Three Little Wishes

Chapter Fourteen

Is it safe to come out? You’re not going to strangle me or tell me you’re kicking me and Cami out of the beach house?” Willow asked as she walked across the lawn to where a broody Noah sat by the fire.

For the first time in weeks, she hadn’t been hit, chased, peed on, or pooped on (by a flock of seagulls) while filming her weather report. It was the aftermath that had led to this moment.

They’d planned on filming from the dock, but when they were setting up, a group of teenage boys offered to take them out in their speedboat. They were so excited about the idea of appearing in her broadcast that neither Willow nor Naomi had the heart to say no. They should’ve said no. The filming went smoothly but things went sideways as soon as they returned to the dock and Cami got a look at the boys.

It was the first time she’d come out of her bedroom since the Flynn debacle at the grocery store. The second Willow had pulled into the driveway, Cami had bolted from the car. Heartbroken that the teenager she’d thought was Flynn wasn’t. Willow hadn’t had a choice. She’d had to remind her aunt that she was forty-seven and not seventeen and Flynn was no longer a part of her life. To say it hadn’t gone well would be an understatement.

So of course Willow had been thrilled when Cami ventured out of her room, smiling at the boys with an excited gleam in her eyes. Okay, so the excited gleam had worried her, and she’d learned soon enough that it should.

When Cami tried to drag Riley over to meet the boys, literally drag her, a fight had broken out between them, and everyone had learned just how much fun they’d had earlier in the day.

And because if Willow had any luck at all, it was bad luck, Noah had arrived in time to hear about Cami’s near flashing and Riley’s near drowning, which was bad enough. But they didn’t stop there. Oh no, they had to share what had happened on Main Street.

“What are my other options?” Noah asked, tracking her approach as a lion tracks its prey.

“An angry kiss?” She blamed the way the firelight danced on the hard angles of his gorgeous face for the suggestion.

“As tempted as I am to find out what an angry kiss feels like, I don’t think it would be conducive to the conversation we’re about to have.”

“Just to say, my vote would be for the angry kiss instead of the conversation,” she shared as she took a seat on the Adirondack chair beside him.

“Noted. But you’ve piqued my curiosity. Just how good is an angry kiss?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had one.” She tilted her head, thinking back to her last boyfriend. “Unless you count someone kissing me to shut me up as an angry kiss.”

His lips twitched. “I admit I’ve been tempted to kiss you for the same reason.”

“Maybe we should stick to the conversation you wanted to have,” she said, smiling when he laughed. “But teasing aside, Noah, I’d understand if you want Cami and me to leave.”

“I don’t want you to leave. Your aunt is another story, but for reasons unfathomable to me, Riley informed me that she wouldn’t speak to me for a month if I asked Cami to leave. I didn’t tell her that wasn’t her best negotiating tactic.”

After Cami and Riley stopped arguing, Noah had taken his sister down to the beach to talk, and Willow had brought her aunt inside to do the same. She had a feeling Noah’s conversation with Riley had been more productive than hers with her aunt.

“You didn’t have to. She’d figured it out by the time she came in to help us with dinner. She said, I quote, ‘My brother is the only person I know who would be happy living on his own on a deserted island.’”

“She’s not entirely wrong. I do like quiet and my own space.”

“I think you’d be bored in a week.”

“I’m looking forward to finding out.”

“What do you mean?”

“An hour after the company is dissolved on the thirteenth, I leave for a polar expedition in the Canadian High Arctic, and then every six weeks after that, I’ll be joining expeditions in remote locations around the world.” He couldn’t hide his excitement. There was a light in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in the past few days.

But she had seen it over the course of their three weeks together during the summer of 2011. “I remember you talking about this. Not this exactly, but how you wanted to travel the world. The places you wanted to see.” He’d had an insatiable curiosity she’d admired. She had been a little in awe of him, even back then.

“I hadn’t thought about it before, but now that you mention it, I guess I did begin planning my itinerary then. I’ve refined it over the years but it hasn’t deviated much from the original plan.” His gaze followed the sparks from the fire shooting up into the night sky. “I didn’t think I’d have the opportunity for another ten years, at least. My mother’s death, sadly, expedited things.”

“Your mother had planned to dissolve the company in ten years?”

