Page 13 of Three Little Wishes

By the time Noah had paid the check, it was Megan who was wearing a smile. And it wasn’t a small smile, it was big and smug.

Chapter Five

You made us change locations at the last minute, Will, and Noah’s not even here,” Naomi grumbled as she pulled her truck into the lot, her gaze moving from a man fishing off the large granite rocks that jutted into the bay to a windsurfer pulling her board into the sheltered cove.

“He’ll be here,” Willow said with a confidence she didn’t feel. She glanced at her phone, wondering if she’d seem desperate if she texted Noah again.

They’d exchanged numbers the night before. Right after he’d squashed her hopes and dreams and made Megan’s come true. No matter how convincing Willow had thought her arguments were, Noah hadn’t been swayed. She’d seen a hint of Mercedes Man when he refused to even consider selling the station instead of closing it, laying out the reasons why that wasn’t going to happen in a brisk, taciturn manner. Even though his reasons made sense and were based on facts, it had been disappointing to say the least.

He must’ve sensed her distress, reaching out and touching her hand, his gaze apologetic. It was nothing personal. Business was business. Of course Megan assured him he had nothing to apologize for. She was beyond thrilled when hesigned the paperwork for the listings at the table while Willow looked on.

But Megan’s smile had disappeared when they were getting up to leave and Noah had asked Willow for her number. He had business in Boston in a couple of weeks and suggested they catch up over drinks. Willow jumped on the opportunity but she didn’t have a couple of weeks.

So she’d invited him to meet her at Hidden Cove this morning in hopes the memories inspired by their special place would succeed where she had failed. Or, at the very least, convince him to give her another day of his time to make her case. She’d used the excuse that he had to drive past Hidden Cove on his way out of town anyway. He hadn’t said yes but he also hadn’t said no. He’d told her he’d touch base with her that morning.

She’d woken Naomi up at the crack of dawn to tell her about the location change, and then she’d texted Noah a couple of hours later, hoping her offer to pick up their favorite s’more doughnuts from O Holey Glazed would be enough of an enticement. He hadn’t responded yet.

Naomi reached into the back seat of her truck, grabbing her camera case and a bag. “And since he isn’t here, you can wear your costume so Veronica and Don aren’t fielding complaints the entire day.” She tossed the bag to Willow.

“He’ll be here. I’m sure of it. But on the off chance he doesn’t come, I bet he’ll watch my weather report now that he knows it’s me. And since he will, I’ll be reporting it as professional weatherperson me, not Lucy.” She tossed the bag and costume into the back seat.

“Did you not hear one thing he said to you last night? Because unless you repeated an entirely different conversationto me and Veronica at the butt crack of dawn, there is nothing you can do or say that will change his mind. Even if he gave you a week to do it.”

“I guess you missed the part where he told me I could convince him to doanything.”

“When you were fifteen!”

“So? I haven’t changed. I’m still me.”

“You’re right. You haven’t changed. But I can guarantee with his pedigree and position at Bennett Broadcasting, Noah Elliot is nothing like the boy you used to know, Will.” Naomi reached into the back seat, grabbed the bag, and tossed it to Willow before opening the driver-side door.

Willow’s shoulders slumped as she reluctantly got out of the truck and dumped the costume onto the passenger seat. Naomi was probably right. She’d always been a good judge of character.

They’d been friends since grade school but she hadn’t been part of Willow’s high school crew. She hadn’t wanted to be, and no matter how often Willow tried to include her, she wouldn’t give in. She’d hadn’t been a fan of Willow’s friends, especially Megan.

If Naomi hadn’t been at her grandmother’s, Willow wouldn’t have been friendless that summer. She probably wouldn’t have met Noah. But maybe that would’ve been a good thing. She wouldn’t have gotten her hopes up that he’d show this morning and that she’d have a chance of changing his mind. It didn’t matter that the odds were stacked against her. All she’d ever needed was a smidgen of hope to believe anything was possible.

Willow took one last look at her phone. Noah still hadn’t responded, and there was no sign of his car on the road toHidden Cove. With a dejected sigh, she stepped into the costume, pulling it over the cute pink sundress she’d worn in hopes of winning Noah over.

The bag of s’more doughnuts sitting on the console made her feel like a fool, and she quickly closed the door, stomping around the hood to Naomi’s side. “You’re as big a downer as you were at fifteen.”

Naomi beeped the lock on her key fob and slung an arm over Willow’s shoulders. “I prefer to think of myself as a realist, and face it, babe. Sometimes you need someone to pull your head out of the clouds.”

“You weren’t there. You didn’t see him when he asked for my number or mentioned getting drinks,” Willow said as they walked down to the rocks where they were filming her weather report.

“You always do this, Will. You think everyone’s like you, sweet, kind, and loyal, but they’re not. People suck.”

Naomi had her reasons for having felt that way in the past. Her family had disowned her when she’d come out during senior year of high school. But there was something in her voice that made Willow look at her more closely. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged. “I applied for a position at WNBC in New York. If I get the job, Veronica told me she won’t be coming with me.”

This was exactly what Willow had been afraid of. Nothing would be the same for any of them if the station closed. She reached for Naomi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t give up yet. Not on the station or Veronica.”

At the low purr of an engine, Willow whipped her head around, barely restraining herself from jumping up and downas a familiar black Mercedes pulled into the parking lot. “I told you he’d come!”

Naomi shook her head. “Seriously, babe. When will you ever learn to play it cool?”

“Never.” She grinned and was about to run over and greet Noah when her cell phone rang.

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