The Sourdough Starter & the Spreadsheet
Eliza Copley is a financially disastrous romance novelist whose latest creative obsession—an aggressively expanding sourdough culture named Larry—is the only thing bubblier than her perpetually optimistic spirit. When a catastrophic utility bill and an eviction notice threaten her livelihood, Eliza desperately needs an income stream.
Enter Caleb Vance, her infuriatingly perfect, metrics-driven neighbor. Caleb is a high-powered financial consultant who lives life by the spreadsheet and views Eliza's chaotic existence as an unacceptable liability. But when Larry, the sourdough starter, leaks onto Caleb's pristine Italian leather shoes, Caleb suddenly sees an opportunity in the madness.
In a move of pure fiscal audacity, they form an unlikely partnership: Eliza provides the emotional, high-touch product (a $500 artisanal sourdough starter subscription for the ultra-wealthy), and Caleb provides the ruthless, profitable structure.
The result is "The Yeast of Least Resistance"—a luxury business that forces the meticulous consultant and the messy artist into co-working space... which happens to be Eliza's tiny, flour-dusted kitchen. As Caleb tracks Larry's 'mood' via encrypted PDFs and Eliza attempts to teach him that not everything can be optimized (especially human emotions, or yeast), their conflicting personalities create an explosive friction that is wildly funny and surprisingly romantic.
Can a woman who believes in happy endings find common ground with a man who only trusts hard data, or will their venture—and their hearts—go flat?