don't be late.
It's a date!
It's not a date!
It's a date.
Yeah, not a date.
I mean, it's, like, for workshop purposes.
Hmm.
- It is.
- Yeah.
He's late!
Give him another 10,
and if he doesn't show,
you can come home
and try my cinnamon heart cake.
I don't want to give it another 10!
It's rude.
I prize punctuality.
You do.
This guy is not punctual.
I gotta go.
There you are!
Ah, I am so sorry!
I--I missed my stop, twice.
I got caught in talking to
this really cute couple
who have been married for, like, 45 years.
Anyway, can you forgive me?
Sure.
Thank you.
So what's all this?
Well, I got you deli food,
not too fancy, the way you like it.
Um, paints and canvases,
as close to Bob Ross as I could get.
And I thought we could paint
this romance book cover,
since you love romance.
The Forbidden Kiss!
That is my favorite.
So, really?
Nonfiction, huh?
Mm-hmm.
But you've got this plum job in romance.
I know. I just...
You know, I don't think
true love is for me.
"...is for you."
Right, right. My bad.
How come?
How come I don't think
true love is for me?
Or how come nonfiction?
You pick.
OK, well, believe it not,
I was a nerd in high school.
No!
Um, yeah, I mean,
I was a complete overachiever,
but I had no idea what I wanted to do.
Quite the dilemma.
Yes, you're looking at
the chess club champion,
head of the spelling bee team,
a member of the 3-time all-state champion
historical quiz group
and the founder of the astronomy society.
Oh, is that all?
Yeah, Captain Dork over here!
By the way, thank you so much for dinner.
That was so good.
When I was little,
Ruth and Arthur would take me every Sunday
to a deli right by their place.
- Demsky's?
- Yeah. Do you know it?
Yes. I was gonna go there tonight,
but they had a lineup down the block.
In the last 10 years,
it's gotten so famous.
It's impossible to get in.
But we made such great memories there.
We'd people watch, make up life stories,
analyze love problems in the other booths.
Cut to: you're a life coach.
Well, I mean, there was a little undergrad
and master's in social work
thrown in there,
but basically, yeah.
Voila!
You can definitely see
why I went into publishing
and not painting.
No, no, don't say that.
No, I think, uh...
No, you perfectly melded the, uh,
the styles of Picasso and Dali there.
Thank you!
After falling off a merry-go-round, but...
Oh, wow!
Very Matisse meets second-grade
homework assignment.
That's--that's probably accurate, yeah.
- Hello!
- Hello!
I brought you a cinnamon heart cake.
Ooh! Lunch is served!
And, in return, you are gonna
tell me about that date.
Spill the beans, missy!
There are no beans to spill.
Ah! You like him.
- I do not.
- Oh, come on!
I don't!
OK, why haven't you taken
this cake to Alex at work?
I can't do that.
Why not?
Because, then he will
totally know that I like him.
And that's a bad thing?
Yes, terrible.
OK, let me get this straight.
It's Valentine's.
You love Valentine's.
You also love Alex,
but you just won't put
these two things together
and live happily ever after?
No. No, no, no, no.
I need to fly in under
the radar. I need to--
Talk to him by the photocopier?
Ugh! I'm terrified.
What if he doesn't like me back?
That's not gonna happen!
You're amazing.
Morning!
Hi!
Hey!
Uh, thank you so much for giving
me the address to that bakery.
Everyone, uh, loved the cookies.
Well, I better get the coffee on.
You've gotta give me details.
Only if you talk to Alex.
Fine.
Oh, and, um, Greta is chomping at the bit,
so get your edits in.
Have fun!
I am definitely having another piece
before we finish the break.
Totally.
So your date went well?
Yeah. I took Mary to her
favorite place in Boston:
the designer fabric outlet.
You?
I organized a whole
evening of video games.
Max was in heaven!
Hmm.
How about you?
It was fine.
A bit of pastrami, a bit of painting.
I wonder what Jake
has planned for tonight.
No, I can't. I'm so behind.
- Come on, that's no fun!
- I know. I was just--
I was gonna go eat at that
little place around the corner,
maybe grab a sandwich
and get as much work done as possible.
Juan, could you help me in the kitchen?
Yeah.
Hey!
So, uh, I just happened
to be eavesdropping
in the foyer right there,
and, uh, sounds like you might
not be able to make it tonight.
I'm sorry.
I was gonna tell you.
I'm just... I have so much work to do.
No, I get it. It's just
that I had fun last night.
Yeah, me too.
I just... I--I didn't
realize what a commitment
this was gonna be.
I've got 50 pages to get done, or else.
50 pages? Wow, OK.
Uh, in that case,
I totally understand.
Good luck!
OK, you can do this.
It's Valentine's.
You believe in Valentine's.
You can be brave for Cupid.
Sorry, what was that?
OK. Sure. I'll meet you
at the skating rink later.
OK, bye! My sister.
We're going skating.
- Yeah.
- And I'm gonna go pick her...
What are you doing here?
Uh, look, I know you
got a lot of work to do.
But you do have to eat, right?
So just think of this as, like, work prep.
I got you this sandwich.
It's made from all organic ingredients,
not one nitrate.
Very thoughtful.
Followed by a quick game of chess.
You are chess club champion, after all.
You listened.
Hey, it's my superpower.
I hate to break it to you,
but this is checkers, not chess.
Yes.
Yes, I know,
but--but we social workers,
we have a saying:
Reward approximation.
Very clever.
Thank you.
However...
Another social worker saying:
Don't follow a compliment with "however."
I mean,
I'm virtually unbeatable.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
OK.
Uh, why don't we, uh,
put a little friendly wager on it then?
OK! What do you have in mind?
How about whoever wins gets to
ask the other person a question,
and they have to answer.
Perfect. I already have my question.
Well, too bad, because
you'll never get to ask it.
- Bring it!
- Oh, I will!
'Cause I got some moves!
Really? Witness the organic sandwich.
Exactly.
Oh!
Aha.
No, OK.
Ah! No, you... That...
Hmm. Are you sure you
really wanna do that?
Uh...
Yes, why?
Oh!
Crown me!
So, in your letter...
you said that you were almost married.
What happened?
You sure you don't want to
know what my favorite color is?
Um...
she left me two weeks before the wedding.
Wow. I'm so sorry.
No, it's, uh, it's OK.
I'm a relationship coach because of that.
The truth is, we just stopped growing.
We stopped working on it.
And, you know, I don't want that
to happen to any other couple.
Well, since I am all about fair play...
do you want to ask me a question?
Why don't you believe in love?
Mmm!
When my parents got divorced,
I was sort of...
bounced between
two houses and two families.
And I don't know.
I don't think I ever
saw my parents in love,
so I guess that informed
my relationships too.
They just don't work for me.
I think you should give
your parents my number.
That's not a bad idea.
How am I supposed to write about love
on such a little piece of paper?
Hmm. Skip every second word?
What?
I don't buy into all this
cheesy Valentine's stuff.
Do you?
Of course!
How did you know that Max was the one?
Well, it's not like
I knew right away.
In fact, when I first met him,
I was furious with him.
He worked for the IT squad
of my superstore,
and he came over to set up my home office.
He backed into my great aunt's
crystal figurine display and...
- Smash?
- Mm-hmm.
But then he spent the next 3 months
taking me to antique markets
to replace everything he'd broken.
It was just the sweetest thing.
Yeah, I mean, that's nice.
But isn't that also just good manners?
I suppose.
But he instantly made me laugh
like no one else could.
Sunny and I still laugh a lot.
That's one of the things
that hasn't changed.
Right.
That's something special.
Yeah.
I'll go get those boxes.
- Oh!
- Oh!
Sorry!
Oh, look at you,
coming through this tiny door.
Uh, yes. It's me,
Giles the butler.
Just... piece of fluff.
OK, so when you're
finished your masterpieces,
you can put them in these boxes.
What's on for tonight?
There's an international
water polo match on TV.
That's cool.
Uh, tonight, we're
talking with our partners
about their hopes and dreams.
Really blue skying it.
Try and bring them somewhere comfortable.
The goal is to get closer to their heart.
Hi, Evie!
Hi, Ruth! How's the cruise?
Delightful!
They've got go-kart racing on deck.
Ruth crashed into me.
It's all been very therapeutic!
- How's the book coming?
- Good!
No, she means how's it going
between you and Jake?
Oh, come on, Ruth!
That's all you wanted
to know since we set sail!
How are you getting along?
Why would you think we'd be getting along?
We're complete opposites!
Yes, but you've heard the
expression "opposites attract."
Now, we have an instinct for these things.
We're doing fine, thank you.
Fine, that's it?
That's it!
That is a dull answer, young lady.
You know what's not dull is your book.
Oh, well,
I'm glad you like it.
And if I don't get
these edits in to Greta,
she's gonna have my head,
so stop bothering me!
- OK!
- Oh, fine, fine, fine.
But if anything remotely exciting happens,
like, say, at the workshop,
like, say, falling in love,
you'll be sure to give us a call, right?
I'm hanging up now!
Full disclosure:
Despite knowing everything about baseball,
I've never been inside
of a batting cage before.
Oh, don't worry.
I haven't either.
Really? You'd fit
right in with the Red Sox.
I was just gonna say
you'd make a perfect
addition to the Yankees.
So, tonight is all about dreams.
Oh! You have been paying
attention. That's good!
So, are you happy being a life coach?
I am! Yeah.
Uh, I mean, I wouldn't mind
being more successful,
a little bit more sought after.
OK, well then, you need
a "buy now" button.
A what?
On your website!
I mean, it's kind of hard to figure out
how to book a workshop.
Oh! So, uh, you've been to my website.
Barely. Maybe.
Just a cursory glance.
I don't know. Those things
kind of feel like bragging.
No, there's a difference
between being confident and bragging.
I mean, you're worth it.
Why not let people know?
OK.
I want to publish a book.
Seriously?
Yeah. I've almost finished it.
Well, actually, that...
No, I've finished it,
but it's just a bit awkward
since you're in publishing.
And it might be a mess.
I don't know.
Would you let me take a look at it?
Uh...
Maybe. I don't--I...
I think so. I just...
When I'm ready?
It's OK. Take your time.
So, what about, uh, what about you?
What kind of direction are you
gonna be taking in nonfiction?
Oh, all kinds. But I have
a soft spot for astronomy.
I love that.
In the 9th grade,
my mom took me to a book signing
with Stephen Hawking
at the New York Hall of Science.
Oh, that's cool.
Yeah, it made a big impression.
So, do you still have the signed copy?
I never got one.
No, the lineup was too long,
and we had to go home.
Oh, that's a bummer.
I know.
Did you know that
Stephen Hawking
used to sign his book with a fingerprint?
No.
Isn't that cool?
Very.
Mmm! Holy smokes!
That tastes just like...
Blackberries?
Exactly! With something
else going on in there.