He nodded. “She was tired. I should’ve pushed the issue for her sake, not mine, but she had other people in her ear. Over the past three years, I acted in the capacity of her co-CEO to take some of the burden off her and to give her more time with my sister.”

“Riley mentioned you were head of the legal department. Did you continue in both roles?”

“I did. My mother didn’t like to delegate or give up control, unless it was to a member of the family, and I was the only one. It was the same when my grandfather ran the company. My mother had been the head of public relations, and she’d stepped into his shoes hours after he died. I don’t think she ever felt comfortable in the role.”

“Since you’re dissolving the corporation, I’m guessing you didn’t either.”

“I didn’t want any part of it, to be honest. But I wasn’t given a choice. Like my uncle, I’d been groomed for the role since birth. Unlike me, from what I’ve been told, he couldn’t wait to take over the reins of the family business. My mother used to joke if Will, that was her brother, had had his way, he would’ve staged a coup and thrown my grandfather over.”

“I didn’t know you had an uncle.”

“He died the summer of ’94. Totaled his car just outside of Sunshine Bay. He was only eighteen.” He glanced at the beach house. “My grandparents closed up the beach house and rarely came back. It was my mother who convinced them not to sell. She loved it here, and so did my father.”

“I’ve never heard you mention your father.”

“My parents divorced when I was ten. My father didn’t appreciate how much time my mother gave to the company. He blamed my grandfather for their divorce.”

“Do you have a relationship with him?”

“A phone call now and then. He remarried six months after the divorce was finalized and started a new family. And before you ask, no, I don’t have a relationship with them. My father didn’t encourage it.”

“That’s horrible. It’s all horrible,” she said, getting emotional. “I hate that your father made you feel unwanted and that you weren’t allowed to choose what you wanted to do with your life. No one should do that to a child.” She crossed her arms. “Your family sucked. Not your mother or Riley, obviously. Or your uncle. It’s really sad he died so young. But everyone else sucked.”

His lips twitched. “My grandfather and grandmother Bennett were very nice, if somewhat demanding.”

“Are you laughing at me?”

“No. Maybe a little.” He grinned and reached for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. “I appreciate your anger on my behalf. I really do. But it’s unwarranted.”

“How can you say that?”

“Easily. I’ve led a privileged life. I might not have wanted it or asked for it, but because of who my family is, at twenty-four, I walked into a role at the company that I hadn’t earned. But as much as I didn’t want to be involved in the company, I enjoyed the work, and more, the people I worked with. I also was, and am, extremely well compensated.”

“I’ve seen how hard you work, Noah. And I know how smart you are so don’t try and tell me you didn’t deserve your position. You’re just being modest.”

“And you’re being sweet.”

“Don’t try and distract me. Riley told me a little about your relationship with your stepfather, so I know things didn’t get better for you. Was Billy the reason you hung out with me instead of with your family?”

“I don’t know any fifteen-year-old boy who’d prefer spending their summer vacation with their family when they could spend it with a gorgeous fifteen-year-old girl who made them laugh.”

“Now look who’s being sweet.” She smiled. “And be honest, I didn’t always make you laugh.”

“You’re right, and I was reminded of the many times you drove me crazy when I heard what Cami got up to today.”

“You can’t compare me to my aunt. I was not that wild. I didn’t nearly flash my boobs at a bunch of boys or ask you to pretend you’re drowning to get someone’s attention.”

“You didn’t flash your boobs at a bunch of boys, you flashed them at me.”

“It’s not the same. It was an accidental flashing. I didn’t lose my bikini top on purpose. A rogue wave took me out.”

He lifted his hands. “You didn’t hear me complaining, did you?”

“No.” She laughed. “You turned bright red, stammered something unintelligible while pointing at my boobs, and then dove under the water and didn’t resurface for what felt like ten minutes.”

“I was smooth, wasn’t I?” He laughed. “But to my credit, I found your bikini top.”

“You did, and you gallantly kept your back to me when you handed it over. I could’ve done without the knot-tying lecture that followed, though, and the demonstration.”

“You never know when you’ll be called upon to tie a good knot.”

“This is true, but what isn’t true is you insinuating I’m just like my aunt. I didn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to.”

