Page 31 of Misfortune and Mr. Right

“Well, I hope it’s not. It’s definitely going to take something supernatural to break through Olivia’s resentment toward me. I basically need a miracle.”

“Give her time,” Charlie says. “She’s amazing. And I haven’t ever seen her be anything but warm and welcoming to anyone.”

“You haven’t seen her with me, then.”

“Now that you mention it …” Charlie pauses, and his brows draw in. “I think she might be avoiding you.”

“She’s definitely avoiding me.”

Charlie claps me on the back. “Just give her time. She’ll come around.”

Charlie’s eyes drift to something behind me. I’m already turning my head to see what he’s looking at when he says, “And, speaking of coming around, here she comes.”

I turn toward Olivia.

“Hey,” I say. “How was the lemonade coffee?”

Charlie shoots me a questioning look.

“It was delicious,” Olivia says. “And how was your lavender froufrou drink?”

“You noticed my drink?” I wag my brows.

“Barely.”

I try to imagine Olivia is just any other random person, not the woman who drives me to the point of saying things I regret.

I answer her as if we’re already friends, “Actually, the drink was delicious. What’s your take on that shop?”

Olivia looks momentarily stunned. “Uh. Actually ... I really like Serendipi-Tea.”

“I like it too,” I tell her.

Charlie stands slightly behind Olivia, out of her line of sight, and gives me two thumbs up.

I smile at him, and Olivia glances back over her shoulder in Charlie’s direction.

“What are you up to, Charlie?”

“Nothing. At all. Just … ahhh. Here comes Darwin. I’m going to get busy.”

“Logan,” Darwin says when he approaches us. “And Olivia. I’m so glad to catch the two of you together.”

Olivia and I glance at one another and back at Darwin, the realization that we’re standing together becoming apparent now that our boss mentioned it. I don’t mind standing with her. I actually count it as a move in the right direction—that is, until she steps away as if she’s touched a hot stove. She runs her hands down her pants and focuses her eyes on Darwin, whose voice is animated enough to cause a few heads to turn.

“Have you heard of Untethered?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Darwin keeps talking. “They’re a fitness/wellness company that personalizes approaches to client goals. They could be a big account for us, I want to give the project to the two of you. Olivia, you’re our best in-house content marketing specialist. Logan, you’re known for your expertise in digital marketing. The two of you will also work closely with Charlie. We’ll pull together a small team to create a targeted campaign that addresses their needs. I think the three of you have the combined skills to set Untethered apart in the competitive space they're trying to dominate.”

Olivia’s mouth pops open. She stares at Darwin, gaping. Luckily for her, Darwin’s looking at me.

Instead of addressing the two of us, he says, “Logan, a word?”

Olivia shuts her mouth and straightens her expression just before Darwin looks back at her.

“Sure,” I say.

Darwin steps about five feet away from the worktable and pivots so we’re shoulder to shoulder in a two-man huddle. Then he lowers his voice. “I’ve got a good feeling about you, Logan. Rick is talking about moving his family to the West Coast. Something about needing to get out of the snow for good after enduring this last winter. If he moves, I’ll be looking for a replacement marketing manager. This project will help me see what you’re made of. You never know … maybe you’ll be the prime candidate.”

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