Chapter 1

"I'm here at Pappy's, THE place to eat in Georgetown, Colorado. Though the restaurant is fairly new to the culinary scene in town, the owner is a familiar face, having run four others here in the last thirty years. I'm here to try the house special, a chicken schnitzel sandwich with red cabbage and fresh cut fries."

Adam Richman, host of the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, sat down to take a bite.



“Phenomenal. Just…amazing. It’s got that crisp crust on the outside, and it is unbelievably juicy, just melts in your mouth. I applaud you, sir.” The owner, a feisty New Yorker named Rob, laughed and gave Adam a high five.

“And…Cut! That’s a wrap, guys. Great take.” Adam beamed between bites of schnitzel, and the camera crew leapt into action to get their gear packed up. Rob stood up.

“Great to meet you, Adam. This has been fun.”

“It has been, thanks so much for your hospitality and your fantastic food.” Adam made to stand but Rob insisted he stay put and finish his lunch. The two men shook hands, and Rob headed back to the kitchen to get ready to open. Adam tucked back in to the plate in front of him.

"Can I get you anything else?" The owner's daughter, Sophie, offered a smile. While her father owned and operated Pappy's, his daughter was well-groomed to take over the family business. She had been the one to coordinate the crew’s arrival and had taken amazing care of them all morning. And the sparkle in her eye made her the most beautiful girl Adam had ever seen. He choked on the bite he had been chewing, having temporarily forgotten how to swallow. He downed a glass of water, trying to recover quickly and hoping he hadn’t lost too much face. Sophie was fighting down a laugh, her eyes twinkling like mad.

“Eat much?” She poured him another glass of water.

“Obviously not,” he laughed, patting the soft belly that rested carefully in his lap. Heat coursed through Sophie’s veins as she looked at the result of a career of gluttony. Truthfully, Adam stayed in amazing shape for all of the food he had to consume for each episode. He was about 6 feet tall and probably no more than about 240 pounds. It left him with a deliciously pudgy figure, a soft belly and arms (accentuated by the snug shirts he always wore), and a round face with just the slightest hint of a double chin. Add to that a pair of deep brown eyes, a kind demeanor, and a witty sense of humor, and Sophie didn’t stand a chance.

“Well…If you need anything else, just holler.” She flashed him her signature grin, hoping he hadn’t noticed her staring at his stomach.

He returned the smile silently and went back to his food as she turned to walk back to the kitchen.

“Hey-”

“Yes?” She spun around gracefully, her brown hair whirling in a cascade about her rounded shoulders.

“Um…” Adam glanced around the empty restaurant, desperate for something to say. “Actually….if…well, if you aren’t busy….Would you maybe like to, uh-” He gestured to the chair across from him, spilling his glass of water into his lap.

“Shit…” He scrambled to clean it up, muttering under his breath, “of all the stupid things…” Sophie grabbed a rag from the wait station and dashed over to help him. He leaned back, allowing her to see the soaked white tee shirt clinging to his stomach, the deep indent of his belly button clearly visible. He noticed her looking and pulled his jacket closer to him with a blush.

“S-sorry…” he muttered.

“Don’t worry about it,” she chirped, wiping up the water that remained on the table. “I once poured a steaming bowl of soup into someone’s lap, so you’re way ahead of me.” She gave him

a wink.

He smiled up at her, thankful she hadn’t commented on how disgustingly fat he was. For all of his working out and eating well in the off season, he was still packing on weight every season. He could no longer wear the tee shirts he had won in the first season, and his pants were all too tight. He refused to buy new ones, hoping that would force him to drop a few pounds, but it seemed that no matter what he did, he was just getting fatter.

“And I would love to join you,” Sophie said gently. “Just let me go grab my plate.” She patted him on the shoulder and sauntered back to the kitchen.

God, she’s beautiful, Adam thought, self-consciously stroking his belly. He sighed and pushed his half-eaten plate of food away, suddenly no longer hungry. Sophie returned a few minutes later with the same meal and tucked in with gusto, enjoying every flavor. After a few bites, she glanced up at him and noticed he was no longer eating.

“Everything alright?” She gestured with her fork at his plate.

“Oh, it’s great,” he said convincingly. “I’m just full.”

“I don’t believe that,” she laughed. “I’ve seen the show, you know.”

He felt the heat creeping into his face and hoped that she didn’t see him blush. He laughed it off.

“Yeah, I’m definitely a pig on the show.”

“No, not at all! You just enjoy food. You’re really good at what you do.”

“It doesn’t take much skill to stuff myself.” His tone was a little darker than he’d intended and Sophie noticed.

“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to offend.” She looked down at her plate for a moment, then stood up. “We open in half an hour; I should go help my dad.” She picked up both plates and walked to the kitchen. Adam kicked himself. Smooth…