“Get this. I pitched your idea to my dev-team up here, and they are all-in on it. They are the target demo themselves...tech guys in their upper thirties who just want to zero in on finding a wife before their whole lives pass them, so they are willing to take it on as a passion project.”

“Wow,” I say. “Are you serious? That’s...amazing!”

He spouts off the terms of the deal, which, to no surprise, makes him a part owner. But the next thing he says is what catches me off guard.

“We need you here, Charlotte. We need you in Silicon Valley in the trenches with these guys if this thing is going to take off.”

“You need me to move?”

“Yes. LA is for show business. Up here is for tech. You know that. So do you think fifteen days is enough time? I figured you’d put your notice in today with your current job, give your boss two weeks, then take a day to move up the coast?”

“I...I don’t even really know what to say.”

“Well, HR would tell me you need to officially say yes before we zip over the relocation paperwork. So, do you say yes, Charlotte?”

This is exactly what I’ve been working toward since day one on the job at The Influencer Firm. But as exciting as it is, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t conflicted. As of about, I don’t know, an hour ago, I think I became Brian Jackson’s girlfriend. And I don’t expect a guy like Warren to understand how big of a deal that is, but it is. I’m not so sure long distance with him is what I had in mind for us right now. Plus, I like my life here. And I think I’ll like it even more now that I stopped running every part of it through a computer script.

“Hmm, can I think about it?” I ask Warren.

“I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

“Can I think it over and let you know sometime tomorrow if I accept the offer?”

“With all due respect, Charlotte, you do realize that I’m offering you an opportunity to become an entrepreneur with real Silicon Valley money and tech power backing your every move? What is there to possibly think about? We’ll cover a hundred percent of your moving costs, if that’s what this is about.”

I can tell he’s growing irritated that I’m not jumping all over the opportunity he’s presenting.

“It’s not about moving expenses. It’s about moving in general. My gut is telling me to stay in Los Angeles,” I free flow.

“That’s career suicide. You can’t do tech in Los Angeles,” Warren firmly states. “If you want this app to get off the ground, then we need you in San Fran. And we also need your answer. Now.”

But what does Charlotte need?

Charlotte needs to slow down.

Charlotte needs to step away from the numbers.

Charlotte needs to be close to her neighborhood Salt & Straw and her new favorite grief group.