Chapter Four
When Willow uttered a delighted cry and threw her arms around Noah’s neck, she wasn’t thinking about their earlier interactions or how his decision to shut down Channel 5 would shatter her hopes and dreams. She was remembering how he’d once turned the crappiest summer of her life into a happy, unforgettable one.
He uttered a low oof, rocking back on his shoes before his arms closed around her. He hugged her with much less enthusiasm than that with which she hugged him. This was nothing new. She’d been the spontaneous, affectionate, and yes, it must be said, loud and wild one in their friendship. Noah had been the standoffish, quiet bookworm who’d wanted nothing to do with her at first, which of course had been all the motivation Willow had needed to try to win him over. She hadn’t met anyone she couldn’t be friends with, and she’d needed a friend that summer. She’d sensed that Noah had needed one too. She’d never discovered why he gave off that vibe, but what she had discovered was that he had a surprising sense of adventure, a great sense of humor, and the best laugh ever.
She released him, stepping back and lightly swatting his rock-hard abs as he stared at her with a slightly dazed expression on his gorgeous face. She was about to give him crap for not showing up at Hidden Cove the last day of his vacation as he’d promised, but before she could, Megan, with her arms crossed and looking as if she’d sucked back a whiskey sour, said, “What am I missing? How could you two possibly not know that you knew each other?”
“We were fifteen and only knew each other’s first names. And it’s not like we look the same as we did back then,” Willow said, still finding it hard to believe Bennett’s acting CEO and her Noah were one and the same.
“Why wouldn’t you share your last names? That’s just weird,” Megan said.
“No, it’s not. When you were fifteen, you didn’t go around introducing yourself as Megan Pecker,” Willow pointed out, hoping Megan would let it go at that. Because while it was mostly true, Willow had another reason she hadn’t shared her last name with Noah that summer. She might not be embarrassed by her family’s exploits now, but she had been back then.
At Megan’s ticked-off stare, Willow realized her best friend wasn’t pleased she’d shared her former surname. Willow supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. Even though Megan hated her cheating ex, she’d kept his last name, which went to show just how much she hated her own. Willow mouthed, Sorry.
She knew her apology wasn’t accepted when Megan said, “I guess I wouldn’t have wanted to share I was a Rosetti that summer either.” Leaning into Noah, she lowered her voice. “The mayor had a heart attack in Willow’s grandmother’s bed. He was married, and it wasn’t as if they could keep it on the down-low when the first responders arrived, lights flashing and sirens blaring.” She snickered. “There wasn’t much going on that night and half the town showed up, including the mayor’s wife.”
Willow’s cheeks heated at the memory. After the news broke, her friends’ parents had ensured that their daughters were too busy to hang out with her. Her sister and cousin hadn’t been around for support either. Her cousin had spent her summers in England with her dad, and Willow’s sister had accepted a summer internship with a local lawyer.
“The mayor’s wife had left him the week before, Megan. They were separated.” Willow glared at her friend, furious she’d bring that up here of all places, especially after how supportive Carmen had been throughout the breakup of Megan’s marriage.
If Carmen had been standing close by, Willow would’ve done more than glare at Megan. Not that glaring at her was doing any good. Megan was focused on Noah, completely ignoring her.
“I bet you knew she was a Rosetti, didn’t you?” Megan nudged Noah, giving him an encouraging wink. “With the amount of coverage Willow’s grandmother and family were getting on Channel 5 that summer, they had to be the topic of conversation around the Bennett family’s dinner table.”
“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t spend a lot of time with my family that summer.” He drew his gaze from Megan to her. “All I knew about Willow was that she wouldn’t take no for an answer and seemed to be on a mission to push me out of my comfort zone and make me laugh.” He smiled. “Some of my best memories of Sunshine Bay involved her.”
Willow pressed a palm to her chest, touched as well as taken aback. It was surreal hearing those words out of Mercedes Man’s mouth. “That’s so sweet of you to say, Noah. I felt the same about you.”
He raised his eyebrows, and she laughed. “Not that you pushed me out of my comfort zone or wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She was about to say she too had wonderful memories of their summer together but then recalled what Megan had said. “Um, are you related to the Bennetts?”
