I asked one of my interns if she was into setups, with my 22-year-old brother in mind. She said, “Sure, I like meeting new people!” He’s now e-mailed her twice and she hasn’t responded. I feel bad for him and I’m a little annoyed at her. What do I do from here?
— Ray, 28, Midtown
This is hard because you should never, ever mix business with pleasure. It just doesn’t end well. Plus, you’re her male boss, which makes this borderline inappropriate. Also, her saying she “likes meeting new people” is a sign that she isn’t really looking for anything serious.
I also feel like maybe you made her a bit uncomfortable by even asking if she’d meet him. She’s an intern trying to learn something and maybe even work her way up in the company. She’s not looking for a lay — she’s looking for a career.
You even have the right to fire her or get her fired. Imagine if she did go out with your brother and they did date, but ended things nastily. How would you feel toward her then? She may have thought about this, and it could be why she hasn’t returned his e-mails.
If I were you, I’d just drop it and leave it alone. And don’t be annoyed at a girl who you really know because of business, not pleasure. You should respect her professionalism. Plus, if your brother did end up scoring with her, you think she wants you to know how she is in bed? (Please. Like you two wouldn’t talk about it!)
I’m a 42-year-old single guy who seems to only be attracted to much younger women. I know it’s not only about looks, but most of the women closer to my age have baggage, too. I’ve never been married and want to raise my own kids. Besides becoming independently wealthy, what advice do you have for finding a serious relationship with a woman, say, between the ages of 23 and 35?
— Matt, Upper West Side
First of all, 23 is definitely going to be out of the equation. She would be 19 years younger than you — that’s just not realistic if you’re looking for something genuine and “serious.” I wouldn’t date anyone more than 14 years your junior, which means dating girls that are at least 28 years old. Often at that age, females are ready to settle down because they’ve experimented to the point where they know what they want (and don’t) from a partner. They’re also usually established professionally and are at a great place emotionally and mentally. They usually don’t have kids, but might be ready to within the next few years. So if you don’t want a woman with “baggage,” then I’d shoot for a woman in this age range.
But I do beg you not to rule out single women with children. Just because she has kids doesn’t mean you two can’t have your own. You’d be surprised at how many amazing single mothers are still looking to find someone to love unconditionally. You never know — you could be an amazing stepfather, so keep your options open. If you fall in love with a woman and she has a child or kids, I guarantee you will fall in love with them, too, because they’re a piece of her. And when you truly love someone, you love every single bit about her.
If an ex-girlfriend e-mails after you break up to tell you how great her new relationship is, can it really be great? The last thing I think about when I’m in a happy relationship is my ex!
— Meg
It depends. Did you ask her how the relationship was or did she just blurt it out in an e-mail she sent to you? Either way, I tend to agree with you. If I’m happy in my relationship, the last thing I think about is reaching out to my ex to tell him how happy I am. Now, if you were to call her and ask, then that’s a different story. If she’s in love and is happy, she’ll tell you — probably to prove that there’s no longer anything between you two and because she’s closed that chapter, started a new one and couldn’t be happier! But, if she reached out to you out of the blue to exclaim how happy she is in her new relationship, then chances are (as you suspected), you’re still on her mind and she isn’t over you — or happy herself.
Have a question? E-mail AshleyDupre@nypost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ashleydupre.