Page 99 of Misfortune and Mr. Right

“I read the employee manual.”

“When you were hired? No one does that.”

“No. I read it when I woke up to what I wanted with you. I had to be sure we didn’t have any barriers in case you decided to give me a chance.”

“So you read the entire employee manual?”

“I skimmed parts.”

I stare at him. We’re in the golden hour, that beautiful span of time before the sun sets. Everything is warm and soft and magical. Logan’s profile is accentuated in this light. I study the lines of his face, the waves of his hair, the stubble along his jawline, the sparkle in his eyes when the light catches just right.

He glances over at me when we come to a red light. His smile is sweet and tender.

“What was that for?” I ask him.

“That smile?” He hits the gas and returns his eyes to the road.

“Yeah.”

“I like having you in my car. And I’m a little dazed by all of this.”

“You don’t act dazed.”

“I don’t always act the way I feel.”

“No kidding,” I tease.

We both chuckle.

When we arrive at Luciano’s, Logan parks in the back lot. We walk around to the entrance of the old brick building together. As promised, Logan places his palm on my back, opens the door for me, tells the hostess we’re here with Barnes Marketing, and then gently leads me through the tables filled with customers until we arrive at a large back table where our coworkers and Darwin are already seated. Logan pulls out my chair, and I take a seat.

When I look around, all eyes are on us. No one says a word, but their faces say everything. Charlie’s lips twitch. The corner of his brow barely lifts—just enough to make me want to swat him for being such a smug know-it-all. Ah, well. He’s not wrong. The two of us—Logan and me—are the most unlikely match. And Charlie did probably see it coming at some point. I don’t know how, but my guess is he did. Let him gloat. I’m far too blissed out to really care either way.

Within a few minutes, our entrance is forgotten while everyone peruses their menus.

Appetizers are ordered, and then Darwin stands.

“I want to thank this team for the amazing effort you each put in for Untethered. We’ll be working with them going forward, but this kickoff campaign deserves recognition. Rick and I wanted to show our appreciation. We hire the best! You have made that evident once again.”

Darwin sits. Everyone clinks glasses.

Logan turns and raises his glass to mine.

“Here’s to you, Olivia.”

“And to you,” I say.

“To us,” he says quietly so only I can hear.

We both sip our drinks. I stare at him over the rim of my glass, his mosaic blue eyes making promises I can only hope he’s capable of keeping.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Logan

Time spent playing with children is never wasted.

~ Dawn Lantero

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