“My mother was Elizabeth Bennett.”
Megan rolled her eyes. “Honestly, how could you not know this, Willow?”
“How was I supposed to know? I didn’t know Noah’s last name, and even if I did, it’s Elliot!” She briefly closed her eyes while absorbing the news. Elizabeth Bennett had inherited Bennett Broadcasting Group when her father passed away in the fall of 2011 and had run the company until her death the year before. “I had no idea, Noah.” She touched his arm. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
His nod was curt, a warning the subject was closed. “Thank you.”
“This has all been very enlightening, but if you don’t mind, we’d appreciate being seated sometime tonight,” Megan said, looping her arm through Noah’s while smiling up at him.
Willow grabbed a couple of menus from the hostess stand, fighting the urge to smack Megan with them. She was acting like a… Willow trailed off from the not-so-nice thought about her best friend’s not-so-nice behavior when a life-changing realization came to mind. Noah Elliot was her Noah. He had fond memories of Sunshine Bay and of her. A smile turned up the corners of her lips. He couldn’t say no to her. He’d said so himself.
On the promise of that thought, she was practically beside herself with joy and ran to the fountain. She reached in her pocket, tossed her quarter in, and whispered, “I’ll never doubt you again, Venus. Thanks for making my wish come true.”
She looked up to see Megan and Noah staring at her and tamped down the urge to do a happy dance. She smiled. “I’ll take you to your table.”
Noah walked beside her, his gaze roaming her face. “I should’ve known it was you. The name and costume must’ve thrown me. You haven’t changed.”
“I have so changed,” she said, slightly offended, as she ushered them to a table near the back of the restaurant.
She had boobs now, a nice rack as a matter of fact. Her butt wasn’t bad either. At fifteen, she hadn’t had any curves to speak of. She’d been a late bloomer. Besides that, her hair no longer resembled a clown’s wig. The humidity had turned it into a frizz ball until she’d learned the value of good hair product that ensured she always had long, beachy blond waves.
“You’ve changed too,” she said as she stopped at a table for two in a private corner.
It was true. He no longer had a mouthful of metal. His teeth were toothpaste-commercial white and straight. Thick black-framed glasses no longer detracted from the beauty of his indigo eyes or slid down his strong, straight nose. A sexy five o’clock shadow darkened his chiseled jaw instead of the peach fuzz she remembered.
But she didn’t feel comfortable bringing up those particular changes so instead she said, “You have to be at least six inches taller than me now.”
She’d been five-nine since seventh grade. Noah had been shorter than her by at least an inch when they met. Now they were standing close enough that she had to tip her head to meet his gaze—close enough that she smelled his cologne or maybe it was his aftershave. She didn’t know which, but from hugging him, she knew he smelled irresistible. She wanted to bury her nose in the warm curve of his corded neck and inhale the woodsy fragrance.
“At least,” he said, his voice deep and velvet smooth but without the sardonic edge she’d heard in it earlier. He sounded amused.
She smiled, and his eyes warmed, crinkling at the corners. She liked this Noah so much better than Mercedes Man Noah. She even thought she might like him better than Summer of 2011 Noah, and she’d liked that Noah a lot.
Megan made as much noise as possible pulling out her chair, ensuring she had both of their attention. Willow loved her best friend, but ever since Megan had announced she was on the hunt for husband number two, she hadn’t been acting like herself. She seemed a little desperate, and her desperation was putting a strain on their friendship. Willow didn’t understand why Megan would want another man after the number her ex had done on her, but that was probably because Willow broke out in hives at the mere idea of a long-term relationship.
But it wasn’t only their friendship feeling the strain. Several members of the Beaches, their squad, had commented that Girls’ Night Out and Beaches Book Club were no longer as fun as they used to be, putting the blame squarely on Megan’s obsession with finding husband number two.
Megan took the menus from Willow’s hand, raising an eyebrow in a manner that suggested Willow was falling down on her waitressing duties and confirming that when she sighed and said in a haughty voice, “I’ll have a mojito.” Then, without so much as a glance at Willow, she smiled at her dinner companion, her voice low and sultry when she asked, “What will you have, Noah?”