He held up his hand and began ticking off his fingers. “Snorkeling, which is when I had my near-drowning experience.”

“Okay, but just to point out, you could swim, and I rescued you.”

He raised an eyebrow and continued. “Surfing, skateboarding, biking ten miles on the hottest day of the year, and off-roading on that guy’s ATV that you borrowed.” He held up his other hand.

She leaned over and pulled his hands down. “I get it. I pushed you out of your comfort zone, but you have to admit you had fun. And just think, if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have realized you were an adventurer at heart and started planning your trip around the world.”

“I’m not sure I’d go that far, but I did have an incredible amount of fun with you.” He glanced at the beach house. “That said, I would prefer if my baby sister didn’t have the same kind of fun with your aunt as I did with you.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that. The teenage version of my aunt is all about boys, and I was all about having fun, even if that fun made you uncomfortable at times.”

He stared at her. “You can’t possibly believe that makes me feel better.”

“I did, but obviously I was wrong. I’ll talk to Cami and set some boundaries.”

“I’m not sure Cami knows the meaning of boundaries. At least the seventeen-year-old version of your aunt. I’m going to have nightmares for a week just thinking about them driving around in that car. I never should’ve listened to the rental agent and kept it for renters to use.”

He had a point, and she imagined, with what had happened to Noah’s uncle Will, his reaction to his baby sister driving around with Cami would have been even more visceral than hers. “I don’t have anything going on tomorrow other than my weather reports and a meeting first thing in the morning with Don and the rest of the team to go over the package we’re sending to prospective buyers, so I can spend the day with Cami and Riley.”

“I have a couple of calls I can’t put off, and I’d like to sit in on the meeting with you, Don, and the team, but other than that, I’ve cleared my schedule so I can hang around here if you need to pack.”

“Thank you, but I’ve had so many offers of help, it’ll probably take me less than three hours to finish up packing and move everything here. I’ve scheduled the move for Saturday during dinner service at La Dolce Vita so my family can’t help. Is that okay with you?”

“I’m good with whatever works for you.” He lowered his voice. “After what happened downtown today, do you really think you can keep your aunt under wraps for much longer?”

“I just have to keep her hidden for a few more days. The restaurant only opens for dinner service on Mondays, and it’s usually slow, so my sister and I figure that’s the best day to break the news to our family. We just want to confirm with my cousin. We’re going to talk tomorrow.” She glanced at the beach house. “It would help if Cami got her memory back between now and Monday. If I knew what caused the estrangement, maybe we could avoid some of the drama.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know my family. Drama is all but guaranteed. A lot of yelling, swearing, and guilting me, and at some point, we’ll probably have to call 911 or Father Patrick because my nonna will think she’s having a heart attack.” She winced at the thought that it might not be an act this time. “Bruno, her fiancé, is really good at calming her down so fingers crossed”—she crossed hers and held them up—“it won’t come to that. And my sister and cousin will have my back, so I should be good. For Cami’s sake, I just hope that they can get past whatever tore them apart. Knowing how the family feels about her, it hurts my heart when Cami talks about them. She loves them so much.”

He reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Just don’t let them hurt your heart.”

A flock of butterflies took flight in her stomach at his words. They felt meaningful, important somehow, as if the flirty thing they’d been doing for the past couple of days had shifted into something deeper. She wondered if that’s why they sat staring into each other’s eyes, as if holding their breath. Waiting for one of them to break the silence and say what they were thinking. Then again, maybe she’d read more into his words and gentle touch than he’d meant and he was simply waiting for her to respond.

But before she had a chance to say something, Noah cleared his throat, gave her a half smile, and came to his feet. “They’re too quiet in there. I’m getting worried.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. They were doing makeovers, and I asked them to come up with a menu for the week. Cami’s cooking, in case you’re wondering, not me.”

“Her carbonara was amazing so you’ll get no complaints from me. I could’ve done without the water fight, though.” He gave her a pointed look.

She held up her hands. “It wasn’t me who started it. They ganged up on me. I had to defend myself. But if you thought that was bad, you should’ve seen the water fights my sister, cousin, and I had.” She shrugged. “Besides, they helped clean up, they had fun, and there were no boys involved.”