Tannins.
Right. What--what are those exactly?
They come from the skins,
stems and seeds of the grapes.
The dryer the wine, the more tannins.
OK. Have you been secretly
going to wine school
while I wasn't looking?
No. But I do read
a wine blog or two at work
when it gets boring.
Which it gets.
I love being a bookkeeper,
but I don't think
I dreamt of doing it
for a chain of hair salons.
Well, you should work for a fancy winery
in some fancy place.
I mean, I'm joking, sort of.
It's not exactly like
there's vineyards in Boston.
Lots of Irish pubs you could work for.
I--I don't...
Wait, I'm... I was just...
I didn't mean it.
- I--
- I'm sorry.
I thought this date
was supposed to be about dreams, not--
Limits from me. You're right.
I'm sorry.
Tell me about your--your dream job.
Where would this vineyard be?
Yeah?
Yeah.
Well, there's France...
Italy, Australia...
New Zealand.
We're gonna need some more wine here.
You're fine. Just keep
your eye on the ball.
OK, good advice.
Keep my eye on the ball.
Ah!
OK, OK. You know what?
I'm gonna...
This time, I'm gonna step into this one.
Whoa!
Ah! Wow!
Beginner's luck!
- Oh!
- Ooh!
Nice!
Oh! Whoa!
OK...
Were you trying to hustle me?
The way I look at it,
if you wait long enough,
everyone will surprise you.
You're trying to impress me.
Guilty.
All right, you're up.
So, how are you gonna make
the move into nonfiction?
There's an editor job, actually,
opening up at my company.
Well, tell me you applied.
Yeah, I'm working up to it.
OK, can--can I help you?
Fine.
OK, so, you want your center line
running through your head, back and hip.
OK.
May I?
Yeah, and your hands should be
palm up and palm down, like that.
And lastly, just stay
open and concentrated.
That's the sweet spot
where the magic happens.
Yes! Yes!
I can't believe I did it!
Me neither, really.
Just kidding.
That was awesome.
: There's so many things
I'd love to do.
What are you gonna put on
your "love-to" list?
New Zealand.
It's what I dream about.
I'm not sure Max is there yet, though.
Last night, he tried to walk me back
from the vineyard-halfway-
around-the-world scenario
to planting a single vine
in a pot on our deck.
But you love wine.
Yeah. But I love Max more.
How's it going in here?
Making some progress.
OK, good. Same goes for the others.
Juan's "love-to list" is all pedicures,
and Bob is, uh,
Bob is asleep, so...
Uh, tonight's assignment:
You've already gone on
a date in your comfort zone,
so tonight is all about
trying something new.
And, uh, I believe I'm up,
so hold onto your hat.
I'm all for out of my comfort zone,
but it's a hard no
to slam poetry or amateur improv.
Oh, no, no, no. No.
We're just, uh, we're going
to my friend's house,
and you're gonna
watch us play video games.
No, you made it pretty clear
that just going on a date
is out of your comfort zone.
True.
So, I thought we would
double down on that idea,
so to speak, and go on a...
Wait, a double date?
- Yep!
- No!
- Hi!
- Hey!
- Hey!
- Hey!
OK...
Welcome to Juan's
Marvelous Mole tasting!
All right.
Well, thank you for coming.
I'm not gonna lie.
I am a little nervous.
I've been on him forever to
bottle and sell his recipes.
I'm just so busy at the bank.
OK, so, tonight, we're going
to taste test 3 variations
of Juan's mole poblano recipe
and choose the best one to go to market.
- Babe, did you make these?
- Yeah, I made them today.
- I love them! Babe...
- Oh!
Mmm!
OK, so, I'm sorry.
Uh, who wants to try first?
- Bring it!
- Jake?
You know, I am actually
the ultimate taste-tester.
- : Oh!
- How confident of you!
Yeah, no, listen,
if the mole sauce is good,
and, I mean,
I'm talking really good,
like, the perfect level
of spice, everything,
I hiccup.
You hic...
And that's a good thing?
- It's a good thing. Watch.
- OK.
Wait for it.
Mmm. It's so good.
I'm sorry, Juan, it's so good, but...
no hiccup means no heat.
The--the body doesn't lie.
Maybe there's a balance off
or something. I don't--
It's fine. Listen, here's what we'll do.
I'll get us some water,
and then we'll try again
with the other sauces.
It'll work.
It'll be good, trust me.
Yeah!
Ah! That was so cute, how Mary
was trying to help Juan.
Uh-oh. You're not buying into
love and romance, are you?
I guess I've always chosen work over love.
Work is reliable.
It's structured.
I can control the outcome.
But after this week and
meeting all these great couples
and hearing your perspective on things,
I might be thinking about things
a little differently.
Oh, is that so?
I said a little.
Listen, uh...
I see you stepping out
of your comfort zone.
And I know it's not easy
being vulnerable like that.
And if I'm honest...
I'm a little scared about
getting hurt again too.
But you inspired me.
Here it is. Now, I am
terrified to do this.
My brain is telling me:
"Run away! Do not
hand over the manuscript."
But, uh...
All writers feel that way.
So, just if you can hang onto
that and not show anyone...
Thank you for trusting me with it.
I know how risky it can feel.
Am I wrong...
or is this starting to
feel like an actual date
and not just homework?
You're not wrong.
It's my boss.
- Right.
- Sorry.
That's OK.
I have to go.
It's all good. I'll,
uh, I'll see you tomorrow?
Shakespeare's Sonnet 116
is an ode to true love:
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
"Admit impediments.
"Love is not love
"Which alters when it alteration finds,
"Or bends with
the remover to remove. O no!
"It is an ever-fixed mark
"That looks on tempests
and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark."
That sonnet is right up there
in Will's greatest hits.
But I'd submit, humbly,
that Shakespeare got it wrong.
I think love does alter.
It grows as people grow.
It matures as a couple matures.
It deepens as they find ways
to fall in love with each other every day,
no matter the obstacles.
So this is a book
to help you soar to
that height of true love,
but with your feet planted
firmly on the ground.
Yes, true love is a poetic dream.
It's also real.
And that's the paradox.
Mmm...
Greta! Good morning!
Well, actually, it's almost lunch.
You weren't sleeping, were you?
No! I--I was just, um...
OK, well, listen,
I read all the edits.
Can you get in here by noon
for a page turn?
Well, actually,
Ruth and Arthur want me
to sit in on their nephew's workshop,
um, which is at noon.
Oh, a workshop!
That sounds like fun.
Really?
No! Am I paying you to go
to workshops or to edit novels?
You tell me.
I'll be there.
OK, hurry up.
"She knew..."
"...to tell him she loved him."
"Could she leave behind
the life she built
for herself in New York?"
Ta-da!
Really, really, really
nice emotional moment
there at the end.
I mean, even I teared up.
Ruth and Arthur are so right.
It is way, way better.
I agree.
And we're gonna meet
our deadline, thanks to you.
I owe you one.
All right.
I don't know if I've ever
told you this before, but...
I would love to make
the move into nonfiction.
So I was thinking of applying
to the editor position across the hall.
And I would love to
have your recommendation.
And...
And?
I've got this manuscript.
Now, it's not romance.
It's nonfiction.
But it's kind of about romance.
And, anyway...
I think it could be big.
It's smart, it's raw,
it's moving, it's funny and...
Could you take a look at it
and let me know what you think?
Give me five.
Hello?
Did I miss it?
Uh, just cleaning up.
Everyone managed to wash their own mugs.
Very funny. How did it go?
Uh, pretty good.
Apparently, um, Mary got Juan
to go to karaoke
after our double date.
She says his rendition
of The Impossible Dream
traumatized every single
person in the bar.
I hate to admit it,
but I've actually been enjoying myself.
Oh, is that so?
Yes. So, what's the homework for tonight?
Uh, it's--it's a night off.
OK, Eve!
Oh.
I don't know what you're doing later,
but, um, would you want to have dinner?
I can cook.
Really?
To make up for missing today.
I accept.
Eve!
I gotta go.
OK, I will look at your manuscript.
I'll see what I can do
about your application.
Thank you so much! That--
- Please leave.
- Of course.
Out you go.
Paradox of Love by Mr. Jake Hampton.
That name sounds made up.
Are you making these
for everyone in the office?
Of course!
Tomorrow is
Valentine's Day,
and I don't want anyone to be left out.
Aw! That's sweet.
Just trying to boost morale.
Have you made one for Alex yet?
Um, no?
I--I don't know what to write.
Just tell him how you feel.
You mean, I should, um, show him my heart?
How goes things with the love doctor?
Gross! Don't call him that.
- Oh, the guru?
- Stop!
OK, OK, OK.
I'm sorry, sorry. Jake.
Good, I think.
Looks like we have a
non-assignment date tonight.
He asked you?
Other way around.
Attagirl!
You see? It is the mystical
power of Valentine's.
And you'd be proud of me.
I took the leap, and I asked
Greta for her recommendation.
Eve, that's great!
And there's more.
I passed her Jake's book.
Oh, he has a book?
And if the stars align,
I'll get a job,
and he'll get a publishing deal.
I mean, he was really worried
about me showing it
to anyone in publishing.
But he let me read it.
And, Quinn, it's, like...
amazing.
I can't wait to tell him the good news.
Hmm...
Hmm? "Hmm," what?
I'm all for stars aligning,
but, um, maybe don't
tell Jake until Greta's read it.
I--I'm just worried that if,
hypothetically speaking,
she doesn't like it...
it--it could be bad news.
I know Greta's taste.
She's gonna love it.
So, then what?
Then we split into groups
and we started talking about tackling,
in a loving way, of course,
uh, the problems we were having
in our life and our relationship.
Uh-oh.
No, no! It went--it went well.
Yeah, uh, we did this exercise.
Picture this:
You wake up in the morning,
and your life is significantly better.
What would have changed?
And then, what could you do tonight
to get closer to that change?
That's good advice.
What?
Nothing, nothing!
I'm just, uh...
I'm just admiring your technique there.
Oh. I have a process!
I can see that.
It tastes better this way, trust me.
I--I like it.
I like your process.
Um, so listen,
I wanted to do something
to thank you for this week.
And I hope you don't mind...
but, um, I took a shot at...
redesigning your website.
What are you...
Eve, this is incredible!
I can't believe--
I don't know what to say.
Thank you so--
You like it?
Do I like it?
Yes, I like it.
It's amazing. I love it.
Thank you so much.
Um, and I added a "buy now" button.
Once it's published,
it'll be the perfect way
for people to have
easy access to your book.
You read--
you read my book?
I loved it.
It was wonderful.
It was informative and--and romantic
and charming, kind of quirky, like you.
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Quirky?
I'm definitely charming,
but--but quirky? I don't know.
I--I will say, though,
the trend in nonfiction
is for the author to include
some of his personal experience.
So I think your readers
would love to hear more
about you and your life.
