Page 81 of Three Little Wishes

“This might not have been the best idea.” Now that she’dnoticed the couples, she couldn’t seem to look away. That could’ve been Noah and her just a few days ago, before they’d learned the truth.It still could be, a hopeful voice whispered in her head. She wondered if Noah was thinking the same thing.

Obviously not, she decided, when the next words out of his mouth were, “So if you’re not going to accept the job, what are you going to do?”

She didn’t relish the idea of bringing up Last Call or Megan, but there was no way around it if she was going to tell him the idea Megan had shared with her the other night. “Megan didn’t only invite me to Last Call to offer an apology and an explanation for her behavior. She—”

“What could Megan possibly say that would explain how she acted, not to mention earn your forgiveness?” He looked at her. “Please tell me you didn’t accept her apology.”

“It was a heartfelt apology, Noah. She cried.”

He snorted and picked up a shrimp.

“Okay, so she sniffled, but she was on the verge of tears. And her apology was genuine.”

He raised an eyebrow and bit into the shrimp, baring his straight, white teeth.

“You weren’t there so you can’t judge, and just to say, you’re being pretty judgy. She was having a really bad day when she found out you were pausing the sale. One of her coworkers had just told her she was dating Megan’s ex, and not only was she dating him, she’d gotten the listing of his friend’s vacation home, which puts her in the running for Real Estate Agent of the Year.”

“So that somehow makes it okay for Megan to say what she did to you?” He picked up a crab cake, dipping it rather forcefully into the spicy rémoulade.

“You know, we did a story about how your body doesn’t absorb nutrients if you’re angry or upset when you’re eating.”

“Obviously that’s not a problem for you. You don’t get angry.” He paused with the crab cake halfway to his mouth. “Except you do with me. I wonder why that is?”

“Despite what you seem to think, you’re not the only one I get upset with. But life’s too short to hold a grudge. And like I said, Megan apologized, profusely.”

“Did she also apologize for forcing you to sell your home and putting you in debt?”

“She didn’t force me to sell. It was the only way for me to get the money. But yes, she did apologize for that too, and before you ask, she also apologized for her uncle asking me to leave two weeks earlier than I expected.” Even she had to admit she sounded like a doormat if all it had taken for her to forgive Megan was a heartfelt apology.

The thing was that Megan had offered her more than an apology. She’d come up with an idea for saving Channel 5 if their efforts to sell the station failed. She’d broached the idea of an employee buyout, and she’d spent a lot of time researching the ins and outs. She had the facts and figures to back it up. She’d also offered to loan Willow the money for the buyout to make up for the losses Willow had sustained from the house flip. An offer Willow appreciated but wouldn’t accept, and given how Noah felt about Megan, she wasn’t comfortable mentioning the employee buyout to him, at least not yet.

“What does Megan have to do with your plans for the future?” he asked after swallowing his crab cake. His eyes narrowed. “Please tell me you’re not flipping houses with her again.”

“No, but she gave me an idea, and before you ask, I’m nottelling you what it is. Not until I talk to everyone at Channel 5.”

“So you really aren’t going to accept Ted’s offer?”

“I have forty-eight hours to give them my decision. If I can’t get everyone at Channel 5 on board, I’ll accept the offer.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. She had to organize a meeting with her coworkers today and present Megan’s idea. And then they’d have to present the offer to Noah. “Would you be available to meet with us around two tomorrow?”

It would mean pulling an all-nighter, but they had no time to waste. They had to meet Noah’s deadline for the sale.

“I have a conference call at two. Would three work?”

The silent auction was the next night, and she had to help with the setup, but she could make it work.

“Absolutely. Thank you.” She picked up a crab cake. “Now let’s talk about what you’re going to say to Billy.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

The next afternoon, Willow stood at the receptionist desk at Channel 5 with Veronica and Naomi, trying to get a look at what was going on in Noah’s office while pretending she wasn’t.

“Stop picking apart the flowers,” Naomi said. “You’re making a mess of Veronica’s desk.”

“I’m not picking…” She looked down at the vase of daisies. Half of them were petal-less. It looked as if it had snowed on Veronica’s desk.

“Sorry.” She swept the petals into her palm and dumped them into the wastepaper basket. “I’m just nervous. I can’t believe you guys aren’t.”

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