“That looks good, too.”

“They all can’t look good, Tay. Now concentrate!”

Taymar laughed. “They all look good, Frankie. You know you got style. I don’t know why you’re tripping. He wants to go out with you. He’s pursuing you. Not the other way around!”

But that didn’t mean anything to Frankie. They were in her bedroom. She had taken a long tub bath. Had her hair on point. She was ready. Except she couldn’t decide on an outfit. Which wasn’t like her at all!

She plopped down on her bed that was covered with discarded clothes she considered but ultimately rejected, and Taymar.

“Why am I so nervous? All these dates I’ve been on in my life and I’m nervous?”

“But you have to remember, Frankie, you’ve only been on a few dates since Devin died.”

She’d been on many dates since Devin died two years ago, but all of them ended in that same hit and run bull Robert pulled on his plane. But that wasn’t Taymar’s business.

“And you didn’t go on any dates while you were married to Devin,” Taymar continued. “Which means it’s been five long years since you were on the market in any significant way.”

“On the market? Makes me sound like a side of beef.”

“We’re women,” Taymar said. “That’s exactly what we are to men. And you’re about to date a billionaire at that? Our boss at that?”

Frankie fell back on the bed. “Isn’t it crazy? What am I thinking? Before now, you couldn’t pay me to date my boss. I never crossed that line.”

“You crossed it now,” said Taymar. “In a big motherfucking way. And the gossip won’t quit either.”

Frankie looked at Taymar. “What gossip? I thought thatincidenton his plane would have been old news by now the way you people in HR talk.”

“That is old news. But somebody told somebody who told me that he sent his aide for you to come see him, and when you refused, he came down from that ivory tower himself and came and got you.” She looked at Frankie. “Is that true?”

Frankie nodded. “It’s true.”

“Are you saying he’s in love with you?”

“Girl bye!” Frankie said, dismissing that out of hand. “You know better than that!”

“No I don’t know. Why you acting like it’s impossible?”

“It is impossible! That man don’t even know me like that and he’s in love with me? That’s why!”

“But nowadays people falling in love over the internet with folks they never even met in person before. It’s not like it used to be, Frankie. You’re new to the game again, but you’re still thinking that old way.”

“He’s not in love with me, okay? I checked him out online. He likes girls half his age, in their early twenties. Not some thirty-eight-year-old like me. That’s all his whole organization hires: young, beautiful girls with Ivy League degrees in their early or mid-twenties. Laine and I are the only OGs in the entire recruiting office.”

“I feel you there now,” said Taymar. “I’m the only OG in the Human Resources department. Everybody else are in their early twenties too. Except for the men. He hires a lot of older men now. Plenty of older men.”

“The recruiters are all male and older too. But the females?” Frankie shook her head. “Old ladies need not apply.”

Taymar laughed. Then knocking was heard on Frankie’s front door.

Frankie looked at Taymar. “What time is it?”

Taymar looked at her phone. “Seven.”

Frankie, shocked, jumped up. “What’s the matter?” Taymar asked her, standing up too.

“Go answer the door. Tell him I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

“It’shim?”