“This is good. Really good,” Henry nodded approvingly at the work Katie had turned in. Katie gave herself a little fist pump underneath the desk. “Except…” Henry trailed off, thinking.

Uh oh.

“I just wonder...you know, I think you’ve really given them some good options for the tag line, but I think we should overdeliver,” Henry continued. “This client could turn into a long term partnership and I really want to wow them.”

“Yeah, of course,” Katie said, already frustrated. “That’s why I think we have three really strong options.”

“Let’s give them ten.” Henry said, standing to indicate the meeting was over. “By the end of the day, please.” 

“Ten?” Katie thought she misheard him.

“That’s not a problem, is it?” Henry was a demanding boss, but usually right. He wouldn’t have gotten this far if he made mistakes.

“Nope. On it.” Katie took her portfolio back and headed to the door with confidence.

Henry started again. “Oh, and Katie--why don’t you ask Grace and the new intern--what’s his name?”

“Tyler,” she answered, nervous about what was about to come.

“Yeah, that kid Tyler. Ask him to help out. See what he’s made of and let me know.” Henry turned back to his computer.

“You got it,” Katie faked a smile, then turning, dropped it quickly. Of course this would happen. She walked back to her office, wheels spinning. 

Honestly, Tyler probably would be a help on this. He was always so good with words and how language shapes our understanding of the world. But could she work side by side with him and still keep things professional? And maintain her secret?

“Hey, Tyler? Grace? Can you both come to my office?” Katie shouted to both of them and entered through her office door before she got a response. She was trying to make as little eye contact with Tyler as possible. Katie was convinced the more time Tyler spent looking at her, it was only a matter of time before--

“What’s up?” Tyler was asking, already inside her office, obviously anxious to please her. As his boss. 

“Yeah, what did Henry say?” continued Grace, casually moving her body closer to Tyler’s.

“Well you know those tags I’ve been working on for a week?” Katie started.

“Yeah, they’re great!” Grace really was her biggest cheerleader.

“And now Henry wants seven more. By the end of the day.” Katie dropped the bomb. “Can you both help me? I think this is going to be a real group effort. We’ve got to dazzle them.”

Tyler was already rolling up his shirt cuffs. “Alright. Where do we start?”

***

After their perfect taco date, Katie and Tyler were spending time together more and more frequently. They started studying together, which at first was another excuse to see each other, until they both learned that they could push and challenge each other with work, too. Unless, of course, they started kissing, and then the night quickly fell apart…

Katie was thinking about one of those nights. Tyler had come to her dorm, about three months into dating. He brought peanut butter filled pretzels--her favorite--and she set their agenda. Work first, play later. But Tyler never liked obeying her rules. He was currently kissing her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

“Tyler...we promised to work first,” she said, even though she wanted this part of the night to happen as much as he did. “The sooner I can get this done, the sooner we can get back to...this.” Katie stood up to cool down and clear her head.

Tyler sighed and begrudgingly went back to his notebook.“This is going to be the speediest outline EVER. Ok, so how far are you?” 

Katie pulled out her notebook and flashed a blank page. “Not far,” she shrugged her shoulders, apologetically.

“Alright, let’s start simple: why do you like marketing?” Tyler asked.

Katie rolled her eyes. “That’s not a simple question.”

“What about it lights you up, then? Which part, specifically?” Tyler tried to nudge her on.

“I guess...the creativity of it. There are so many ways to sell something or convince someone that your product is the best, and you have to find that one perfect hook that will persuade people across gender, across age, across language--” Katie was letting herself talk out loud.

“So what’s the best way to communicate to people who don’t have the same language?” Tyler asked.

“Images.” Katie said, a lightbulb going off. “I’m going to research the earliest image marketing and compare commonalities with current work.” She started to light up, her brain firing in all directions.

“I like it when you get excited,” Tyler felt proud of himself, watching Katie start scribbling furiously in her notebook.

“You inspire me,” she tossed off with a smile, although meaning it sincerely.

***

Back in the office, Katie was waiting for that same creative spark. But before they could dive in, Grace piped up. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night. Hey new guy, will you get us some provisions?” 

Grace pulled a $20 bill from her purse and made a moment of offering the bill to Tyler and then snatching it away, before gently placing it in his palm.

“The name’s Tyler,” he said, smiling. 

“I know.” Grace smiled back. 

“Anything in particular you want?” Tyler asked to the room.

“I know exactly what I want--” Grace started in with her shameless flirting and Katie quickly cut her off with “Something salty, something sweet, and caffeine. Lots of caffeine.”

“I think I can handle that,” Tyler said, on a mission.

Katie turned to Grace, who was smiling. “What?” Grace said, with a glint in her eye. “It’s harmless fun.”