Willow would’ve laughed if she weren’t hurt by how Megan was treating her. Then again, maybe she was overreacting. These past months, she’d been overly sensitive when anyone seemed to suggest she didn’t have her act together. Except Noah’s brow was furrowed, his gaze moving from her to Megan and back again, suggesting that he’d noticed too.
He smiled at her. “Whiskey on the rocks, thanks.”
She returned his smile and then headed for the bar, thinking of the best way to broach the subject of the sale with Noah as she filled their drinks order. With the fate of the station hanging in the balance, she was sure her mom and grandmother would understand if she took a break and joined Noah and Megan for a few minutes, perhaps while they were enjoying dessert.
But when Willow returned with a basket of warm homemade bread and a bowl of herbed olive oil for dipping, along with their drinks, Megan was already discussing the sale with Noah.
“I don’t foresee a problem meeting your timeline. I’ve already made a list of developers to approach for the building on Main Street, and I can take care of selling the office furniture and equipment—”
“Here you go,” Willow interrupted Megan, setting the drinks, bread, and dip on the table, surprised she managed to sound cheerful when she was dying inside.
“Thanks, Willow. The bread smells amazing,” Noah said.
“Wait until you taste it. My grandmother makes the best—”
“Willow, do you mind? Noah and I are in the middle of a conversation,” Megan interrupted her with a pointed look. “We’ll let you know when we’re ready to order.” She dismissed Willow. “Now, where were we?”
Willow stared at Megan. She’d brushed off Willow’s request for a quick word while knowing exactly what she wanted to talk to her about. There was no way she didn’t. And now it sounded as if she was seconds away from sealing the deal and Channel 5’s fate, with no thought for the impact that it would have on Willow’s and her colleagues’ lives.
“Noah, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to Megan for a minute,” Willow said, reaching for her best friend’s hand before she could object.
“Sure. No problem. I have a call to return anyway,” Noah said.
If Noah hadn’t mentioned the call, Willow had a feeling Megan wouldn’t have acquiesced to her request. As it was, Megan muttered, “I don’t know what your problem is, but you better make this quick” as Willow led her to the back door of the restaurant.
Willow opened her mouth to tell Megan exactly what was wrong when they stepped outside, only to discover all the tables on the deck were occupied. Willow smiled, nodding at the diners, asking each table if they were enjoying their meal while nudging Megan toward the stairs leading to the beach.
Once they were standing in the sand and out of hearing range of the diners on the deck, Willow said, “You know exactly what the problem is, Megan. If Noah closes the station instead of selling it—”
Megan rolled her eyes. “All you talk about anymore is the station. You’re obsessed, and frankly, it’s annoying.”
“I’m sorry if you find it annoying, Megan. But my friends’ jobs and mine are on the line so I think it’s understandable that all I’ve been thinking about is a way to convince Noah to sell Channel 5 instead of shutting us down. Honestly, as my friend, I’d think you’d be more sympathetic and supportive.” She didn’t remind Megan of the two years Willow had spent supporting her through her divorce. “I’d been planning to ask you to have my back and help me convince Noah to give us more time, which I know you knew.”
Megan lifted a shoulder. “So what if I did? You might be my best friend but there’s no way I’d mess up this deal by stalling the sale, even for you. Noah wants everything done like yesterday, and I’ll do my best to make that happen. The way things have been going, I didn’t think I’d make Real Estate Agent of the Year the third year running. But with the sale of the building on Main Street and the beach house, I actually have a chance now.”
Willow studied her best friend and didn’t like what she saw. She wondered how she’d missed the signs because, thinking back over the past year, Megan had given her plenty of signs. Her voice was subdued when she said, “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t need you after all.”
Megan’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I didn’t stand a chance of changing Acting CEO Noah Elliot’s mind, but this is my Noah we’re talking about. You heard him. He never could say no to me.” She allowed herself a small smile.
By the time Noah had paid the check, it was Megan who was wearing a smile. And it wasn’t a small smile, it was big and smug.