You know, maybe you could
talk about your breakup?
Yeah, I never thought of that.
It would just make
your book that much richer.
Wow! I...
Thank you.
It's my pleasure.
And I--
You know,
I'm excited,
because I'm gonna be able
to implement your notes
before any publishing bigwigs
or anybody else reads it.
Mine's almost done.
Then, uh, the oven?
What? Uh, yeah.
This is gonna be so good.
OK! Me first. I figured out
what I'm gonna say to Alex.
I made him a card, and I'm
going to give it to him today.
And I am wearing my Valentine's Day dress.
Irresistible.
Thank you. I know.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Now, you, dish,
and don't skimp on the details.
I think I messed up.
The date was terrible?
No, we actually got along amazingly.
I told him how great
I thought his book was
and I gave him a few minor notes.
And he said that he was
so grateful to get my notes
before I showed it to Greta.
Oh boy!
Yep. You were right.
You know, maybe it won't be so bad.
Maybe she'll love it,
and then it'll be good news,
and then all will be forgiven.
Yeah, but that's not the point.
The point is
I promised him I wouldn't
show anyone, and I did.
So I have to tell him, don't I?
Eve, is that you?
Yep!
Hey!
Hey!
Ah! Big day!
I know. It's Valentine's Day!
But, um, listen, I have to
tell you something.
Wait, you--you're not
bailing on tonight, are you?
No.
But I'm not sure you're still
gonna want to after I tell you.
Um...
Listen, I showed
Greta your book.
She hasn't gotten back to me yet,
but I know her taste,
and she's gonna love it.
But I asked you not to.
I know. I'm sorry.
The book wasn't ready.
Look, I messed up, OK?
I--I thought I was doing something good,
that it was a win-win.
Yeah, but it--it's more
of a win for you, isn't it?
Because, I mean, if my book
isn't ready to be seen,
then it could be
a pretty big not win for me.
When did you see her?
Yesterday afternoon.
You know,
I went in there,
and I asked about the nonfiction job,
and I--I showed her your book,
your wonderful book.
So, you did the opposite of what I asked,
and then you didn't tell me
when you had the chance.
I mean, yeah, I guess.
I could see how it could look like that.
You're still choosing work over love.
OK!
So, how, uh, how was
everyone's day off? Mary?
Oh, well, you remember that exercise
you told us about yesterday?
- About small changes? Yeah.
- Yeah.
So, um, we talked about it.
And I want to redo the kitchen
so that Juan can make
his mole sauce at home.
That--that's great.
I think that renovations are expensive
and that we should use that
money to invest in our future.
- This is for our future!
- No, it's not.
Your future, doing what you love.
As you can see, things aren't working out.
And I ended up sleeping on the couch.
It's not a couch.
It's Belgian roll-arm sofa.
Sounds similar, a bit,
to the night we had.
I told Bob I want to go back
to Europe with him, but--
I get almost no time off from work.
And there are the kids.
And when I do take time, I'd
like to focus on my photography,
work towards an exhibit.
What?
An exhibit.
I heard you the first time.
We had a bit of
a bumpy one as well. Honey?
Everyone into the pool,
I guess.
So, as you all know,
Annie wants to work for a winery.
So we're talking about
leasing our place in Boston
if she finds a job
out of state or whatever.
- And Max was fine with that.
- It was totally fine.
So we're seeing where we can pare down.
You know, I put aside half my clothes,
half my books, all for donation.
We were doing well.
And then she suggests:
"Why don't you just get rid
of your gaming consoles?"
Yeah, yeah, like--like,
all my gaming consoles.
"Oh, what's the big deal?
It's just games."
It's not just games, you know?
This is a community.
These are my friends, you know?
Viper267, NoobCrusher...
Like, what am I supposed
to say to all these people?
Wow! Uh, I give you
one day off, and kaboom! Um...
I don't think you guys
completely understood
the, uh, the exercise.
Uh, it's about gradual change
over a long period of time,
and then a tiny
change that can happen now.
Here's the thing...
If people move too quickly...
they--they can't grow together.
And together is the whole point.
So here's what
I think we should do.
Let's, um, break into couples.
Let's talk about it.
Let's figure this out before the break,
and then come back, we'll report back.
I mean, after all,
we're all in different
stages of our marriages.
I, um, I mean, except me and Eve.
Well, let's--let's learn from each other.
No one wants to be
fighting on Valentine's Day.
OK.
Thank you.
What?
Come on, Eve.
We weren't born yesterday.
What's going on with you and Eve?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, something's up.
OK, here's the deal.
So, I...
Jake's not talking
to me right now because...
I betrayed him.
Let me explain.
Jake wrote this book.
I've been working on
this thing for ages, right?
It's a book that helps couples with love.
And--and and I got excited about it
and I showed it to my boss.
Now I'm upset, you know?
But I can tell he's just scared.
Of course he's scared.
Just like Max.
Hmm.
Hey, isn't this a bit like Max
not wanting to give up his consoles?
I don't--I don't think so.
It is the same.
- It's fear.
- Mmm.
Fear of change and fear of failure.
And you did kind of
overstep your bounds there.
Yeah. He's right.
I'm making a life with Annie.
That's what matters.
Not my gaming.
That was fear talking.
Come here.
- You didn't.
- Mm-hmm.
It's gonna be OK.
- Hi, Evie!
- Hi, Ruth!
We're calling from Boston
to let you know we're
just on our way home.
And happy Valentine's!
Is everything OK?
Yeah. Yeah, your--your
book changes were great.
Greta loved the edit.
It's on the way to the printers.
That's great! Nice!
And how are you?
How's the workshop going?
Good! Yeah, I met a lot
of really great people.
And, you know, we'll probably
never see each other again.
Everyone's got their own lives.
And you know how Boston is.
It's huge.
Boston's not that big.
Get their phone numbers!
Oh, no, that's not
what she's talking about.
Uh, how is it going with Jake?
Um...
Yeah, I mean, you know how he is.
At first, it was...
frustrating.
Then it got better.
And then I messed up, and...
I don't know what to do.
Oh. I'm sorry, Eve.
I didn't expect this to happen.
As Shakespeare said,
the course of true love
never did run smooth.
Well, Shakespeare was also of the opinion
that it is not in the stars
to hold our destiny,
but in ourselves.
If you want something to happen, Eve,
make it happen.
I gotta go. See you soon.
We actually don't do walk-ins.
We don't do the first...
Reservations.
That's what I want.
I want a reservation.
Yeah. Party of one, thank you. Bye.
Oh, I told him four times.
- Greta...
- Yes.
I need, um...
You gotta give me
Jake's manuscript back.
Hmm?
I messed up, and I gave it
to you without his permission.
And he's super upset
because he doesn't feel
like the book is ready.
So if you could please, please, please
pretend like I never gave it to you
and--and just wait for
the more polished draft.
And if this means that
you can't recommend me
for the nonfiction job,
then I totally get it.
I can't believe I made
such a rookie mistake.
I wasn't thinking.
And, I mean, at first, I was like:
"Who is this guy?
He's a life coach.
"He's obsessed with washing dishes
and talking about love
and cheesy Valentine's stuff."
But then I realized...
Well, I mean, I guess
he helped me realize...
everything is about love.
And maybe he's part of the reason
that I felt brave enough
to ask for my dream job.
And it just--it feels really
easy when we're together.
Not that we're together, because--
OK, OK. Could you--
can you just...
Just breathe, right? Just...
Oh, this is delicious.
Yeah, that's the Satsuma oranges.
First of all...
I read the book.
Oh.
And I loved it.
Yeah, I loved it.
I'd read it again if I had to.
And I'm gonna be hard pressed
to pass it on to nonfiction,
because I would like it.
This could be the next
Men Are from Mars.
That's what I thought.
It's got all that romance!
- I know!
- I'm the romance department!
I mean, it's just...
I--I don't...
Well, whatever. That's gonna be
a fight for another day, right?
And...
you're gonna get the gig in nonfiction.
Yeah. 'Cause I already recommended you.
But more importantly,
much more importantly...
I've known you for
a really long time, right?
And I've never seen you
behave like this, ever.
- Ruth, Arthur!
- Hi, Evie!
Great to see you.
I can't talk.
I have a date. Really busy!
Really?
Can you give this to Jake?
: Uh, sure!
Thank you.
She is busy!
I wonder what's in the envelope.
Never you mind.
Come on, at least let me
hold it up to the light.
Arthur Eddings, you behave!
Are you kidding me?
You want to know what's in that
envelope just as badly as I do.
We're in here!
- Jake!
- Hi, Jake!
Hi, hi! So, you're, uh, you're back!
How was the trip?
- Oh, it was great!
- Fantastic!
- How was the workshop?
- It was good!
Oh, she means: "How are things with Evie?"
Oh. You know about that.
Um, it, uh...
it just didn't work out.
Yeah, well,
I, uh, wouldn't be too sure about that.
Dear Jake,
look, I know I messed up, and I'm sorry.
But like you said,
you only get out of life
what you put into it, so...
this is me going all in.
If you're willing to
give me a second chance.
I gotta--I gotta go.
Have a great Valentine's.
And I love you guys.
- Love you too!
- Take care!
Bye!
Of course he would
take the letter with him.
Well, we're just
a regular couple of Cupids.
Yeah, that's us!
The Cupids of Beacon Street.
Oh, good title for a book!
Ah! Wha--
- Italy?
- Italy.
- Which one?
- This one is beautiful. Yeah!
There are 3 jobs in Upstate New York.
- That's not too far, right?
- It's not too far at all.
Why don't you check and see
if there's something in New Zealand?
Just for fun.
You never know!
Ah!
This place is usually packed!
Well, the Demskys wanted a
Valentine's date of their own,
so I convinced them to
let me babysit the place.
Apparently, they like you or something.
Hey, listen, um...
I went to Greta,
and I explained my mistake,
and she is willing to
re-read your book whenever--
That's great. That's...
Listen, I'm sorry for--for overreacting.
No. No. I messed up.
Well then, that makes two of us.
But wait, she--she read it?
Jake, she loved it.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
There might even be a
bidding war over who gets it.
- What?
- Yeah.
Wow!
That's... Wow!
Uh, well, either way,
can you--can you help me
with the--with the changes?
Yes, of course.
This is all the shmoopy stuff that I love.
Well, you know what?
I, uh, I see your shmoop,
and I raise you one.
Wow!
It's signed!
Where did you get this?
Thank you!
Oh, this is one of
the most thoughtful gifts
anyone has ever given me.
Thank you.
- Wow! You know your shmoop.
- It's my middle name.
You can put that on a business card.
Speaking of cards...
Mm-hmm. OK.
Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
"Why did the skunk like Valentine's?
Because he's scentimental."
That's a classic.
OK...
"What do I write in a Valentine's card
"to a person who doesn't
think true love is for her?
Give it time."
Cupcakes?
Oh, yeah.
