Page 60 of Three Little Wishes

It was early but she knew Gail would want to hear from her. She was the one person who knew Willow was Camilla’s daughter. She didn’t know about Will, though. Camilla had never been able to talk about the accident to anyone, even her many therapists. It was her deep, dark secret, and she intended to keep it that way.

As the phone rang, she shook her head, remembering how her seventeen-year-old self had referred to Gail.

Gail picked up on the first ring. “Cami, is everything okay?”

“It’s so good to hear your voice.” Camilla practically groaned in relief. This was the longest she’d gone without talking to Gail since she hired her. “I have my memory back.”

“Thank God. I’ve been dying to know how everything is going. Now tell me, are you okay?”

“I’m… honestly, I don’t know how I am. On the one hand, having amnesia ended up being a blessing in disguise. I’ve gotten to know Willow in a way that I don’t think I would have had I known she was my daughter.” She picked at a loose thread on the comforter. “She’s everything a mother could want in a daughter, Gail. She’s sweet, and kind, and compassionate, and funny, and… I want to have a relationship with her, but I’m afraid, once she finds out that I’m her mother, she won’t want anything to do with me.”

“I understand why you’re afraid, Cami, but I don’t think that’s something you have to worry about. The woman I met, and the woman you’re describing, doesn’t seem like the type of person who would intentionally hurt anyone.”

“You’re right, at least about Willow. But once my mother and sisters know I’m in town, the gloves will come off. They won’t let me have a relationship with her, Gail. I know they won’t.”

“I can’t believe they don’t know you’re in town yet. How’s that even possible?”

Camilla told her about Noah and Riley and hiding out at the beach house. And then she told Gail about everything that seventeen-year-old Cami had gotten up to, and she andGail laughed so hard that Camilla had to bury her face in the comforter to muffle the sound.

“It’s funny now, but trust me, it wasn’t funny then. I was positive I was losing my mind,” Camilla admitted after she’d gotten her laughter under control. “And my reunion with my mother and sisters will be far from funny.” She felt sick to her stomach thinking about it.

“When are you meeting with them?”

“Today, I think. I overheard Willow talking to her cousins about it on Zoom.”

“You need to tell Willow before your mother and sisters do, Cami. That way you can control the narrative.”

She knew exactly what narrative Gail was talking about. “I can’t tell her. Not yet. I have to pretend I have amnesia for at least another week.”

“A week? Why on earth do—”

“I need to remind my family that they once loved me, Gail. And while they might hate forty-seven-year-old Camilla, they loved seventeen-year-old Cami. So that’s who I’ll be. And it’ll give me more time with Willow. If this doesn’t go the way that I hope, I need more time with my daughter. Even if she doesn’t know I’m her mother.”

“I understand. I wish I didn’t, but I do. But now that you have your memory back, it’ll be harder for you to pull off.”

“I know. And to make matters worse, Willow is falling in love with Noah, who just happens to be her cousin. So I have to figure out a way to either break them up or keep them apart.” Other than annoying Willow and Noah, she wasn’t having much luck at either.

“Cami!”

“I know, I know. And it would make it easier if Noah wasa jerk, but he isn’t. He’s perfect for Willow, and he adores her.” She bowed her head. “She’s going to be devastated, Gail, and it’s all my fault.”

“It’s not. You’ve just gotten your memory back. There was nothing you could do. It’s as much your sisters’ and your mother’s fault. They know who Willow’s father was.”

“Yes, but I have a feeling they don’t know Willow’s involved with his nephew.” She leaned back against the pillows. “Now tell me how you’ve been. You obviously were able to keep the accident and my hospital stay under wraps, and the reporters haven’t gotten wind of me being in Sunshine Bay, so thank you very much for that.”

“It’s why you pay me the big bucks.”

There was something in Gail’s voice that made Camilla frown. “Are you okay? You sound off.”

“We’ll talk about it another—”

“No, we won’t. I’ve just spent the last twenty minutes talking about myself and the mess I’ve made of my life. I’d much rather talk about you. Please tell me you’ve screwed something up and you need my advice for a change.”

At the long, drawn-out silence, Camilla’s pulse kicked into overdrive. “Gail?”

“Lilianna Rose’s family approached me. They’ve offered me a job as her PA. She’s young, and they’re inexperienced and overwhelmed. They want someone who knows the ins and the outs of the business to guide her.”

Camilla briefly closed her eyes. Lilianna’s star was rising, and hers was fading. Who was she kidding? Her star had crashed and burned. “Not so inexperienced if they approached you. There’s no one better for the job. Lilianna Rose would be lucky to have you.”

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