Page 53 of A Wish For Jo
'Harvey, I can't force you to stay. But I can ask you to do one thing for me.'
He frowned as Jo took a step closer. 'What's that?'
Jo took a deep breath. 'Kiss me.'
Harvey hesitated, then complied. A butterfly touch at first, growing in intensity. Jo responded, closing her eyes and losing herself in the moment. A moment that ended almost as quickly as it began.
'I could kiss you forever, Jo.' Harvey breathed heavily, his words weighted with regret. 'Meeting you was magical, but we both know magic isn't real.'
Isn't it?Jo reluctantly stepped aside as Harvey headed for the door.
'Take care of yourself, Jo. I know you'll meet someone wonderful, and… Well, I wish things could have been different.'
Jo didn't watch as Harvey walked out of her life. If all went to plan, he'd soon be back in it. If he wanted to be…
CHAPTER50
'You really want to do this?'Aaliyah dunked a fish finger into a pool of tartare sauce. Her sparkly WIFI emitted a series of jingles and beeps as it vibrated on the kitchen table.
'Use your wish wisely,' intoned Dhassim, shovelling a handful of chips into his mouth.
'With all due respect, you two, I've thought long and hard about it.' Jo pushed away her plate, nerves clawing at her insides. OK, long and hard might be a stretch, but it felt the right thing to do. Jo didn't know if flipping the reverse switch on Harvey's life would makeherhappy, but that wasn't the point.
'If you don't want yours…' Dhassim pulled Jo's plate towards him, his eyes alight with glee at the cooling leftovers.
Jo marvelled again at how ridiculous her life had become. Host to two genies, smitten with a man she'd disliked at first sight, and now planning to defy the laws of the universe. Could it really work? ‘Let's do it. If you've finished shoving food down your necks, that is.'
Her patience dwindled further when Dhassim raided the biscuit barrel for Jaffa Cakes and Aaliyah flounced upstairs, muttering something about needing to retouch her lip gloss.
As they waited for Aaliyah, Jo wondered what Harvey was doing. She pictured him packing a small suitcase, tossing in a handful of toiletries, probably nursing a large glass of whisky. She wondered if he'd already given notice on Brae Cottage, and her stomach tightened.
'Right, pet, let's get this over and done with.' Aaliyah smacked her freshly lacquered lips and reached for her WIFI.
'Wait!' Jo snatched away the WIFI. It felt warm to the touch and gave out a steady hum, like a bee flitting from flower to flower. 'If I make my last wish, will you both disappear?'
'Don't sound so enthusiastic about us leaving.’ Dhassim pouted. 'I was heartbroken when I left Jinnie, and I'm sure she felt the same.'
I doubt it.Yet Jo felt a pang of guilt at her desire to see the pair of them slither back into their lamps. They’d stuck around like reliable old knickers. Useful at times, but now they definitely needed to go.
'We still have unfinished business,' said Aaliyah. 'Sam, and his plans for us. We will not leave until we know our fate.'
Jo envisioned cramming them back into their lamps and delivering them to Sam, leaving Jinnie to explain the unorthodox contents. That probably wasn't an option.
'You need to say the wish out loud, in case you've forgotten.' Aaliyah clicked her fingers impatiently and Jo passed over the WIFI.
'I'm not sure how to phrase it exactly. Should I wish for things to go back to how they were for Harvey?'
'Before when, ma chérie?' Dhassim licked the chocolate off his last Jaffa Cake. 'You said some woman had told lies about him. Ooh, what is that funny way you have of saying lies? Porky pies! You know, Jo, I am still a little hungry.'
Aaliyah drummed her fingernails on the table. 'Right, you want to wipe out everything she said or did, so his life returns to the point before that?'
'Yes, I think so. Oh heck, I don't know! My other wishes were a piece of cake compared to this. And no, Dhassim, I don't have any bloody cake.’ Jo ground her knuckles against her forehead, as if doing so would extract the correct wording to get the wish up and running.Think, Jo, think.
Then, as if a cartoon light bulb had lit up above her head, she had it. 'OK. Here goes. I wish… I wish for Harvey to be happy.'
Total silence. Even Aaliyah's WIFI went quiet, after a small string of squeaks that sounded suspiciously like farts.
Aaliyah gave an incredulous snort. 'That's it?'