Cupcakes! Get ready.
Oh, I can't wait.
Oh!
Oh, wait, look at how cute that is.
"This is a Valentine's cupcake."
Well, you know what?
That is hands down
the best cupcake message
made in my workshop.
Thank you. OK!
Wow! A lot going on here.
Kind of reminds me of your painting.
Your "love-to list."
Oh yeah!
Got it right here.
Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
Actually, you know what?
Um, before you read that,
I wanted to say something.
And actually, it--it's more important
than what's even in there.
OK.
My workshops, they're usually
more about other people growing.
But this time, I was the one
who learned something.
What did you learn?
That I've been stuck.
But that now,
I'm ready to take a risk.
I'm ready to try again.
And...
I want to do that with you.
I actually learned something too.
Really?
Yeah.
That you are a mediocre checkers player.
OK...
And, um...
the problem isn't love not working for me.
I wasn't working for love.
So...
I was wondering...
Closed Captions: MELS
Could you take a look at Chapter 2
and make sure it's clean
before we hand it to Greta?
- Yep, got it!
- Great!
Um, why didn't you tell me
you needed to talk to Alex?
I could have accidentally on
purpose stopped by or something!
By the way, I'm making heart-
shaped pancakes for dinner.
Are you in?
Last night was heart-shaped
toad in the hole.
Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?
No one.
You could ask Alex out
and stop wasting your
Valentine's cooking on me.
- I can't do that, not yet.
- Why not?
'Cause he's way too cute,
and he's way too smart.
And he hasn't even noticed me yet.
Quinn, relax.
He's been here 2 weeks.
- Details!
- Guess what?
An editor position
just opened up in nonfiction.
That's perfect!
That's your dream job.
Should I ask Greta for a recommendation?
I mean, you'll never know until you try.
Oh, there you are.
Arthur and Ruth are coming by.
They want to talk about
changes to the book.
Changes?
She said minor, which usually means major.
But it's going to the printers in a week.
At the end of next week,
I know, yes.
So let's get the conference room set.
Let's break this up,
whatever this is, this chit-chat club.
Let's go. They're gonna be here in 15.
Here. You're gonna need
the caffeine more than I do.
And just ask her.
The worst that can happen
is she'll fire you
for wanting to switch departments.
Nice.
I'm just...
I'm kidding!
Ah, no I'm not.
She really does scare me.
- Eve...
- Hi!
Um, I was wondering if I--
Can you get some of those cookies?
You know, the little hearty
cookie thingies from downstairs?
From downstairs?
For--for the meeting.
For the meeting.
And can you get rid
of the echo in the room?
Sure, um...
- I wanted to ask you, though...
- Greta here.
...if you could...
You're not there anymore.
Ah! Did you ask for the recommendation?
Tell me you asked!
Timing was off.
And I kind of chickened out.
Not a great combo.
Apparently,
I'm supposed to get
these cookies for the meeting.
Oh yeah, right over there.
Uh, hi!
Hi!
Those are actually for eating here,
not for take-out.
Uh, sorry.
I didn't realize they
were in limited supply.
I mean, you're welcome to one.
One. Right.
Uh, OK, sure.
You can't do that!
You just told me that
I could only take one.
Yes, but now you've
touched it, so it's dirty.
Well, hey, look, like my aunt always says,
a little dirt never hurt anyone.
Who are you, anyway?
Oh, I'm a guest of the client.
OK.
What a waste of a perfectly good cookie.
I'll be thinking about that cookie
for the rest of the day.
No shortage of Valentine's here!
We aim to please.
You'd think we were in the
romance division or something.
So, what do you have on tap
for Valentine's, Evie?
I plan to snuggle up with a good book.
I meant in the date department.
I meant that too.
A date with a good book.
You see, that's what
comes of not believing
that true love exists.
Wow! Straight to the point.
That's not true. I just don't
think it exists for me.
Aw! Well, what are we reading now?
On the Origin of Species?
- Oh! Thrilling!
- Oxford English Dictionary?
What a page-turner!
Who's got the time?
I'm too busy reading best-selling romances
by my two favorite authors.
Ooh! Flattery will get you everywhere!
Don't worry.
You'll find love eventually.
Sorry! Sorry, guys!
It is crazy here!
Are you excited about
your Valentine's cruise?
Are we ever!
40 years ago,
I married this beauty!
- Oh, go on!
- I could, couldn't I?
No, seriously, go on!
I remember when she read
my very first novel.
- She said it was...
- Pedestrian.
- ...spiritless.
- Dull.
I fell madly in love with her.
- Aw!
- Mmm!
Oh, stop!
Listen, we love the work that
Evie's done on the book.
Yes, me too.
We just have a few little rewrites here.
Wow! The book is great as it is.
These pages are way better.
See, we just couldn't
see Luigi letting her go
on page 200.
So once we tweaked that moment,
we had to find a new middle to the book!
I mean, you don't want your
readers to hate Luigi, do you?
No. No, I don't.
But we do go to the printers in one week.
Yes, but--but Evie here
is a very fast worker.
Part of why we love her.
I'd be happy to do it.
- Ah!
- You're sure?
Yes.
Oh, sorry, hey!
It's over Valentine's.
Oh, that's OK!
You're sure that you can
pull this together in 5 days?
I can do this. Totally.
It'll be fun!
I have an idea.
It's so busy here.
You've got a roommate.
Why don't you stay at
our house while we're away?
Oh, that's sweet.
I wouldn't want to impose.
No, it's no imposition at all!
No, you're not imposing.
Hey, you can water my ferns!
Now, we're not gonna
take no for an answer.
You'll be able to edit in peace there.
- Ruth, I like this idea.
- Mmm.
Well, you know, what do I always say?
What do I always say?
The writer is always...
Are always right.
Writers are always right.
The writers are right.
Music to our ears!
Here you go, Eve!
You'll like these, Greta.
We need to save Luigi!
Can't wait!
So, you can work in the study
or down here or wherever you like!
Make yourself at home.
Hey, forgot to mention,
every couple of months,
a life coach, well, our nephew, actually,
will be hosting his
How to Rekindle Love workshops
in the living room.
His place is too small.
Here?
You know, why don't you sit in on it?
It's only a couple hours a day.
- Ah, I'm gonna be so busy.
- No, no, no, no, no.
It's always good to hear about
love problems. We learned a ton.
I mean, it helped us
connect with our readership.
That's nice. It's not
really my thing, though.
Well, do your best.
Yeah, but it'll help with the edit.
And remember what
Greta always says.
- The writers are always right.
- Yes.
She did say that.
Well, here he is already.
OK! We're off.
- Have a great week!
- Thanks for this.
Have a good trip!
- Jake!
- Hey, guys!
Yeah, she's here!
OK, great!
Well, have fun then.
- Yeah, you too.
- Thank you so much.
Uh, hi.
Hi.
You're the house guest?
You're the life coach?
Uh, wow!
Well, this should be interesting.
So, they talked you into
sitting in on my course, huh?
It's all good! You're welcome!
I can sit in for today, but I
have their book to edit, so...
The reluctant participant, my favorite.
You know what you should do?
You should head over to my website,
check out the testimonial page.
It's full of people
who said they really didn't
want to take the course.
Is that an accurate assessment
of your whole situation?
No comment.
They ended up loving it!
Didn't see that coming!
Are those from the office?
I can't believe you took them!
Uh, actually, the receptionist
told me where she got them,
and I bought these this morning.
The bakery is just, uh, around the corner.
Oh. I'm sorry.
Forget I said that.
Can we start again?
Ah! Oh my goodness!
What a lovely touch, those cookies.
- They're so...
- Romantic?
Thank you, yeah.
Yesterday, I was at a
fantastic publishing house.
My, uh, my aunt and uncle
are writers there.
- I hear they're fabulous.
- They are.
And their editor, who they adore,
put these out at a meeting.
I happened to be in the waiting room.
- Really?
- Yeah. I'd given them a lift.
Hmm, you don't say.
And to cut a long story short,
their very friendly
receptionist, um, Anna...
- No.
- Samantha.
- No.
- Taylor.
- Quinn.
- Quinn, that was my next guess.
Quinn told me where she got them,
and I couldn't resist.
It makes sense, considering it's almost...
- : Valentine's Day.
- Yeah.
Um, also, just so that you know,
I'm gonna put all of
my food on the bottom shelf.
It's organic.
It cost me a fortune.
So could you just not eat it, please?
Not eat it. I can definitely,
definitely try to do that.
Oh, people are here.
Uh... I actually forgot the cream.
Is there any way that I
could borrow some, please?
I promise
I'll replace it.
Oh, organic!
Perfect. Thank you.
Hi! I'm Sunny.
Hi! I'm Eve.
Who are you here with?
I'm here by myself, actually.
Your partner backed out.
Oh, what a drag!
We almost didn't make it.
Between soccer, swimming, laundry,
and now Valentine's Day
on top of everything.
I'm actually just auditing,
so, um, I might join in later,
but I've got a ton of work to do.
- Oh!
- Yeah, it's a long story.
It's kind of like homework.
Well, if it's got anything to do
with 5th-grade math
or 7th-grade social studies,
I'm your gal.
Let's go break these in, shall we?
Besides, there are cookies! Mmm!
That's not my name.
OK, so, uh, first off,
I just want to say how glad I am
we're all here together.
Uh, my name is Jake Hampton.
And, uh, this workshop
is about reigniting love.
Now, obviously,
you guys all love each other,
because you wouldn't
be here if you didn't.
But love is this living thing
that needs out-of-the-box
thinking to thrive.
And the question is, where do you find it?
Especially now, during Valentine's.
Under the fourth load of laundry, yeah.
Well, if it were that easy,
I'd be out of business.
Uh, I think you can find it
if, first, you love yourself...
and two, if you put in the effort,
and three, if you add the secret sauce,
which is the ability to risk
looking foolish or vulnerable.
It's a recipe for love,
and it's unique to every couple.
Uh, so I think what we should do now
is just go around the room,
introduce ourselves.
Tell us a little bit
about each other's stories,
how long you've been married,
uh, all that good stuff.
I can go first.
My name is Jake.
I am a life coach.
And, actually, I am single.
- Oh!
- Uh, I know, ironic.
So, who wants to go first?
My name is Annie.
I am the bookkeeper for
a chain of hair salons.
And this is Max.
Uh, I work in IT for a cell phone company.
I'm Max.
I said that.
Right, she said that already. Um...
And we've been together for 7 years...
- Seven years this March.
- ...this April. March.
Mary.
Um, I just finished my
undergrad in interior design.
And, uh, I'm still looking
for my first real interior design gig,
so if anyone needs their
living room redone...
Please. Our living room
has been redone 3 times now.
Hey!
I'm Juan.
We've been married for almost a year.
Mm-hmm.
And I work in finance at the bank.
But what I really love is cooking.
And I learned every
single thing that I know
from my abuelita in Mexico.
