Page 98 of Three Little Wishes

“It came, did it?” he said to Cami. “I was worried it wouldn’t get here in time.”

Willow wanted to see what they were talking about and stood. Megan and Naomi stood too, and the three of them helped Veronica to her feet.

They got to the front desk just as Cami opened the box and pulled out a white sparkly ballgown with sheer sleeves and a ruffled V-neck.

Veronica gasped. “It’s a Cinderella dress. I looove it. Where are the shoes?”

Cami looked in the box. “No Cinderella shoes, but we have bedazzled sneakers and a wand,” she said, waving it around. “It’s a fairy godmother costume.”

“We so need a fairy godmother,” Megan said.

“You’ve got one,” Don said, grinning at Willow.

“No. No way. I’m not wearing that to do tonight’s weather report.”

“I will,” Veronica said, bouncing on her toes.

“Sorry, it has to be Willow. The person sponsoring this week’s weather segment wouldn’t be pleased if we put in a substitute,” Don said.

Two weeks before, they’d started a new initiative to encourage community spirit. They would run a contest, and the winner would get to choose what Willow wore to deliver the weather. Last week, she had been a duck.

Veronica blew her horn and yelled, “Boo!”

“What does it matter?” Willow asked, raising her voice to be heard over Veronica’s now-incessant booing. “We’re done. Finished.”

Naomi covered Veronica’s mouth with her hand. “I never thought I’d say this,” she said to Willow, “but I miss your old positive self.”

“Me too.” Willow sighed. “But I can’t seem to get her back.”

“You will.” Cami patted her shoulder. “Now off you go to get changed. We have to be at the pier in ten minutes.”

“I’m not doing the weather at the pier. It’s raining.”

“Didn’t you say this morning it will clear up by five?” Don asked, fighting a grin.

She rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Cami. “It’s four ten. I don’t have to be on the air until five.”

“A fairy godmother is never late,” Cami said, shooing her off with a smile.

Willow was beginning to think Cami was right. With all the layers of fabric, it took her nearly ten minutes to change into the dress. She should’ve asked Naomi to give her a hand.

As she walked back to the reception desk, the crew yelled, “Make our wishes come true, fairy godmother!”

“Did you guys polish off the champagne?” she asked, shaking her head as they waved at her with huge grins on their faces.

When she returned to the front desk, Megan and Naomi were acting as weird as the crew, beaming and giggling. She didn’t count Veronica; she’d been acting weird since she got into the champagne.

Willow fisted her hands on her hips. “What’s going on? You’re not planning something that will wind up going viral on TikTok again, are you?”

Veronica pressed her hands to her chest. “I bet it will. Everyone loves—” Naomi clamped a hand over Veronica’s mouth.

“Okay, fairy godmother, it’s time for you to make all our wishes come true,” Megan said, taking her by the hand.

“I’ll meet you at the pier,” Naomi said.

Willow noticed Cami and Don trailing behind her and Megan, along with several of the crew and newscasters. She stopped at the door. “All right, one of you is going to tell me what’s going on.”

“Not to get maudlin,” Don said, “but this will probably be your last weather broadcast, and we want to see it live.”

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