Page 120 of Misfortune and Mr. Right

“I knew you applied for 2B. You told me in passing. I didn’t know how much it mattered to you,” I tell her.

If a woman matters to you, sacrifice everything to win her heart. It’s almost like a voice is saying the words from the cookie in my pocket.

“Do you want it now?”

“What?”

“Do you want the apartment? We could swap. I’m sure we’d have to file some paperwork, but if it means that much to you, you can have 2B. I’ll take this one.”

She looks over at me for the first time since I stepped into her place.

“That’s … no. That’s not the point, Logan. The point is you always win. And this time, you didn’t even let me know you were competing with me. You just stepped into the place where I’ve worked for six whole years, proving myself, giving my all, and in a matter of months, you stole the promotion right out from under me.”

“You wanted the promotion?”

“Of course, I wanted the promotion!” Her voice is animated, and the blood is returning to her face.

“I had no idea.”

She stares at me as if she’s trying to assess the veracity of my claim.

“I didn’t know,” I repeat. “You never said anything about wanting to be a manager. I thought you loved content development.”

“I thought you loved content development too, Logan.” Her lips thin, and her brows raise.

“I do. And I would eventually have been in line for management at my old job. But the managers weren’t lining up to leave anytime soon. When I came on at Barnes, Darwin mentioned the possibility of the promotion to me. I didn’t know you were in the running. He never said anything about you … until today.”

She looks away again.

“It always ends up like this. I end up second … or just pushed out. You always win.” Olivia turns toward me, her eyes wet with unshed tears.

She breathes out a sigh. “I meant to tell you this right after we started dating. I tried to tell you everything that one day at Barnes, but I wanted to be alone with you, and then we’ve just been so busy—distracted—that I never brought it up.”

Olivia breathes another heavy sigh and draws her knees up to her chest. “I used to think your sole purpose in life was to undermine me at every turn. All the evidence pointed to you plotting your victories at my expense. I’d enter a contest. You’d enter and win. I’d be up for an award, you’d end up claiming it. I’d run for an election, you’d be nominated and assume the position.”

I study her, grateful she’s finally telling me all of this, even if it feels so wrong. I’d never win at her expense. Not intentionally. I might have pulled stunts in high school. But now, I’d never deliberately rip something away from her if I knew she wanted it and had been working for it.

Olivia swipes at a tear, and then she says, “I thought we were beyond all that. I believed you when you said you never wanted to hurt me again. And you might not have plotted this. Maybe you couldn’t have even prevented it, but I can’t help but feel a huge sense of déjà vu. Here comes Logan again, marching into a place I’ve been for six years, cultivating relationships, working harder and smarter than ever. And within his first ninety days on the job, he gets the promotion I’ve been eyeing for years. It’s just how it is with us, Logan. You’ll always outshine me. And you’ll always steal my thunder. I don’t know how I can live in your shadow and also be your girlfriend.”

I stare at her, dumbfounded.

Gil essentially said the same thing.

A montage flits through my mind, flashing through memories of times I won awards or positions. Each time, I see Olivia. It’s like I never truly saw how my winning impacted her until now.

If a woman matters to you, sacrifice everything to win her heart.

Olivia looks at me, a pleading expression on her face. “I wanted to believe this time was different. You had me so convinced. I … there’s nothing else to say.”

Every cell in my body wants to move down the couch, to pull her in and hold her, to comfort her and soak up all the pain she’s endured over the years along with the heartache I caused her today.

I’m a good candidate for the management position. We both know that. But regardless of our respective qualifications, this isn’t completely about who’s qualified. Olivia’s anger goes deeper. It’s about me going for the position without considering how it would impact her. I see now that has been a pattern—one I didn’t acknowledge as much as I should. My vision narrows when I set a goal or see something I want. I aim for the finish line, focused and driven. All these years, I’ve been blind to my impact on her.

“I wish I could hold you right now,” I confess.

“Don’t, Logan. Please.”

“Okay. Okay. It’s just breaking me to see you like this. I want to take it all away. To make it better. I want to comfort you, Olivia.”

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