Or, at least, forget to shower on an important career day.

"I heard. You've been crying for four days and you've worn that skirt for three. So I asked Henry what happened." She shrugs, a delicate gesture that looks so elegant on her. When I do it, I look like Shrek’s cousin.

I sink down into a chair across from her and bury my face in my hands. Great. If Henry knows, then the entire staff knows. And if the entire staff knows, then I’m already part of the rumor mill. Poor Carrie, they’re all thinking.

Poorcarrie.

"Carrie, I know how you feel. It's awful. You feel so alone, and you're sure you'll never meet anyone else, and you miss him like crazy. You want to call him. You think you are never going to have fun again in your life. It's a physical pain, and you don't know how to make it stop hurting."

Exactly. I nod my head, my face still hidden.

"And you are embarrassed."

I look up. "You heard that part, too?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out."

I hide my face again and groan.

"The reason I know how you feel is that I was in the same place last year. Carrie, if you have forgotten my breakup with Joe, you're the only person at O who has. Or ever will. You think you're embarrassed? Joe showed up here, drunk, and had to be removed by security! He hit people! He threw up in the reception area!"

She smiles ruefully. "And it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I don't understand… ?"

"Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew everything with Joe was all wrong. But it was something, and I didn't have the courage to let it go. What if I'd stayed in the relationship? It scares me to even think about it." Chloe reaches up to her neckline and plays with a beautiful necklace, one that her boyfriend Nick gave her. It looks like a delicate, gold gyroscope.

"But I didn't know anything was wrong between Jamey and me, Chloe. How could I not know? Everyone else knew! I feel so stupid. I can’t even figure out when a guy is with me because he wants companionship or passion!”

"Maybe you just wanted it to be right so much that you ignored what felt wrong? And you have so much love inside you, and that kind of took over your rational brain. Jamey's a really nice guy. That wasn't the problem, right?" Her words are nonjudgmental. Comforting. Friendly and wise. Chloe is everything I could ask for in a boss. Her chocolate brown eyes are filled with sympathy and understanding.

"Right." I'm going to cry again, I can feel it coming, and then I'm going to have to start all over again with the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. They should make Instant Boyfriend Rewind. That would be a big seller. I'd buy a case.

“I know you don’t believe it, but this is going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. How can you meet the right guy if you’re busy with someone who’s wrong for you?”

“That must be what Jamey was asking himself,” I say bitterly.

Chloe smiles sadly. “Now go get ready for the meeting. They’ll be here in half an hour.” She hesitates. “You want to borrow a hair clip?”

A subtle hint. I touch the unpolished straggly mess that’s spilling down my back. The dry shampoo could only do so much.

“No, thanks though. I have one at my desk.” I suddenly feel an impulse to get away from her, even though she’s so nice. Appearances are everything at O, and I’m definitely under-performing right now. I need to triage my situation. I wish there was time to run to the spa bathrooms and grab a shower. I wave and bolt out of her office like a scared little rabbit.

Turning the corner into my cubicle, I run smack into Ryan. He’s holding a bag, or he was until I knocked it out of his hands. Our bodies meet, his hard, mine anxious. He’s so warm, my hands brushing against the ironed cotton of his soft denim shirt.

One of his hands reaches out, landing on my hip, while I grab his shoulders to avoid falling over. His breath smells like sugar and coffee. It’s warm against my cheek and my heart flutters in my chest.

He holds onto my hip a second longer than he should, then pulls away. I let out a long sigh and wonder what the hell my body thinks it’s doing. This is Ryan. Ryan. I am just confused after Jamey. It’s been proven my wires are crossed inside, a jumble of circuits that make no sense.

“What are you doing here so early?” I pick up the bag to have something to do, to evacuate the burning sensation of his hard chest against my palms. I look inside. “Glazed cake! My favorite!”

“We’re having a planning session in Entertainment. Something about a new phone tree system. I was walking by City Donuts on my way and I thought of you. The line was pretty short today, I only had to wait twenty minutes,” he says, looking down at me. He’s so tall.

Too tall.

I look at my boots. Flats. I forgot.

“Thank you so much!” As our eyes meet, something sparks between us. A flash of memory of that rushed kiss from the other night won’t leave my mind. It invades, resting there like a movie, flickering between us. My rational mind knows he can’t see it, but my arousal system decides to send blood rushing to places that begin to pulse, as if a ten-alarm fire were called for my libido.

What is wrong with me? The guy brought me donuts. It’s not like he’s in love with me. I’m so desperate for any male attention — straight male attention — that I’m inventing things.

Although he did wait in line twenty minutes to buy me two donuts.

And he remembered which kind I like. I’ve never been a chocolate girl. I know, right? You can’t imagine this. No one can. But these deep-fried, sugar-glazed rings of vanilla cake are my weakness. They actually do make me feel better. Just holding one in my hand is comforting. I may not have a date for Saturday night, but I can have this little round piece of pleasure. No one can take it away from me.

It’s no accident that it’s shaped like an O.

Ryan leans against the wall and inspects me as I commune with my donut.

“You have a big meeting today too?” he asks.

“Yeth.” My mouth is full. I swallow. “Phone tree meeting. Same one. I guess we’re in for a couple of hours together.”

“Are you ready?” His tone makes it clear that he’s skeptical.

“Why is everyone asking me that? Of course I’m ready!” I pull open my desk drawer, looking for the hairclip I bought. “I just need to fix my hair.”