Page 12 of Three Little Wishes

“You’ve changed too,” she said as she stopped at a table for two in a private corner.

It was true. He no longer had a mouthful of metal. His teeth were toothpaste-commercial white and straight. Thick black-framed glasses no longer detracted from the beauty of his indigo eyes or slid down his strong, straight nose. A sexy five o’clock shadow darkened his chiseled jaw instead of the peach fuzz she remembered.

But she didn’t feel comfortable bringing up those particular changes so instead she said, “You have to be at least six inches taller than me now.”

She’d been five-nine since seventh grade. Noah had been shorter than her by at least an inch when they met. Now they were standing close enough that she had to tip her head tomeet his gaze—close enough that she smelled his cologne or maybe it was his aftershave. She didn’t know which, but from hugging him, she knew he smelled irresistible. She wanted to bury her nose in the warm curve of his corded neck and inhale the woodsy fragrance.

“At least,” he said, his voice deep and velvet smooth but without the sardonic edge she’d heard in it earlier. He sounded amused.

She smiled, and his eyes warmed, crinkling at the corners. She liked this Noah so much better than Mercedes Man Noah. She even thought she might like him better than Summer of 2011 Noah, and she’d liked that Noah a lot.

Megan made as much noise as possible pulling out her chair, ensuring she had both of their attention. Willow loved her best friend, but ever since Megan had announced she was on the hunt for husband number two, she hadn’t been acting like herself. She seemed a little desperate, and her desperation was putting a strain on their friendship. Willow didn’t understand why Megan would want another man after the number her ex had done on her, but that was probably because Willow broke out in hives at the mere idea of a long-term relationship.

But it wasn’t only their friendship feeling the strain. Several members of the Beaches, their squad, had commented that Girls’ Night Out and Beaches Book Club were no longer as fun as they used to be, putting the blame squarely on Megan’s obsession with finding husband number two.

Megan took the menus from Willow’s hand, raising an eyebrow in a manner that suggested Willow was falling down on her waitressing duties and confirming that when she sighed and said in a haughty voice, “I’ll have a mojito.” Then,without so much as a glance at Willow, she smiled at her dinner companion, her voice low and sultry when she asked, “What will you have, Noah?”

Willow would’ve laughed if she weren’t hurt by how Megan was treating her. Then again, maybe she was overreacting. These past months, she’d been overly sensitive when anyone seemed to suggest she didn’t have her act together. Except Noah’s brow was furrowed, his gaze moving from her to Megan and back again, suggesting that he’d noticed too.

He smiled at her. “Whiskey on the rocks, thanks.”

She returned his smile and then headed for the bar, thinking of the best way to broach the subject of the sale with Noah as she filled their drinks order. With the fate of the station hanging in the balance, she was sure her mom and grandmother would understand if she took a break and joined Noah and Megan for a few minutes, perhaps while they were enjoying dessert.

But when Willow returned with a basket of warm homemade bread and a bowl of herbed olive oil for dipping, along with their drinks, Megan was already discussing the sale with Noah.

“I don’t foresee a problem meeting your timeline. I’ve already made a list of developers to approach for the building on Main Street, and I can take care of selling the office furniture and equipment—”

“Here you go,” Willow interrupted Megan, setting the drinks, bread, and dip on the table, surprised she managed to sound cheerful when she was dying inside.

“Thanks, Willow. The bread smells amazing,” Noah said.

“Wait until you taste it. My grandmother makes the best—”

“Willow, do you mind? Noah and I are in the middle ofa conversation,” Megan interrupted her with a pointed look. “We’ll let you know when we’re ready to order.” She dismissed Willow. “Now, where were we?”

Willow stared at Megan. She’d brushed off Willow’s request for a quick word while knowing exactly what she wanted to talk to her about. There was no way she didn’t. And now it sounded as if she was seconds away from sealing the deal and Channel 5’s fate, with no thought for the impact that it would have on Willow’s and her colleagues’ lives.

“Noah, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to Megan for a minute,” Willow said, reaching for her best friend’s hand before she could object.

“Sure. No problem. I have a call to return anyway,” Noah said.

If Noah hadn’t mentioned the call, Willow had a feeling Megan wouldn’t have acquiesced to her request. As it was, Megan muttered, “I don’t know what your problem is, but you better make this quick” as Willow led her to the back door of the restaurant.

Willow opened her mouth to tell Megan exactly what was wrong when they stepped outside, only to discover all the tables on the deck were occupied. Willow smiled, nodding at the diners, asking each table if they were enjoying their meal while nudging Megan toward the stairs leading to the beach.

Once they were standing in the sand and out of hearing range of the diners on the deck, Willow said, “You know exactly what the problem is, Megan. If Noah closes the station instead of selling it—”

Megan rolled her eyes. “All you talk about anymore is the station. You’re obsessed, and frankly, it’s annoying.”

“I’m sorry if you find it annoying, Megan. But my friends’jobs and mine are on the line so I think it’s understandable that all I’ve been thinking about is a way to convince Noah to sell Channel 5 instead of shutting us down. Honestly, as my friend, I’d think you’d be more sympathetic and supportive.” She didn’t remind Megan of the two years Willow had spent supporting her through her divorce. “I’d been planning to ask you to have my back and help me convince Noah to give us more time, which I know you knew.”

Megan lifted a shoulder. “So what if I did? You might be my best friend but there’s no way I’d mess up this deal by stalling the sale, even for you. Noah wants everything done like yesterday, and I’ll do my best to make that happen. The way things have been going, I didn’t think I’d make Real Estate Agent of the Year the third year running. But with the sale of the building on Main Street and the beach house, I actually have a chance now.”

Willow studied her best friend and didn’t like what she saw. She wondered how she’d missed the signs because, thinking back over the past year, Megan had given her plenty of signs. Her voice was subdued when she said, “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t need you after all.”

Megan’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I didn’t stand a chance of changing Acting CEO Noah Elliot’s mind, but this ismyNoah we’re talking about. You heard him. He never could say no to me.” She allowed herself a small smile.

---