Page 8 of Three Little Wishes

Over the past few months, Willow had been pushing Naomi to step out from behind the camera and take a more active role in production. She had great ideas and had helped Willow put theGood Morning, Sunshine!presentation together.

“From what Don said, it didn’t have anything to do with you, Will. Elliot’s mind was made up before he got here.”

“So Don didn’t even bring upGood Morning, Sunshine!to him?”

“Nope. He said Elliot wasn’t interested in anything other than shutting down Channel 5 as quickly as possible. He’s supposedly meeting with a real estate agent to sell the building and contents as well as the Bennett family’s vacation home. He’s leaving Sunshine Bay tomorrow morning.”

Willow turned off the motor and hopped off her scooter,wheeling it toward the familiar weathered gray building up the road. “Okay. This is good. We can work with this.”

Naomi made an annoyed sound in her throat, and Willow pictured her throwing up her hands in disgust. There was nothing Naomi hated more than Willow’s ability to find the positive in any situation. As far as Willow was concerned, it was her superpower. A superpower that seemed to be running a little low these days, she had to admit.

“Ugh, you arepositivelyannoying, Willow Rosetti.”

Willow laughed, surprised that she could given Naomi’s news. “Good one. But I’m serious. I’ll call Megan. If Noah’s looking for a real estate agent on the cape, he’ll go with her, and then we’ll…” Willow sighed at Naomi’s muttered aside. “I heard you, Naomi. This isn’t me and my magical thinking at work. Megan’s the best real estate agent on the cape, and Noah Elliot strikes me as a man who wouldn’t settle for anything but the best.”

He struck her as a jerk too but she wasn’t about to share that with Naomi. If she did, she’d have to share about their disastrous first meeting. “Megan’s been the top-selling real estate agent on the cape for two years running, and she lives in Sunshine Bay, so of course he’ll go with her.”

Willow crossed her fingers. Something had to go her way today, and her best friend taking on Noah Elliot as a client was the best possible outcome. Megan could stall him by convincing him he had to stay in town for at least another day to view and discuss the properties with her, especially the vacation home. Surely it needed some work before they put it on the market.

“Let’s say you’re right and Elliot hires Megan. How does that help us?”

Buoyed by Naomi’s question—if Negative Naomi was willing to concede that Noah would contact Megan, then Willow had to be right—she did a happy dance before opening the door to the restaurant. Midtwerk, she noticed a black Mercedes pulling into the parking lot.

She groaned.Seriously?

“What’s wrong?”

“I was celebrating you agreeing with me for a change, and Noah Elliot just pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. I’m pretty sure he saw me.”

“That’s great,” Naomi said, sounding disconcertingly cheerful.

“No, it’s not great. I was doing my happy dance. Don’t laugh,” she said when Naomi snorted. “He’ll never believe I’m anything other than a flake now.”

“Don’t worry about it. He probably didn’t see you. Besides, you’ve never worried if anyone saw you acting like an idiot before. Why worry about it now?”

“I said a flake, not an idiot,” she grumbled, wheeling her scooter inside the restaurant.

Her previous scooter had been stolen from the bike rack in the parking lot a year before, and she’d been parking her current—delicately used—scooter inside the restaurant ever since. She couldn’t afford to replace it.

“And Noah Elliot’s not just anyone. He holds our futures in his hands,” Willow reminded Naomi.

“Whatever. It can’t be any worse than him seeing you reeling him in on your imaginary fishing rod or you accusing him of stalking you. Which, by the way, you never did explain to us.”

All Willow could think about was Naomi confirming that Noah had seen her and her imaginary fishing rod in action. She swore. Obviously not under her breath as she’d meant to because she’d drawn the attention of the handsome bald man standing at the hostess stand in his white shirt and black pants.

Bruno raised a bushy silver eyebrow at her. He was her grandmother’s fiancé and one of Willow’s favorite people on the planet. She mouthed,Sorry, and he gave her an indulgent smile before confirming a couple’s reservation and ushering them to a table.

“I’ll tell you about it tomorrow,” she promised Naomi. Then, feeling as if she could use her friends’ emotional support, Willow added, “Unless you and Veronica want to stop by for a drink? On me.” Well, on her family, she supposed.

A muffled conversation between the two women ensued before Naomi came back on the line. “We’re going to pass, Will. No pressure, but I think we need to start looking at what’s out there jobwise.” She sighed. “Come on, Veronica, it’s not the end of the world if we have to move.”

“Don’t you guys dare give up,” Willow said, a touch of panic in her voice as she wedged her scooter behind the fountain with the gurgling statue of Venus at its center. “There’s a reason Noah’s coming to dinner here and my best friend is bound to be his real estate agent.”

“Yeah, he’s wants Italian food, and Megan is pretty much the only real estate agent in town.”

“Thanks, Negative Naomi. I expect a coffee and a doughnut when I see you in the morning and share my positively fabulous good news.”

“You’d better pray your forecast for tomorrow is right because we’re heading to the sand dunes for your morning weather report. I’ll bring Lucy,” she said with an evil chuckle.

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