Page 62 of Three Little Wishes

“I’m coming!” she yelled at her niece, sticking her feet into the flip-flops and running down the hall. Sage, Noah, and Riley were waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She glanced at the wooden railing and sighed, throwing her leg over it and sliding down like when she’d believed she was seventeen and had wanted to make Riley laugh. It hurt her crotch. Weirdly, it hadn’t last week. Unlike then, she also struggled to get off the railing at the bottom of the stairs. She wondered if her body had remembered it was forty-seven, not seventeen.

“Quick recovery,” Sage said dryly, an eyebrow raised.

“The painkillers kicked in. Woo-hoo!” She pumped her fist, inwardly rolling her eyes and wondering, not for the first time, if she’d had ADHD growing up, but she didn’t think you grew out of it. One of her many therapists over the years had told her she suspected she had undiagnosed PTSD. Camilla had dumped her and moved on to the next. She’d been afraid she was getting too close to the truth.

“Noah’s taking his car so you can come with me,” Sage said.

Camilla shook her head. “I’m going with Riley.” No way was she getting stuck on her own in the car with her niece.Sage had questioned her nonstop during their shopping trip the other day.

Noah shared a glance with Sage, who shrugged. He tossed the keys to Riley, and Camilla snagged them, shocking the hell out of herself. She went with it. “I’ll drive.”

“Good try,” Noah said. “You’re sitting in the back seat with Riley. I just have to put Lucky in the crate.”

Camilla and Riley helped him corral Lucky. Riley kissed and cuddled the dog that Sage had named Demon Spawn—it was the one thing Camilla and her niece agreed upon—before putting him in the crate. Then they headed for Noah’s Mercedes. They were arguing over what music to play when Noah slid behind the wheel, ending their argument by putting on the radio.

Camilla had enjoyed the distraction while it lasted. The closer they got to her family’s restaurant the more nervous she became.

“Are you excited?” Riley asked.

“Yeah. But I’m a little nervous too.” She was a good actress but she’d have to be an extraordinary one to cover her nerves, so she went with the partial truth.

She caught Noah glancing at her in the rearview mirror, adding for his benefit, “I don’t know why my mom and sister left me behind. I must’ve done something really bad. I just can’t remember what I did.” She knew exactly what she had done and wished she didn’t.

“It doesn’t matter,” Riley said. “They’ve been gone for a while so they’ll be really happy to see you.”

Camilla smiled and gave Riley’s hand a squeeze. She was an awesome kid, sweet and empathetic. She reminded her a little of Will. She had his eyes. Camilla got choked up thinking abouthim and looked out the window. Noah and Riley had lost their uncle because of her. She didn’t know how she’d make it up to them, but she vowed she would. For some reason, the vow eased the ball of emotion stuck in her throat. Maybe because she’d never thought she’d have the opportunity to make it up to Will’s family in some way, and now she did.

Her muscles tensed when Noah drove down the familiar road and the weathered gray siding of the restaurant came into view. By the time he pulled into the parking lot, Camilla felt lightheaded, her breathing short and choppy. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t face her family. Too much time had passed. She should’ve made the effort years before. But failed marriages, failed romances, and now a failing career had gotten in the way, and the thought of facing them when her life wasn’t perfect hadn’t been acceptable to her. She’d needed the armor of success to withstand their enmity.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll see, Cami. Willow’s there. She’ll smooth things over if your family’s mad at you.” Riley grinned. “And don’t forget, you’re queen of the mean girls. You don’t take shit from any—”

“Riley,” Noah warned, and then he looked back at Camilla. “My sister’s right. Whatever happens, Willow is there for you, and so are we.” His lips twitched. “Sage too.”

“She calls me the teenager from hell.”

“People give people they care about nicknames,” Riley said confidently, and then leaned over and opened Camilla’s door.

“Easy for you to say. Your brother calls you Tink, not the teenager from hell,” she grumbled, and got out of the car. She did some deep-breathing exercises. They were second nature to her, and her body responded almost immediately. “Chin up, tits out,” she said under her breath.

She hadn’t realized Riley was standing right behind her until she burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Noah asked, coming around the car to join them.

“Cami,” Riley said without elaborating.

Sage pulled in beside them and got out of the car. “Do me a favor,” she said to Camilla when she reached them. “Don’t tell Carmen she’s old.”

“Why would I do that?” Camilla asked, at the same time inwardly cringing. She’d been doing it for the past week, or her alter ego had. She’d even called Willow and Noah old. How ridiculous was that?

“Because you… Just promise me you won’t. It’s going to be bad enough without you ticking off Carmen, and she’s sensitive about her age.”

“She’s not sensitive about her age,” she said, even though she wanted to kiss Sage for giving her an out. She would’ve had to do theYou’re oldthing or Willow, Noah, and Riley would’ve suspected something was off.

Camilla shrugged. “Whatever. I won’t say anything. But like I said, I don’t know what you’re worried about. My mother always looks great.”

She did, and so did Camilla’s sisters. She might not have seen them in person in twenty-five years, but she’d been following their videos on La Dolce Vita’s Instagram and TikTok for the past ten months. She’d take a break every once in a while. Their mother-daughters-sisters bonds were plain to see. It had been hard watching them together and knowing what she’d missed for all these years, and why. She had no one to blame but herself.

Her mouth went dry when Noah opened the restaurantdoor, holding it open for them. His phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket, glancing at the screen. “Sorry. I have to take this. Go ahead. I’ll probably be a few minutes.”

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