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Bachelorette with Reese, and Cumberland is in Los Angeles, a quick one-day trip to be the keynote speaker at a conference. And he has already replied to a post I loaded an hour ago about rosemary-scented cleaning supplies.
    I pick up my phone and see that he has texted me.
    Did you post this on company time, Ms. Grant? WC
    I smile to myself. I know he is teasing me. I text him back.
    With all due respect, Mr. Cumberland, you have your time zones messed up. I am sitting on my couch in Lincoln Park. I posted that an hour ago. MKG
    I take a sip of my wine and keep my phone in my hand. I want to see how he responds to that.
    Beep!
    I smile and read his response.
    With all due respect, Ms. Grant, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt that you might be working late to show your due diligence during my absence. WC
    Before I can respond, another text comes across.
    I am so bored. Please blog something else for me to comment on. WC
    “Who are you texting?” Reese asks, lifting her gaze from the TV to me.
    We always watch The Bachelorette together. Emily used to join us, but since the big breakup with Dan she can’t handle romantic stories without crying, so she went to a yoga class instead.
    “Cumberland,” I say as I text him back.
    Mr. Cumberland, I would love to entertain you with another witty blog, but I am very busy keeping my roommate company and watching the less-than-realistic dates on The Bachelorette . You do have your finger on the pulse of that American pop culture touchstone, yes? MKG
    “Do you realize you have a ridiculous smile on your face right now?” Reese asks in an accusatory tone.
    I throw down my phone as if I am holding a toxin. “ What? Oh, no, he just sent me a very entertaining text, that is all.”
    “Right,” Reese says, taking a sip of her wine.
    “Oh, no, no, no,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s not like that .”
    Beep!
    My phone goes off but I ignore it. Although I really want to see what Cumberland has to say. Does he think I am a loon for mentioning The Bachelorette ? Or does my quirkiness intrigue him? Hmmm.
    “Oh, I think it is exactly like that,” Reese declares. “I think you are getting a little crush on your boss.”
    “What?” I yell. “Oh, that is insane, Reese! I am not even attracted to him!”
    “Oh, really?” Reese picks up the remote and hits pause, because heaven forbid we miss the one-on-one date that is going on right now on our flat screen. “Then how come I know he wears Prada shirts, has ridiculous dark wavy hair, intense blue eyes, sculpted cheekbones, and a deep British accent?”
    I begin to fidget. I do not like where this conversation is going.
    And I really wonder what Cumberland just texted me.
    “Those are just character details,” I say quickly. “I am a communications person. I like providing details.”
    “I don’t know anything about your other boss and you worked for him for a year!”
    I feel my face grow hot, and I feel all flustered inside.
    “But . . . Cumberland is different. He is brainy sexy!” I blurt out.
    Oh fuck. I do think it! I do think he’s attractive and sexy!
    But he is just so damn smart that it makes him hot. And you add in those cheekbones, the way he puts his fingertips to this lips when he’s thinking, the way a curl of his dark hair escapes and falls down on his forehead . . . I grab my merlot and take a big gulp. Jesus, how did I not even realize this was happening?
    “I knew it!” Reese yells gleefully.
    “Okay, so I think he’s hot,” I admit. “But he’s my boss. Off limits. Very off limits. And he doesn’t date. Period.”
    Besides, when would he have time to date? No wonder he has no personal life, I muse.
    “True,” Reese says. “Well, at least he’s fun to look at.”
    She un-pauses the show and the oh-so-important Bachelorette continues.
    And while Reese is sucked back into the world of elaborate, over-the-top dates, I am left shaken by my thoughts.
    I swallow hard. I didn’t even realize