Page 66 of Three Little Wishes

“It’s what my uncle would have wanted. My grandparents and my mother too. But more important, it’s what I’d want, and so would Riley.”

“No. The subject is closed. I won’t take money that belongs to you and Riley.”

“At the risk of sounding like a self-entitled ass, Riley and I have more money than we could spend in three lifetimes, and that was before the sale of Bennett Broadcasting. Both my grandparents’ families were wealthy and invested well. They left everything to my mother, and she had extensive portfolios apart from the Bennett Broadcasting Group. I’ve established a foundation, and with Riley’s consent, the funds from the sale of the corporation will go directly into it. Once the company is dissolved, I’ll be moving key staff, including Robyn, to the foundation.” He rubbed his head. “Totally sounded like an ass.”

“You don’t. You couldn’t. And I think it’s wonderful you’re establishing a charitable foundation.” She smiled. “And I’m really glad Robyn will still be working for you.”

“I thought you would be. But I don’t think you realize what this would mean for you. The other sales have been finalized, and while, technically, legally, you could contest the sale, I’d ask that you don’t. It would put too many jobs at risk as well as organizations that are depending on the money we’ve earmarked for charitable donations. But I’d personallygive you what you were entitled to.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “Let me finish, please. A third of Channel 5 would be yours, as well as a third of the beach house.”

Okay, so she hadn’t thought about that.

“You would have the means to buy Riley and me out.”

“That’s your home. Yours and Riley’s. I’m not taking it. I’m not family. Even if we found out that I am, technically, I’m not.”

“Sweetheart, I’m selling the beach house and closing Channel 5.”

“Unless we can find a buyer,” she reminded him, and that’s when what he was saying truly sank in. “I could buy it?”

His lips twitched. “You could. In fact, you could probably buy a thousand Channel 5’s.”

“I don’t want a thousand Channel 5’s. I just want one.”

“I know, and that’s why I”—he cleared his throat—“admire you so much.”

Her chest got tight and the backs of her eyes burned. She was almost positive he’d been going to tell her he loved her. “You know how much the station means to me,” she said, struggling to get the words past the lump of emotion clogging her throat. “How much I’ve wanted to save it. How I’d do anything to save it. But now that there’s a chance my dream of saving the station might come true, I don’t want to pay the price. It’s too high. I’d have to give up the dream of me and you.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Riley sat on the couch with Lucky on her lap, listening to the rain splatter against the windows. He’d kept them up half the night barking. She supposed it was better than when he’d kept them up the entire night. Her brother was frustrated that none of the tricks in the dog training manual were working. But Riley didn’t think Noah’s bad mood had anything to do with frustration or a lack of sleep. He was upset Willow might be their cousin. Willow wasn’t her normal, cheerful self either.

It had been hard watching them moping around the beach house the past two days, especially when Riley felt partially to blame. The first thing that had come to mind when Cami told her to make a wish the other day at La Dolce Vita was that she wanted them to be a family—Noah, Willow, Cami, and her. Later that night, she’d learned her wish might come true.

She should’ve been more specific. If it were just her, she’d love having Willow as a cousin. But she wanted her brother to be happy, Willow too. And neither of them would be if the DNA test they had taken yesterday confirmed they were cousins. Her brother and Willow were already trying to keeptheir distance. They weren’t mad at each other or anything like that. It was just the opposite. Anyone could see they were falling in love, or they had been before they’d found out Cami was Willow’s mother and that she’d had sex with Riley’s uncle the summer he died.

Her brother had been uncomfortable talking about the sex part. He probably would’ve skipped right over it if Willow hadn’t been there. He got way more uncomfortable when Willow seemed to think it was a good time to talk about sex, specifically teenage girls feeling pressured and having sex before they were ready, and about consent and all that stuff. The way Noah and Willow had argued about it had been kind of funny. Or it would’ve been if they hadn’t been talking aboutherhaving sex. As if.

A Game of Throneshad disappeared the next morning. So had half the books on the living room bookshelves. Riley had already guessed Noah was responsible. He’d confirmed it when he handed her a stack of Sweet Valley High books. They were her mom’s. She’d written her name and the date on the inside covers the way Noah did. She’d read them the summer she’d turned fifteen. It made Riley feel close to her, and she got a little emotional when she thanked her brother for the books.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Noah probably would’ve escaped to his study if it hadn’t been for Willow. As with the sex talk, she’d seemed to think it would be a good time for Noah and Riley to talk about their mom. There was nothing Riley wanted more than to talk about her, but she knew from experience that her brother didn’t like to. He’d changed the subject any time Riley had brought her up in the past.

Willow didn’t let him get away with it, though. She askedabout his summers with their mom, drawing out memories that Noah appeared to have forgotten. Riley hoped Willow got her dream job hosting a morning show. She’d make a really great interviewer. Although her brother probably wouldn’t have agreed, being on the receiving end of her questions.

Noah had a lot of memories of his summers at the beach house when their mom was married to his dad. He even had some stories about the summers their mom had spent at the beach house when she was young. Riley had soaked them in, storing them up, wishing she were recording Noah while he was sharing them. Without Willow there to pester and prod him, Riley had a feeling she wouldn’t hear any more stories. And that was her biggest worry if Willow turned out to be their cousin. It would be too hard for Noah and Willow to be around each other, and they’d go their separate ways.

Lucky jumped off Riley’s lap and scampered to the door, barking. There was no one there but he did the same thing when either Willow or Noah came home. She glanced at the time on her iPad. They had a meeting at the station about the sale, and she didn’t expect them home for another hour.

Willow and Noah weren’t sharing about the possibility they were cousins so they were still trying to find a buyer for the station. From what Riley had overheard, there were just two potential buyers left on their list, and it wasn’t looking hopeful.

“Come here, Lucky. No one’s there.” He ignored her and kept barking, loudly.

She was surprised Cami wasn’t yelling or threatening him from her bedroom. She was holed up in there again. Riley didn’t know what she was doing but she did know her reunion with her sister Gia wasn’t going well.

Cami had come home early from helping out at the restaurant and retreated to her bedroom. Riley figured that was why Cami and Willow were still staying at the beach house. At least one of the reasons. Riley was pretty sure she was the other one. She’d had a mini-meltdown when Carmen insisted that Cami and Willow move into one of the family’s empty apartments. Gia hadn’t seemed impressed with the idea either. At least when it came to Cami.

Whatever the reason, Riley was glad they were there. It’d be boring if it were just Noah and her. A little lonely too. “Treat. Do you want a treat?” she called to Lucky.

He swung his head from her to the door and went back to barking.

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