Page 83 of Three Little Wishes

“And before you tell me you told me so, I’ll admit you were right to give Megan a second chance. She put a lot of time and effort into the offer without expecting anything for herself.” He looked down at his desk before raising his gaze to hers. “I’m listing the beach house with her, Willow. I considered keeping it but I think it’s time for a fresh start, for Riley and for me. We have to move on. It’s not easy living with the memories. And if you and I are…” He trailed off.

“I know.” She nodded, looking at her hands twisting on her lap. Then she raised her gaze to his. “You haven’t gotten back the test results?”

“Trust me, either way, you’ll find out when I do. I won’t open the portal with our results until you’re with me. I called the lab this morning. We should receive the results later today or first thing tomorrow morning.”

“It’ll be good to know,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“Or it won’t.” He got up from behind his desk and came around to sit in the chair beside her. “We haven’t talked about it. But if the results come back, and we’re related, I can’t be a part of your life, Willow. The last thing I want is to lose you, even as a friend. But I can’t do it. I thought I could, but I can’t.” He held her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“No. I feel the same way. But I don’t want to lose Riley too.”

“You won’t. Riley’s already talked to me about it. When and if the time comes, I’ll talk to Billy about Riley visiting you, and vice versa. On the other hand, if we get the results we’re hoping for…” He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before immediately releasing it. “Probably best to keep those plans to myself until we know for sure.”

“That sounds promising.”

“Let’s just say I think you’ll be happy about it.” He stood up. “And since I can’t be this close to you without wanting to take you in my arms and kiss you, I’ll get back behind my desk.”

“Just so you know, that’s not far enough away.”

“Thank you for that, Ms. Rosetti. Now we should get down to business.” He held up the offer. “It helped that Megan knew we’re awaiting the DNA results and how that may impact the offer. She mentioned that in the event you receive the money you’re entitled to, the offer will remain unchanged.”

“I can tell by your expression that you don’t agree with my decision, but if we put off the offer until I receive the money—which I’ll reiterate that I’ll be taking under duress—it’ll push out the sale past the deadline.”

“It won’t have any impact on the sale whatsoever. Within seventy-two hours of us receiving the results that you’re my uncle’s daughter, the money will be transferred into your account. I’ve been working with our legal and accounting departments since we learned there was a possibility you were a Bennett to ensure I’d have everything ready for you to sign off on. I hired an outside team of attorneys and accountants to act on your behalf—your sister vetted them, by the way—and they’ve been receiving the reports as soon as they’re generated.”

“I…” She shook her head, stunned at what he’d done. “You didn’t have to do that. I trust you, Noah. I trust you with all my heart.”

He bowed his head and nodded. His voice was gruff when he said, “Thank you. But I wouldn’t have felt right otherwise.” He lifted his head, a grin that looked a little forced on his face. “And you know your sister. She probably would’ve sued me if I had done it any other way.”

“She can be overprotective.” Not any more than Noah, as he’d just proved. Her throat clogged and her eyes filled when she thought about everything he’d done to ensure she received what he believed she was entitled to.

She had to get out of there before she started crying ugly tears. “I should get going. I have to make sure everything’s ready for tonight. And Riley and Cami are giving me a makeover.” She did a fake shudder. “Wish me luck.”

“Just one, two more things, actually. Why would you leavethe offer as is if you receive the money? Why wouldn’t you buy the station yourself? You could own it outright.”

“I like the thought of us all owning it together. We’ve always been like a family. As it is, I’m the only one who doesn’t have the money to invest, but they’re giving me shares anyway.”

“They’re not giving them to you, Willow. You agreed to work for free for a year, which is the other thing I want to talk to you about.”

“I can tell exactly how you feel about this, Noah. So thanks but no thanks. I don’t want to talk about this with you.”

“Because you know I’m right.”

“No! Because we’ll have another fight if we do. It’s not like I’ll be destitute. I’ll be working more hours at La Dolce Vita and living in my zia’s apartment.”

“I’ll give you the money for the buy-in. We can set it up as an interest-free loan if it makes you feel better.”

“I can’t accept it, Noah. I need to do this on my own. You, out of anyone, should be able to understand that. My family has been helping me out for as long as I can remember. I need to prove to myself that I can do this.”

He nodded, his gaze moving over her face. “In case we get the results neither of us wants, there’s something I need to say to you, something I’ll never be able to say to you again.” He bowed his head, blew out a breath, and then raised his gaze to hers. “I love you, Willow Rosetti.”

She covered her mouth, a sob escaping between her fingers as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love you too,” she whispered, the words muffled behind her hand as she unsteadily came to her feet, and then she turned and ran from his office.

She didn’t stop to talk to her celebrating coworkers. She headed straight for the exit doors, ignoring Naomi and Veronica calling her name. The only way she kept it together through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening was by clinging to the hope that it wasn’t the last time she would hear Noah say those words. He hadn’t come back to the beach house before she’d left for the auction, but she’d seen him arrive with Riley just before the dinner was served. They’d sat at a table with Don and his wife while Willow had sat with the committee members. She’d avoided looking at Noah throughout her entire presentation and the auction. She’d been afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep it together.

But now that her duties were over, she’d searched Windemere’s ballroom for him and couldn’t see him. She spotted Riley sitting at a table with August and Amos and walked over. She owed Amos a big thank-you anyway. He’d stood up during her presentation, declared that everyone in Sunshine Bay should do what they could to keep Channel 5 on the air, and then walked up to the stage and handed her a check for five thousand dollars with the stipulation that he have some say over her weather reports.

She introduced herself to August and then turned to his grandfather. “Thanks for becoming a stakeholder in Channel 5, Amos. I promise you won’t regret it.”

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