Unfortunately, following Richard means I have a good view of his rear in a pair of nicely fitting jeans. The sight erases any rational argument the sensible half of my brain tries to make. So I stare at the floor instead and try to think of gruesome, unsexy stuff. Fanny packs, ugly Christmas sweaters, spiders, Gerard and his secretary doing it.

I suppress a gagging reflex. The fact that Gerard’s affair is causing me more disgust than heartbreak is another clear sign my priorities have been all wrong. As the perfect boyfriend on paper, Gerard ticked all the right boxes in another stupid list of requirements. Good upbringing, check. Good job, check. Good looks, check.

Pity none of the important ones checked out. Faithful, nope. Committed, nope. In love, nope. This last one goes both ways, to be fair. Was I really ready to marry a guy only because he met my stereotype of a “good” catch? To be stark honest, I was. Not once I questioned my love for him, because he was too perfect, too sensibly right for me to debate loving him. Oh, no… I was turning into my mother without realizing it.

I wince.

“Everything all right?” Richard asks.

I try to compose my features. “Yeah.”

He keeps the door open for me and shows me inside the office.

Once we’re both seated on opposite sides of his desk, he asks, “So, what do you think?”

I try to come up with a diplomatic answer. “I shuffled through your newsfeed yesterday. You have some cool pieces and a fresh perspective.”

Richard leans back in his chair. “You have any questions?”

I brace myself. Before any shop talk, I need to clear the air and make sure he’s going to take me seriously. “Actually, I think we should address a personal issue first.”

He seems surprised, but waits patiently for me to elaborate.

“I wanted to apologize for what happened at your house yesterday and for the night before… it wasn’t… I wasn’t…”

Richard’s lips twitch, but he keeps a straight face as he says, “Like it never happened. You had a rough day, and I shouldn’t have called for an interview at ten in the evening. From now on, we can have a one-hundred percent professional relationship.”

The speech is meant to be reassuring, but the girl within me—the one crushing on him—can’t help being disappointed. Anyway, he’s right. If I come to work here, I can’t have a thing with the boss. Also, for the first time, I spot a hardness behind Richard’s gaze I hadn’t noticed before. A coldness that says, I’m not into any other kind of relationship.

“Good.” I nod. “Now down to business, can you share your advertising and traffic data?”