“For as high-tech as this car is, you’d think Elon Musk would have invented an app that would massage your shoulders while you drive,” Brian says as he sits back in his seat, runs both fingers through his hair, and lets autopilot take the wheel.

“I’ll work on that one. Right after I solve the world’s dating crises.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m working on a dating app.”

“I didn’t know that. What’s it going to be like, Tinder 2.0?”

Immediately I regret mentioning my little side project, which, by the way, is never going to get off the ground considering I haven’t even touched my programs in almost a week.

“It’s just something stupid I’m messing around with right now,” I say.

“Oh, come on, Char. Tell me more. I’ll tell you the secret to extracting a macaroni noodle from a nostril.”

I crinkle my face, New York Times crossword puzzle style, and give him a look that says, No, thanks. I’m good. But his willingness to trade insider industry knowledge is a nice way of showing me he cares what I have to say, even if it’s over his head. Or worse, even if he thinks it’s stupid. Either way, I humor him.

“Well, you know what I do for a living?”

“Yeah, matching the popular internet people to your client events, right?”

“Close enough. My app functions kind of like that. But instead of it showing compatibility between a business and an influencer, it outlines the compatibility between a potential suitor and...myself.”

I didn’t have an elevator pitch prepared, clearly.

“Wow, that’s pretty sweet. Can I try it?” he asks. “Curious how I’d pair with Jennifer Lawrence.”

“She’s your celeb crush? I pegged you for, I don’t know, a young Pamela Anderson or maybe the nanny Jude Law cheated with?”

“What do you think of me, Charlotte Rosen? I’ve come a long way since flirting with your mom at your wedding. Although I think she was kind of into it.” He looks at me and winks.

“Well, regardless, you can’t try it. It’s only in beta version. There are a few kinks in the code at the moment.”

“So what’s the endgame with it?”

“Endgame?”

“Yeah, like, are you just going to finish it and upload it to the App Store, or...?”

The question gives me pause. I know I will need to eventually quit The Influencer Firm and focus full-time on developing this thing if I want to sell the technology across the globe and take over the world. Even though I love what I do and have a great boss, TIF is not my endgame so much as a stepping-stone, which sounds harsh, I know. Like I’m using the setup Zareen has given me as part of my nine-to-five—superfast internet connection speeds, a giant monitor, tuition reimbursement for special coding classes, etc.—so that I can spend my five-to-nine grooming my not-so-casual efforts for finding a future mate and securing a lifetime of financial freedom while I’m at it. For now, though, I’m in no rush to shake things up.