And--and...
And you make the best mole sauce.
Makes me happy.
I love when you're happy.
And I love you.
: Mmm!
: Um...
Sunny, Bob?
Oh.
Uh, I'm Bob, in-house
photographer at a university.
I'm Sunny.
I'm home with our kids.
We have three of them: 12...
- ...10...
- ...and 8.
So it's busy!
It's very busy.
Yeah, you don't realize,
you know, what you're in for.
And then, next thing you know,
there's kids. And then...
No time for Bob.
OK, OK.
Hi!
Um, I'm Eve.
And I am an editor at Suffolk Publishing
in the romance department.
And I'm also single.
So, like Jake said,
I guess that's ironic?
Uh, OK. That was great.
Let's, um, let's take a break,
check our messages, uh, get some refills.
When we come back,
we can talk about Valentine's
and what our goals are for the workshop.
OK? Great!
- Settled in?
- Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know.
That's an oddly long answer
to a short question.
Have I moved into Ruth
and Arthur's place? Yes.
Did I know that their nephew
would be running
his life-coaching workshop
out of their living room while I was here?
- No.
- Oh!
And Ruth and Arthur think it would be
good professional
development that I sit in.
- Because?
- I don't even know!
Because couples talk about love
and I edit books about love,
even though I don't really
believe in the whole love thing?
Ouch!
Ugh! To make matters worse...
There's worse?
The life coach is the cookie thief!
Hold on.
That--that cute guy from yesterday?
That's Arthur and Ruth's nephew?
Yes! And he is impossible!
The plot thickens!
And forgetful.
And his website is horrible,
which as you know, for me, is...
A clear indication of character.
Exactly.
I kind of thought you two had chemistry.
What? No, we didn't.
The whole back and forth
about the stolen cookies?
It was sweet!
Kind of crackly.
You've read one too many romance novels.
Listen, what I need now
is an answer for this exercise.
What exercise?
The one we're doing after the break.
OK. What do you have to do?
Share my feelings about Valentine's.
Oh, well, that's easy.
You hate it. And why?
Let's see. You are all work and no play.
The only other thing you do is read.
And you avoid it at all costs.
OK, that's not really...
And you have been in
two failed relationships.
I'd like you to ask them
why you're not in love,
even though you are clearly a great catch!
- I'm not gonna ask them that.
- Fine!
I will speak to you later.
I love you.
I love you too.
OK! Let's do this.
You and your partner try
and finish this sentence:
"We want to refind the
Valentine's spark because..."
Why don't you guys start us off?
We get along really well. But...
Well, lately, our dating life has...
...slipped into a bit of a routine.
Yeah. Yeah. Yes.
We used to do all the romantic standards,
like walks on the beach and...
...candlelit dinners.
We took a tango lesson.
We took bubble baths together,
long bubble baths.
And I'm tall. I barely even
fit in the tub, so...
- We made it work.
- But we made it work.
And now...
We've heard,
7 years in, couples can
get tired of each other.
- And we...
- We don't want that.
We don't want it to happen to us.
We want this Valentine's
to recapture the magic
of when we first met.
Great! Great.
Uh, Mary, Juan:
"We want to refind the
Valentine's spark because..."
Because we got married
at the spur of the moment.
And, uh, we're both very different.
Even though we truly
love each other, right?
Of course.
But she loves all these expensive,
beautiful, beautiful things...
Juan's only luxury that
he indulges in is foot care.
He's caught up in a job
that he doesn't love.
- He should be cooking.
- Yes, I should.
But who can open up a restaurant nowadays?
It's just so risky and expensive.
And on top of all of that,
we can't even decide what to do
for our first married
Valentine's Day.
Sunny, Bob?
"We want to refind the
Valentine's spark because..."
Because...
Because... Because!
Because we've been married
for 15 years, and, uh...
And we are caught up
in the busyness of life.
- Yeah.
- We want to reconnect, Jake.
We really do.
But frankly,
I'm just too tired
to find the gumption for--for anything.
Sunny used to love to travel.
Right.
Now the only trip
I take is to our
local Sri Lankan specialty store.
I don't know if you
know anything about okra,
but it's really the best.
- It's incredible.
- OK.
And I used to take photos
of interesting places
in my free time.
But, uh, who has the time?
You used to take photos of me.
I still take photos of you.
Anyway, here we are.
OK.
Eve.
I'm in a really great place.
You know?
I just--I don't feel like
I need a partner to be happy.
Really? Even on
Valentine's Day?
Yep. Even on Valentine's Day.
Hmm.
I don't know. I--
No, it... We're not here
to put anybody on the spot.
Everyone's got different timelines
for how long it takes them to open up
or get in contact with their feelings.
That's totally normal.
What about you, Jake?
Oh. Yeah, we're out of--
we're out of time.
Um, but you know what?
I got your, uh, your homework
assignments here for tonight,
these envelopes.
So everyone take one of these. And...
I'm just wondering,
who's gonna be Eve's
partner for the workshop?
Oh, um, actually, I hadn't
really thought of that.
I don't think Eve is...
Yeah, no, I'm--I'm actually
just sitting in, so...
But is that fair,
if the rest of us are
putting ourselves out there?
I have an idea.
Why don't you two pair up?
: Oh!
No, no. That's OK.
- Oh, that's a good idea.
- I think so too.
Sure.
Sure.
: Date exercise number one: a warm-up.
Write to each other about
what you think is romantic.
Be vulnerable. Let your mate
see and feel your heart.
Are you a fairy-tale romantic
or a pragmatist?
Do you prefer candlelight
dinners or bungee jumping?
Your letter must be handwritten,
or use some other pre-digital method.
No texting or emailing allowed!
And have fun.
Dear Jake Hampton...
Dear Eve...
Am I a fairy-tale romantic
or a pragmatist?
Neither. Thanks for asking.
People break up.
They get divorced.
That's the reality.
There's no such thing
as a fairy-tale romance.
There. I'm letting you see
and feel my heart.
But that's about all
I'm gonna share with you here,
because I couldn't help but notice
that you were supposed to share
today during session and didn't.
Well...
Two can play that game.
If you won't make yourself vulnerable,
why should I?
Yours truly, Eve.
Dear Eve...
First, I want to apologize for
not answering my own question
in the session today.
That was not the height
of my life coaching.
I figure it's because, well,
I was hurt by my last relationship.
We almost got married, but didn't.
It wasn't meant to be,
but I'm still trying to
understand the reasons why.
A long and not-so-sordid story
for another time.
So, take two.
"Take two."
Here are my ideas for romance.
I love going to fun places,
like Paris, Rome or New York City,
but not doing the official things
like going to the museums
or--or dining at
the most expensive restaurants.
I like to eat from the market
or do easy take-out
from a deli, nothing fancy.
And I like dates that
are about being creative,
but with no pressure,
like a Bob Ross painting party
or a beginner's pottery class.
No need to feel intimidated, by the way.
I assure you,
I am terrible at both.
And here it comes, the big reveal:
I especially love
all the shmoopy, corny Valentine's stuff:
pink bubbly, chocolates
in heart-shaped boxes,
red roses, the "will you be mine?" candy...
So I apologize for not
playing by the rules today.
- "You deserve better."
- ...and...
I can do better.
Yours truly, Jake.
Morning!
Morning!
So, what's going on in spring training?
There is no way the Red Sox
aren't winning the pennant this year.
Sorry! Only have eyes for the Yankees.
What?
How un-Bostonian of you.
My dad was from New York,
so I grew up arguing
Mets versus Yankees.
Oh, OK. I suppose.
Thank you for your note.
And thank you for yours.
You're welcome.
If I could just, uh,
delicately broach what you wrote.
Do you have to?
That's my orange juice!
Oh, uh, sorry.
It's really good.
Um, here's the thing:
It's just like life.
You're only gonna get out of this workshop
what you put into it.
If I were registered.
Registered, shmegistered!
I bet you you won't feel
the same way about love
at the end as you do now.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
OK, well, if you're such an expert,
how come you're still single?
I'm not "still single."
I'm sort of not-too-long-ago single.
Right.
And besides,
I'm waiting for the one.
Part of that shmoopy
Valentine's stuff that you like?
It is. And proud of it.
I am not very good at arts and crafts.
You don't have to be perfect.
You just have to try.
Don't you remember
the cute Valentine's cards
from grade school?
Yeah. I wasn't that good back then either.
Did you make one for everyone in class?
Yeah, so no one felt left out.
I did.
Did they love them?
I don't know that I got that
much feedback of any kind.
Let me help you.
You mentioned you were a photographer.
I bet you have some
amazing photos on your phone.
Yes! You should make a collage.
Good idea.
What about you, Eve?
What are you doing?
I don't know.
I'm trying to make a poem about
stolen Valentine's baking.
Weird, but OK.
Nothing rhymes with "Valentines."
So far, I've got "guidelines,"
"deadlines," "porcupines..."
- "Calamine."
- "Frankensteins."
"Frankensteins." I like that.
How's it going in here?
There's an arts-and-crafts
extravaganza in the kitchen.
That's all I'm gonna say.
So, tonight's assignment:
You're all Partner A.
And all the Partner As
are going to organize a date
all about what Partner B
loves to do on a date.
How am I supposed to know that?
- They told us in their letters.
- Right.
Greta, hello!
How are the edits coming along?
Yeah, it's going great!
I'm already 30 pages in.
Really?
Yep! I'll send it over.
I just told my boss
I'm 30 pages in,
but I've only actually done 12.
I'm sorry. I can't do
the homework thingy tonight.
What? I'm only officially
observing, right?
Well, no, not really.
I mean, you're--you're
part of the group now.
It's work. I can't help it.
Wow!
How hard is it to wash your mug
and put it away, huh?
"Although my baking you did take
"and cause my heart a bit to break,
"I'm thinking now that you are fine.
Will you be my Frankenstein?"
Aw!
You know what?
I can totally handle this.
I'll text you where in a bit.
7:30, don't be late.
It's a date!
It's not a date!
It's a date.
Yeah, not a date.
I mean, it's, like, for workshop purposes.
Hmm.
- It is.
- Yeah.
He's late!
Give him another 10,
and if he doesn't show,
you can come home
and try my cinnamon heart cake.
I don't want to give it another 10!
It's rude.
I prize punctuality.
You do.
This guy is not punctual.
I gotta go.
There you are!
Ah, I am so sorry!
I--I missed my stop, twice.
I got caught in talking to
this really cute couple
who have been married for, like, 45 years.
Anyway, can you forgive me?
Sure.
Thank you.
So what's all this?
Well, I got you deli food,
not too fancy, the way you like it.
Um, paints and canvases,
as close to Bob Ross as I could get.
And I thought we could paint
this romance book cover,
since you love romance.
The Forbidden Kiss!
That is my favorite.
So, really?
Nonfiction, huh?
Mm-hmm.
