Page 97 of Three Little Wishes

Megan walked to where Willow, Naomi, and Veronica were sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall and confetti in their hair. Someone had prematurely burst the confetti-filled balloons when the call came in.

Megan lowered her butt onto the concrete floor beside Willow.

“Any news?” Willow asked.

Megan shook her head. “The lawyer can’t figure it out. When Noah called him to say the deal was off, he didn’t give any explanation. And when the lawyer said we’d sue, he said, and I quote, ‘I doubt it.’”

“Why? Because he thinks he’s too smart and too rich for anyone to fight him in court and win?” Willow asked, thinking that sounded exactly like Mercedes Man.

But it didn’t sound at all like the Noah she knew andloved. Then again, she guessed she didn’t really know him because she hadn’t thought he’d be able to walk away from what they had. And as much as she wished she didn’t, she still loved him. She had a feeling she always would.

“Um, no, because he owns both and it’s his prerogative not to sell,” Megan said.

Veronica blew a horn, said, “Boo,” and lifted a bottle of champagne to her lips. She hadn’t taken the news well. None of them had; the station was as quiet as a church at a funeral. Every once in a while, the silence was broken by people crying or sniffling.

“But we had a verbal agreement.”

“They’re tough to enforce, according to our lawyer. Any chance you’d call Noah?” Megan asked.

Willow had been waiting for this. “I don’t want to, but we need answers, and if this is the only way to get them, I’ll suck it up.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t called him, Will,” Naomi said. “That’s not like you. You’re always the first to make up.”

“I was going to give him a week, but then he sent Cami a letter apologizing to her, and I thought he’d reach out to me. And I kept waiting. But I haven’t heard anything from him, and now it just feels like the moment to reach out has passed. It’s been three weeks. It’s not like he’s going to have a change of heart.”

Veronica blew her horn again, said, “Boo,” and lifted the champagne bottle to her lips, but Naomi took it from her.

“You’ve had enough, babe,” Naomi said, which earned her another horn blow and another “Boo.”

Willow took her phone from the pocket of her jeans, put in her password, and then scrolled through her recent calls toNoah’s name near the bottom. It was hard seeing his number there and remembering why he’d last called. It had been the day of the auction. After he’d told her he loved her. She’d been emotional, and he’d called to make sure she’d gotten to the venue okay.

If she was blinking back tears just from seeing his name and his number on her phone, she’d never look at their text exchanges, but she couldn’t bring herself to delete them. It was the same as living at the beach house. As difficult as it was to stay there with all the memories, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. She wouldn’t have had to if the sale to Cami had gone through.

Megan was right. They needed answers. Noah had forgiven Cami. He’d been kind and heartbreakingly compassionate in his letter.

She pressed the Call icon. The phone rang several times before Noah’s voice came over the line. That smooth-as-velvet deep voice. “I’m unavailable at the moment. Please leave a message.”

At the beep, she said, “Noah, please call me. It’s, uh, Willow.”

“He knows who you are, Will. Your name shows up,” Naomi said.

“Not if he deleted me it doesn’t. I mean, I don’t think it does,” she said, barely resisting the urge to call him again just to hear his voice.

Maybe that’s why she hadn’t called him. It would prolong the inevitable, the torture, making it harder to move on. Or maybe she’d been avoiding calling him because then she’d know for sure they were over. This way she could sometimes convince herself they were on a break and Noah would realizehow much he missed her. But in mere weeks, he’d be leaving for his trip around the world. He wouldn’t have time to think about her or miss her then.

She never should’ve called him. It brought everything back.

Cami walked into the lobby carrying a large white box. Willow was glad for the distraction. Although she would’ve expected Cami to look as glum as the rest of them.

“Are you smiling?” Willow asked her.

“Who, me?” Cami asked, now looking as flattened as everyone in the station. “What do I have to smile about? I’m as disappointed as all of you. Has anyone figured out why Noah reneged on the sale?”

“No. Willow tried calling him but he’s not picking up,” Megan said, and then nodded at the box. “What have you got?”

“I don’t know,” Cami said, heading to the reception desk. “A courier asked me to sign for it when I was walking in to check on all of you.”

Don walked out of his office, and Willow’s eyes narrowed at his jaunty step. Then she could’ve sworn Don and Cami shared a silent exchange as he approached the reception desk.

---