“Not for lack of your aunt trying. But Cami does make Riley laugh. If you close your eyes and listen to them, it’s as if they’ve known each other for weeks and are the best of friends. When they’re not fighting, that is. It’s when you open your eyes and see your sister’s new best friend is a forty-seven-year-old woman that it gets weird.”

“It’s not that weird. I have friends who are decades older than me.”

“Yes, but you’re twenty-eight, not fifteen.”

“Riley’s mature for her age. It’s as if she’s fifteen going on thirty. You were the same.”

“A lot of good it did me keeping you out of trouble.”

“We’re not back to that, are we?”

“No, we’re back to me checking on what kind of trouble your aunt might be getting my baby sister into. While I’m doing that, would you like me to get you a glass of wine?”

“That would be nice, thanks.” She smiled, relaxing in the chair and looking out over the water. She’d grown up with a similar view. It was one of the things she’d missed when she’d moved out on her own. She couldn’t afford the homes or rentals on the water. Even the homes a few blocks away had been out of her price range. She had no reason to complain, though. In Sunshine Bay, you were never more than a ten-minute walk to the ocean. That said, she was going to enjoy every minute of her time here.

“Willow!”

She startled at Noah’s bellow, cursed her aunt for whatever she’d done now, and ran to the beach house. She threw open the screen door. Noah stood in the living room with his back to her. “What’s going on?”

He turned, walked toward her, handed her an empty bottle of wine, and said, “You deal with her, or I will.”

At the same time he did this, Willow got a look at Cami and Riley sitting on the couch, and her jaw dropped.

“It’s not a trick of the lighting. My sister’s hair is pink.”

“I’m sure it’ll wash out.”

“I don’t care about her hair, Willow. What I do care about is that my fifteen-year-old sister is drunk.”

“I’m not drunk! She is.” Riley jerked her thumb at Cami, who apparently thought that was hysterical and collapsed on the couch giggling. Riley smiled, showing off her purple teeth.

Noah looked at them, shook his head, and then stalked to the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

An hour later, Willow rejoined Noah by the fire. “Riley’s okay. She had half a glass of wine, and I washed her hair. It was food dye so most of it came out. She’s sleeping, and so is my aunt, who will be hungover in the morning. On a positive note, she probably won’t want to do anything other than lie around all day tomorrow.”

He turned his head to look at her.

“I know, I know, and I’m not trying to make excuses for Cami but Riley said she was still upset about Flynn.”

“So my sister tried to cheer her up by drinking with her?” he said in a familiar sardonic tone that a few days ago would’ve made her grit her teeth, but she didn’t blame him for being angry.

“No. Cami tried to cheer herself up by drinking, which I’m sure her forty-seven-year-old self knows only makes things worse, but her seventeen-year-old self doesn’t. If it’s any consolation, Cami didn’t push Riley to drink. My aunt apparently didn’t feel like sharing, but Riley was curious. At least she tried it when she was in a safe environment, right?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly how angry are you right now? Angry enough to kick my aunt out or could we compromise and you could pretend to strangle her?” She searched his face. “No? How about an angry kiss? With me, not my aunt.”

“I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at—”

She gasped. “You can’t kiss my aunt. First of all, she’s drunk, and she’s sleeping. Secondly, I don’t want you to kiss my aunt. I want you to kiss—”

He cut her off before she told him the truth and said “me,” and he did this by leaning in and kissing her. It was nothing like the lip-lock they’d shared at fifteen, which had been a literal lip-lock. Noah Elliot had learned to kiss, and like everything else he did, he did it exceptionally well.

“You’ve clearly been practicing,” she said when they came up for air. “And just for the record, that wasn’t an angry kiss, was it?”

“Did you really stop kissing me to talk about what type of kiss it was?”

“No. Of course not. I just thought we were taking a breather, and I was complimenting your technique. You’re a very good kisser.” She leaned in. “I promise not to interrupt you again.”

He smiled. “Glad to hear it. And just for the record, that was not an angry kiss. That was also not me trying to shut you up with a kiss, although it did cross my mind. That was me not being able to resist the temptation that is you for a second longer, even when I know I should.”

“You really, really shouldn’t,” she murmured, and then she kissed him.

Riley’s voice coming through the screen door interrupted them. “Um, Willow, Cami’s throwing up.”