But you've got this plum job in romance.
I know. I just...
You know, I don't think
true love is for me.
"...is for you."
Right, right. My bad.
How come?
How come I don't think
true love is for me?
Or how come nonfiction?
You pick.
OK, well, believe it not,
I was a nerd in high school.
No!
Um, yeah, I mean,
I was a complete overachiever,
but I had no idea what I wanted to do.
Quite the dilemma.
Yes, you're looking at
the chess club champion,
head of the spelling bee team,
a member of the 3-time all-state champion
historical quiz group
and the founder of the astronomy society.
Oh, is that all?
Yeah, Captain Dork over here!
By the way, thank you so much for dinner.
That was so good.
When I was little,
Ruth and Arthur would take me every Sunday
to a deli right by their place.
- Demsky's?
- Yeah. Do you know it?
Yes. I was gonna go there tonight,
but they had a lineup down the block.
In the last 10 years,
it's gotten so famous.
It's impossible to get in.
But we made such great memories there.
We'd people watch, make up life stories,
analyze love problems in the other booths.
Cut to: you're a life coach.
Well, I mean, there was a little undergrad
and master's in social work
thrown in there,
but basically, yeah.
Voila!
You can definitely see
why I went into publishing
and not painting.
No, no, don't say that.
No, I think, uh...
No, you perfectly melded the, uh,
the styles of Picasso and Dali there.
Thank you!
After falling off a merry-go-round, but...
Oh, wow!
Very Matisse meets second-grade
homework assignment.
That's--that's probably accurate, yeah.
- Hello!
- Hello!
I brought you a cinnamon heart cake.
Ooh! Lunch is served!
And, in return, you are gonna
tell me about that date.
Spill the beans, missy!
There are no beans to spill.
Ah! You like him.
- I do not.
- Oh, come on!
I don't!
OK, why haven't you taken
this cake to Alex at work?
I can't do that.
Why not?
Because, then he will
totally know that I like him.
And that's a bad thing?
Yes, terrible.
OK, let me get this straight.
It's Valentine's.
You love Valentine's.
You also love Alex,
but you just won't put
these two things together
and live happily ever after?
No. No, no, no, no.
I need to fly in under
the radar. I need to--
Talk to him by the photocopier?
Ugh! I'm terrified.
What if he doesn't like me back?
That's not gonna happen!
You're amazing.
Morning!
Hi!
Hey!
Uh, thank you so much for giving
me the address to that bakery.
Everyone, uh, loved the cookies.
Well, I better get the coffee on.
You've gotta give me details.
Only if you talk to Alex.
Fine.
Oh, and, um, Greta is chomping at the bit,
so get your edits in.
Have fun!
I am definitely having another piece
before we finish the break.
Totally.
So your date went well?
Yeah. I took Mary to her
favorite place in Boston:
the designer fabric outlet.
You?
I organized a whole
evening of video games.
Max was in heaven!
Hmm.
How about you?
It was fine.
A bit of pastrami, a bit of painting.
I wonder what Jake
has planned for tonight.
No, I can't. I'm so behind.
- Come on, that's no fun!
- I know. I was just--
I was gonna go eat at that
little place around the corner,
maybe grab a sandwich
and get as much work done as possible.
Juan, could you help me in the kitchen?
Yeah.
Hey!
So, uh, I just happened
to be eavesdropping
in the foyer right there,
and, uh, sounds like you might
not be able to make it tonight.
I'm sorry.
I was gonna tell you.
I'm just... I have so much work to do.
No, I get it. It's just
that I had fun last night.
Yeah, me too.
I just... I--I didn't
realize what a commitment
this was gonna be.
I've got 50 pages to get done, or else.
50 pages? Wow, OK.
Uh, in that case,
I totally understand.
Good luck!
OK, you can do this.
It's Valentine's.
You believe in Valentine's.
You can be brave for Cupid.
Sorry, what was that?
OK. Sure. I'll meet you
at the skating rink later.
OK, bye! My sister.
We're going skating.
- Yeah.
- And I'm gonna go pick her...
What are you doing here?
Uh, look, I know you
got a lot of work to do.
But you do have to eat, right?
So just think of this as, like, work prep.
I got you this sandwich.
It's made from all organic ingredients,
not one nitrate.
Very thoughtful.
Followed by a quick game of chess.
You are chess club champion, after all.
You listened.
Hey, it's my superpower.
I hate to break it to you,
but this is checkers, not chess.
Yes.
Yes, I know,
but--but we social workers,
we have a saying:
Reward approximation.
Very clever.
Thank you.
However...
Another social worker saying:
Don't follow a compliment with "however."
I mean,
I'm virtually unbeatable.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
OK.
Uh, why don't we, uh,
put a little friendly wager on it then?
OK! What do you have in mind?
How about whoever wins gets to
ask the other person a question,
and they have to answer.
Perfect. I already have my question.
Well, too bad, because
you'll never get to ask it.
- Bring it!
- Oh, I will!
'Cause I got some moves!
Really? Witness the organic sandwich.
Exactly.
Oh!
Aha.
No, OK.
Ah! No, you... That...
Hmm. Are you sure you
really wanna do that?
Uh...
Yes, why?
Oh!
Crown me!
So, in your letter...
you said that you were almost married.
What happened?
You sure you don't want to
know what my favorite color is?
Um...
she left me two weeks before the wedding.
Wow. I'm so sorry.
No, it's, uh, it's OK.
I'm a relationship coach because of that.
The truth is, we just stopped growing.
We stopped working on it.
And, you know, I don't want that
to happen to any other couple.
Well, since I am all about fair play...
do you want to ask me a question?
Why don't you believe in love?
Mmm!
When my parents got divorced,
I was sort of...
bounced between
two houses and two families.
And I don't know.
I don't think I ever
saw my parents in love,
so I guess that informed
my relationships too.
They just don't work for me.
I think you should give
your parents my number.
That's not a bad idea.
How am I supposed to write about love
on such a little piece of paper?
Hmm. Skip every second word?
What?
I don't buy into all this
cheesy Valentine's stuff.
Do you?
Of course!
How did you know that Max was the one?
Well, it's not like
I knew right away.
In fact, when I first met him,
I was furious with him.
He worked for the IT squad
of my superstore,
and he came over to set up my home office.
He backed into my great aunt's
crystal figurine display and...
- Smash?
- Mm-hmm.
But then he spent the next 3 months
taking me to antique markets
to replace everything he'd broken.
It was just the sweetest thing.
Yeah, I mean, that's nice.
But isn't that also just good manners?
I suppose.
But he instantly made me laugh
like no one else could.
Sunny and I still laugh a lot.
That's one of the things
that hasn't changed.
Right.
That's something special.
Yeah.
I'll go get those boxes.
- Oh!
- Oh!
Sorry!
Oh, look at you,
coming through this tiny door.
Uh, yes. It's me,
Giles the butler.
Just... piece of fluff.
OK, so when you're
finished your masterpieces,
you can put them in these boxes.
What's on for tonight?
There's an international
water polo match on TV.
That's cool.
Uh, tonight, we're
talking with our partners
about their hopes and dreams.
Really blue skying it.
Try and bring them somewhere comfortable.
The goal is to get closer to their heart.
Hi, Evie!
Hi, Ruth! How's the cruise?
Delightful!
They've got go-kart racing on deck.
Ruth crashed into me.
It's all been very therapeutic!
- How's the book coming?
- Good!
No, she means how's it going
between you and Jake?
Oh, come on, Ruth!
That's all you wanted
to know since we set sail!
How are you getting along?
Why would you think we'd be getting along?
We're complete opposites!
Yes, but you've heard the
expression "opposites attract."
Now, we have an instinct for these things.
We're doing fine, thank you.
Fine, that's it?
That's it!
That is a dull answer, young lady.
You know what's not dull is your book.
Oh, well,
I'm glad you like it.
And if I don't get
these edits in to Greta,
she's gonna have my head,
so stop bothering me!
- OK!
- Oh, fine, fine, fine.
But if anything remotely exciting happens,
like, say, at the workshop,
like, say, falling in love,
you'll be sure to give us a call, right?
I'm hanging up now!
Full disclosure:
Despite knowing everything about baseball,
I've never been inside
of a batting cage before.
Oh, don't worry.
I haven't either.
Really? You'd fit
right in with the Red Sox.
I was just gonna say
you'd make a perfect
addition to the Yankees.
So, tonight is all about dreams.
Oh! You have been paying
attention. That's good!
So, are you happy being a life coach?
I am! Yeah.
Uh, I mean, I wouldn't mind
being more successful,
a little bit more sought after.
OK, well then, you need
a "buy now" button.
A what?
On your website!
I mean, it's kind of hard to figure out
how to book a workshop.
Oh! So, uh, you've been to my website.
Barely. Maybe.
Just a cursory glance.
I don't know. Those things
kind of feel like bragging.
No, there's a difference
between being confident and bragging.
I mean, you're worth it.
Why not let people know?
OK.
I want to publish a book.
Seriously?
Yeah. I've almost finished it.
Well, actually, that...
No, I've finished it,
but it's just a bit awkward
since you're in publishing.
And it might be a mess.
I don't know.
Would you let me take a look at it?
Uh...
Maybe. I don't--I...
I think so. I just...
When I'm ready?
It's OK. Take your time.
So, what about, uh, what about you?
What kind of direction are you
gonna be taking in nonfiction?
Oh, all kinds. But I have
a soft spot for astronomy.
I love that.
In the 9th grade,
my mom took me to a book signing
with Stephen Hawking
at the New York Hall of Science.
Oh, that's cool.
Yeah, it made a big impression.
So, do you still have the signed copy?
I never got one.
No, the lineup was too long,
and we had to go home.
Oh, that's a bummer.
I know.
Did you know that
Stephen Hawking
used to sign his book with a fingerprint?
No.
Isn't that cool?
Very.
Mmm! Holy smokes!
That tastes just like...
Blackberries?
Exactly! With something
else going on in there.
Tannins.
Right. What--what are those exactly?
They come from the skins,
stems and seeds of the grapes.
The dryer the wine, the more tannins.
OK. Have you been secretly
going to wine school
while I wasn't looking?
No. But I do read
a wine blog or two at work
when it gets boring.
Which it gets.
I love being a bookkeeper,
but I don't think
I dreamt of doing it
for a chain of hair salons.
Well, you should work for a fancy winery
in some fancy place.
I mean, I'm joking, sort of.
It's not exactly like
there's vineyards in Boston.
Lots of Irish pubs you could work for.
I--I don't...
Wait, I'm... I was just...
I didn't mean it.
- I--
- I'm sorry.
I thought this date
was supposed to be about dreams, not--
Limits from me. You're right.
I'm sorry.
Tell me about your--your dream job.
Where would this vineyard be?
Yeah?
Yeah.
Well, there's France...
Italy, Australia...
New Zealand.
We're gonna need some more wine here.
You're fine. Just keep
your eye on the ball.
OK, good advice.
Keep my eye on the ball.
Ah!
OK, OK. You know what?
I'm gonna...
This time, I'm gonna step into this one.
Whoa!
Ah! Wow!
Beginner's luck!
- Oh!
- Ooh!
Nice!
Oh! Whoa!
OK...
Were you trying to hustle me?
The way I look at it,
if you wait long enough,
everyone will surprise you.
You're trying to impress me.
Guilty.
All right, you're up.
So, how are you gonna make
the move into nonfiction?
There's an editor job, actually,
opening up at my company.
Well, tell me you applied.
Yeah, I'm working up to it.
OK, can--can I help you?
Fine.
OK, so, you want your center line
running through your head, back and hip.
OK.
May I?
Yeah, and your hands should be
palm up and palm down, like that.
And lastly, just stay
open and concentrated.
That's the sweet spot
where the magic happens.
Yes! Yes!
I can't believe I did it!
Me neither, really.
Just kidding.
That was awesome.
: There's so many things
I'd love to do.
What are you gonna put on
your "love-to" list?
New Zealand.
It's what I dream about.
I'm not sure Max is there yet, though.
Last night, he tried to walk me back
from the vineyard-halfway-
around-the-world scenario
to planting a single vine
in a pot on our deck.
But you love wine.
Yeah. But I love Max more.
How's it going in here?
Making some progress.
OK, good. Same goes for the others.
Juan's "love-to list" is all pedicures,
and Bob is, uh,
Bob is asleep, so...
Uh, tonight's assignment:
You've already gone on
a date in your comfort zone,
so tonight is all about
trying something new.
And, uh, I believe I'm up,
so hold onto your hat.
I'm all for out of my comfort zone,
but it's a hard no
to slam poetry or amateur improv.
Oh, no, no, no. No.
We're just, uh, we're going
to my friend's house,
and you're gonna
watch us play video games.
No, you made it pretty clear
that just going on a date
is out of your comfort zone.
True.
So, I thought we would
double down on that idea,
so to speak, and go on a...
Wait, a double date?
- Yep!
- No!
- Hi!
- Hey!
- Hey!
- Hey!
OK...
Welcome to Juan's
Marvelous Mole tasting!
All right.
Well, thank you for coming.
I'm not gonna lie.
I am a little nervous.
I've been on him forever to
bottle and sell his recipes.
I'm just so busy at the bank.
OK, so, tonight, we're going
to taste test 3 variations
of Juan's mole poblano recipe
and choose the best one to go to market.
- Babe, did you make these?
- Yeah, I made them today.
- I love them! Babe...
- Oh!
Mmm!
OK, so, I'm sorry.
Uh, who wants to try first?
- Bring it!
- Jake?
You know, I am actually
the ultimate taste-tester.
- : Oh!
- How confident of you!
Yeah, no, listen,
if the mole sauce is good,
and, I mean,
I'm talking really good,
like, the perfect level
of spice, everything,
I hiccup.
You hic...
And that's a good thing?
- It's a good thing. Watch.
- OK.
Wait for it.
Mmm. It's so good.
I'm sorry, Juan, it's so good, but...
no hiccup means no heat.
The--the body doesn't lie.
Maybe there's a balance off
or something. I don't--
It's fine. Listen, here's what we'll do.
I'll get us some water,
and then we'll try again
with the other sauces.
It'll work.
It'll be good, trust me.
Yeah!
Ah! That was so cute, how Mary
was trying to help Juan.
Uh-oh. You're not buying into
love and romance, are you?
I guess I've always chosen work over love.
Work is reliable.
It's structured.
I can control the outcome.
But after this week and
meeting all these great couples
and hearing your perspective on things,
I might be thinking about things
a little differently.
Oh, is that so?
I said a little.
Listen, uh...
I see you stepping out
of your comfort zone.
And I know it's not easy
being vulnerable like that.
And if I'm honest...
I'm a little scared about
getting hurt again too.
But you inspired me.
Here it is. Now, I am
terrified to do this.
My brain is telling me:
"Run away! Do not
hand over the manuscript."
But, uh...
All writers feel that way.
So, just if you can hang onto
that and not show anyone...
Thank you for trusting me with it.
I know how risky it can feel.
Am I wrong...
or is this starting to
feel like an actual date
and not just homework?
You're not wrong.
It's my boss.
- Right.
- Sorry.
That's OK.
I have to go.
It's all good. I'll,
uh, I'll see you tomorrow?
Shakespeare's Sonnet 116
is an ode to true love:
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
"Admit impediments.
"Love is not love
"Which alters when it alteration finds,
"Or bends with
the remover to remove. O no!
"It is an ever-fixed mark
"That looks on tempests
and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark."
That sonnet is right up there
in Will's greatest hits.
But I'd submit, humbly,
that Shakespeare got it wrong.
I think love does alter.
It grows as people grow.
It matures as a couple matures.
It deepens as they find ways
to fall in love with each other every day,
no matter the obstacles.
So this is a book
to help you soar to
that height of true love,
but with your feet planted
firmly on the ground.
Yes, true love is a poetic dream.
It's also real.
And that's the paradox.
Mmm...
Greta! Good morning!
Well, actually, it's almost lunch.
You weren't sleeping, were you?
No! I--I was just, um...
OK, well, listen,
I read all the edits.
Can you get in here by noon
for a page turn?
Well, actually,
Ruth and Arthur want me
to sit in on their nephew's workshop,
um, which is at noon.
Oh, a workshop!
That sounds like fun.
Really?
No! Am I paying you to go
to workshops or to edit novels?
You tell me.
I'll be there.
OK, hurry up.
"She knew..."
"...to tell him she loved him."
"Could she leave behind
the life she built
for herself in New York?"
Ta-da!
Really, really, really
nice emotional moment
there at the end.
I mean, even I teared up.
Ruth and Arthur are so right.
It is way, way better.
I agree.
And we're gonna meet
our deadline, thanks to you.
I owe you one.
All right.
I don't know if I've ever
told you this before, but...
I would love to make
the move into nonfiction.
So I was thinking of applying
to the editor position across the hall.
And I would love to
have your recommendation.
And...
And?
I've got this manuscript.
Now, it's not romance.
It's nonfiction.
But it's kind of about romance.
And, anyway...
I think it could be big.
It's smart, it's raw,
it's moving, it's funny and...
Could you take a look at it
and let me know what you think?
Give me five.
Hello?
Did I miss it?
Uh, just cleaning up.
Everyone managed to wash their own mugs.
Very funny. How did it go?
Uh, pretty good.
Apparently, um, Mary got Juan
to go to karaoke
after our double date.
She says his rendition
of The Impossible Dream
traumatized every single
person in the bar.
I hate to admit it,
but I've actually been enjoying myself.
Oh, is that so?
Yes. So, what's the homework for tonight?
Uh, it's--it's a night off.
OK, Eve!
Oh.
I don't know what you're doing later,
but, um, would you want to have dinner?
I can cook.
Really?
To make up for missing today.
I accept.
Eve!
I gotta go.
OK, I will look at your manuscript.
I'll see what I can do
about your application.
Thank you so much! That--
- Please leave.
- Of course.
Out you go.
Paradox of Love by Mr. Jake Hampton.
That name sounds made up.
Are you making these
for everyone in the office?
Of course!
Tomorrow is
Valentine's Day,
and I don't want anyone to be left out.
Aw! That's sweet.
Just trying to boost morale.
Have you made one for Alex yet?
Um, no?
I--I don't know what to write.
Just tell him how you feel.
You mean, I should, um, show him my heart?
How goes things with the love doctor?
Gross! Don't call him that.
- Oh, the guru?
- Stop!
OK, OK, OK.
I'm sorry, sorry. Jake.
Good, I think.
Looks like we have a
non-assignment date tonight.
He asked you?
Other way around.
Attagirl!
You see? It is the mystical
power of Valentine's.
And you'd be proud of me.
I took the leap, and I asked
Greta for her recommendation.
Eve, that's great!
And there's more.
I passed her Jake's book.
Oh, he has a book?
And if the stars align,
I'll get a job,
and he'll get a publishing deal.
I mean, he was really worried
about me showing it
to anyone in publishing.
But he let me read it.
And, Quinn, it's, like...
amazing.
I can't wait to tell him the good news.
Hmm...
Hmm? "Hmm," what?
I'm all for stars aligning,
but, um, maybe don't
tell Jake until Greta's read it.
I--I'm just worried that if,
hypothetically speaking,
she doesn't like it...
it--it could be bad news.
I know Greta's taste.
She's gonna love it.
So, then what?
Then we split into groups
and we started talking about tackling,
in a loving way, of course,
uh, the problems we were having
in our life and our relationship.
Uh-oh.
No, no! It went--it went well.
Yeah, uh, we did this exercise.
Picture this:
You wake up in the morning,
and your life is significantly better.
What would have changed?
And then, what could you do tonight
to get closer to that change?
That's good advice.
What?
Nothing, nothing!
I'm just, uh...
I'm just admiring your technique there.
Oh. I have a process!
I can see that.
It tastes better this way, trust me.
I--I like it.
I like your process.
Um, so listen,
I wanted to do something
to thank you for this week.
And I hope you don't mind...
but, um, I took a shot at...
redesigning your website.
What are you...
Eve, this is incredible!
I can't believe--
I don't know what to say.
Thank you so--
You like it?
Do I like it?
Yes, I like it.
It's amazing. I love it.
Thank you so much.
Um, and I added a "buy now" button.
Once it's published,
it'll be the perfect way
for people to have
easy access to your book.
You read--
you read my book?
I loved it.
It was wonderful.
It was informative and--and romantic
and charming, kind of quirky, like you.
Wait, wait, wait, wait. Quirky?
I'm definitely charming,
but--but quirky? I don't know.
I--I will say, though,
the trend in nonfiction
is for the author to include
some of his personal experience.
So I think your readers
would love to hear more
about you and your life.
You know, maybe you could
talk about your breakup?
Yeah, I never thought of that.
It would just make
your book that much richer.
Wow! I...
Thank you.
It's my pleasure.
And I--
You know,
I'm excited,
because I'm gonna be able
to implement your notes
before any publishing bigwigs
or anybody else reads it.
Mine's almost done.
Then, uh, the oven?
What? Uh, yeah.
This is gonna be so good.
OK! Me first. I figured out
what I'm gonna say to Alex.
I made him a card, and I'm
going to give it to him today.
And I am wearing my Valentine's Day dress.
Irresistible.
Thank you. I know.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Now, you, dish,
and don't skimp on the details.
I think I messed up.
The date was terrible?
No, we actually got along amazingly.
I told him how great
I thought his book was
and I gave him a few minor notes.
And he said that he was
so grateful to get my notes
before I showed it to Greta.
Oh boy!
Yep. You were right.
You know, maybe it won't be so bad.
Maybe she'll love it,
and then it'll be good news,
and then all will be forgiven.
Yeah, but that's not the point.
The point is
I promised him I wouldn't
show anyone, and I did.
So I have to tell him, don't I?
Eve, is that you?
Yep!
Hey!
Hey!
Ah! Big day!
I know. It's Valentine's Day!
But, um, listen, I have to
tell you something.
Wait, you--you're not
bailing on tonight, are you?
No.
But I'm not sure you're still
gonna want to after I tell you.
Um...
Listen, I showed
Greta your book.
She hasn't gotten back to me yet,
but I know her taste,
and she's gonna love it.
But I asked you not to.
I know. I'm sorry.
The book wasn't ready.
Look, I messed up, OK?
I--I thought I was doing something good,
that it was a win-win.
Yeah, but it--it's more
of a win for you, isn't it?
Because, I mean, if my book
isn't ready to be seen,
then it could be
a pretty big not win for me.
When did you see her?
Yesterday afternoon.
You know,
I went in there,
and I asked about the nonfiction job,
and I--I showed her your book,
your wonderful book.
So, you did the opposite of what I asked,
and then you didn't tell me
when you had the chance.
I mean, yeah, I guess.
I could see how it could look like that.
You're still choosing work over love.
OK!
So, how, uh, how was
everyone's day off? Mary?
Oh, well, you remember that exercise
you told us about yesterday?
- About small changes? Yeah.
- Yeah.
So, um, we talked about it.
And I want to redo the kitchen
so that Juan can make
his mole sauce at home.
That--that's great.
I think that renovations are expensive
and that we should use that
money to invest in our future.
- This is for our future!
- No, it's not.
Your future, doing what you love.
As you can see, things aren't working out.
And I ended up sleeping on the couch.
It's not a couch.
It's Belgian roll-arm sofa.
Sounds similar, a bit,
to the night we had.
I told Bob I want to go back
to Europe with him, but--
I get almost no time off from work.
And there are the kids.
And when I do take time, I'd
like to focus on my photography,
work towards an exhibit.
What?
An exhibit.
I heard you the first time.
We had a bit of
a bumpy one as well. Honey?
Everyone into the pool,
I guess.
So, as you all know,
Annie wants to work for a winery.
So we're talking about
leasing our place in Boston
if she finds a job
out of state or whatever.
- And Max was fine with that.
- It was totally fine.
So we're seeing where we can pare down.
You know, I put aside half my clothes,
half my books, all for donation.
We were doing well.
And then she suggests:
"Why don't you just get rid
of your gaming consoles?"
Yeah, yeah, like--like,
all my gaming consoles.
"Oh, what's the big deal?
It's just games."
It's not just games, you know?
This is a community.
These are my friends, you know?
Viper267, NoobCrusher...
Like, what am I supposed
to say to all these people?
Wow! Uh, I give you
one day off, and kaboom! Um...
I don't think you guys
completely understood
the, uh, the exercise.
Uh, it's about gradual change
over a long period of time,
and then a tiny
change that can happen now.
Here's the thing...
If people move too quickly...
they--they can't grow together.
And together is the whole point.
So here's what
I think we should do.
Let's, um, break into couples.
Let's talk about it.
Let's figure this out before the break,
and then come back, we'll report back.
I mean, after all,
we're all in different
stages of our marriages.
I, um, I mean, except me and Eve.
Well, let's--let's learn from each other.
No one wants to be
fighting on Valentine's Day.
OK.
Thank you.
What?
Come on, Eve.
We weren't born yesterday.
What's going on with you and Eve?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, something's up.
OK, here's the deal.
So, I...
Jake's not talking
to me right now because...
I betrayed him.
Let me explain.
Jake wrote this book.
I've been working on
this thing for ages, right?
It's a book that helps couples with love.
And--and and I got excited about it
and I showed it to my boss.
Now I'm upset, you know?
But I can tell he's just scared.
Of course he's scared.
Just like Max.
Hmm.
Hey, isn't this a bit like Max
not wanting to give up his consoles?
I don't--I don't think so.
It is the same.
- It's fear.
- Mmm.
Fear of change and fear of failure.
And you did kind of
overstep your bounds there.
Yeah. He's right.
I'm making a life with Annie.
That's what matters.
Not my gaming.
That was fear talking.
Come here.
- You didn't.
- Mm-hmm.
It's gonna be OK.
- Hi, Evie!
- Hi, Ruth!
We're calling from Boston
to let you know we're
just on our way home.
And happy Valentine's!
Is everything OK?
Yeah. Yeah, your--your
book changes were great.
Greta loved the edit.
It's on the way to the printers.
That's great! Nice!
And how are you?
How's the workshop going?
Good! Yeah, I met a lot
of really great people.
And, you know, we'll probably
never see each other again.
Everyone's got their own lives.
And you know how Boston is.
It's huge.
Boston's not that big.
Get their phone numbers!
Oh, no, that's not
what she's talking about.
Uh, how is it going with Jake?
Um...
Yeah, I mean, you know how he is.
At first, it was...
frustrating.
Then it got better.
And then I messed up, and...
I don't know what to do.
Oh. I'm sorry, Eve.
I didn't expect this to happen.
As Shakespeare said,
the course of true love
never did run smooth.
Well, Shakespeare was also of the opinion
that it is not in the stars
to hold our destiny,
but in ourselves.
If you want something to happen, Eve,
make it happen.
I gotta go. See you soon.
We actually don't do walk-ins.
We don't do the first...
Reservations.
That's what I want.
I want a reservation.
Yeah. Party of one, thank you. Bye.
Oh, I told him four times.
- Greta...
- Yes.
I need, um...
You gotta give me
Jake's manuscript back.
Hmm?
I messed up, and I gave it
to you without his permission.
And he's super upset
because he doesn't feel
like the book is ready.
So if you could please, please, please
pretend like I never gave it to you
and--and just wait for
the more polished draft.
And if this means that
you can't recommend me
for the nonfiction job,
then I totally get it.
I can't believe I made
such a rookie mistake.
I wasn't thinking.
And, I mean, at first, I was like:
"Who is this guy?
He's a life coach.
"He's obsessed with washing dishes
and talking about love
and cheesy Valentine's stuff."
But then I realized...
Well, I mean, I guess
he helped me realize...
everything is about love.
And maybe he's part of the reason
that I felt brave enough
to ask for my dream job.
And it just--it feels really
easy when we're together.
Not that we're together, because--
OK, OK. Could you--
can you just...
Just breathe, right? Just...
Oh, this is delicious.
Yeah, that's the Satsuma oranges.
First of all...
I read the book.
Oh.
And I loved it.
Yeah, I loved it.
I'd read it again if I had to.
And I'm gonna be hard pressed
to pass it on to nonfiction,
because I would like it.
This could be the next
Men Are from Mars.
That's what I thought.
It's got all that romance!
- I know!
- I'm the romance department!
I mean, it's just...
I--I don't...
Well, whatever. That's gonna be
a fight for another day, right?
And...
you're gonna get the gig in nonfiction.
Yeah. 'Cause I already recommended you.
But more importantly,
much more importantly...
I've known you for
a really long time, right?
And I've never seen you
behave like this, ever.
- Ruth, Arthur!
- Hi, Evie!
Great to see you.
I can't talk.
I have a date. Really busy!
Really?
Can you give this to Jake?
: Uh, sure!
Thank you.
She is busy!
I wonder what's in the envelope.
Never you mind.
Come on, at least let me
hold it up to the light.
Arthur Eddings, you behave!
Are you kidding me?
You want to know what's in that
envelope just as badly as I do.
We're in here!
- Jake!
- Hi, Jake!
Hi, hi! So, you're, uh, you're back!
How was the trip?
- Oh, it was great!
- Fantastic!
- How was the workshop?
- It was good!
Oh, she means: "How are things with Evie?"
Oh. You know about that.
Um, it, uh...
it just didn't work out.
Yeah, well,
I, uh, wouldn't be too sure about that.
Dear Jake,
look, I know I messed up, and I'm sorry.
But like you said,
you only get out of life
what you put into it, so...
this is me going all in.
If you're willing to
give me a second chance.
I gotta--I gotta go.
Have a great Valentine's.
And I love you guys.
- Love you too!
- Take care!
Bye!
Of course he would
take the letter with him.
Well, we're just
a regular couple of Cupids.
Yeah, that's us!
The Cupids of Beacon Street.
Oh, good title for a book!
Ah! Wha--
- Italy?
- Italy.
- Which one?
- This one is beautiful. Yeah!
There are 3 jobs in Upstate New York.
- That's not too far, right?
- It's not too far at all.
Why don't you check and see
if there's something in New Zealand?
Just for fun.
You never know!
Ah!
This place is usually packed!
Well, the Demskys wanted a
Valentine's date of their own,
so I convinced them to
let me babysit the place.
Apparently, they like you or something.
Hey, listen, um...
I went to Greta,
and I explained my mistake,
and she is willing to
re-read your book whenever--
That's great. That's...
Listen, I'm sorry for--for overreacting.
No. No. I messed up.
Well then, that makes two of us.
But wait, she--she read it?
Jake, she loved it.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
There might even be a
bidding war over who gets it.
- What?
- Yeah.
Wow!
That's... Wow!
Uh, well, either way,
can you--can you help me
with the--with the changes?
Yes, of course.
This is all the shmoopy stuff that I love.
Well, you know what?
I, uh, I see your shmoop,
and I raise you one.
Wow!
It's signed!
Where did you get this?
Thank you!
Oh, this is one of
the most thoughtful gifts
anyone has ever given me.
Thank you.
- Wow! You know your shmoop.
- It's my middle name.
You can put that on a business card.
Speaking of cards...
Mm-hmm. OK.
Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
"Why did the skunk like Valentine's?
Because he's scentimental."
That's a classic.
OK...
"What do I write in a Valentine's card
"to a person who doesn't
think true love is for her?
Give it time."
Cupcakes?
Oh, yeah.
Cupcakes! Get ready.
Oh, I can't wait.
Oh!
Oh, wait, look at how cute that is.
"This is a Valentine's cupcake."
Well, you know what?
That is hands down
the best cupcake message
made in my workshop.
Thank you. OK!
Wow! A lot going on here.
Kind of reminds me of your painting.
Your "love-to list."
Oh yeah!
Got it right here.
Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
Actually, you know what?
Um, before you read that,
I wanted to say something.
And actually, it--it's more important
than what's even in there.
OK.
My workshops, they're usually
more about other people growing.
But this time, I was the one
who learned something.
What did you learn?
That I've been stuck.
But that now,
I'm ready to take a risk.
I'm ready to try again.
And...
I want to do that with you.
I actually learned something too.
Really?
Yeah.
That you are a mediocre checkers player.
OK...
And, um...
the problem isn't love not working for me.
I wasn't working for love.
So...
I was wondering...
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