Three Little Wishes

Chapter Twenty-Five

Willow sat in the passenger seat of Noah’s car two days later. She was meeting with one of the heads of Boston’s top-rated news stations, the only one left on their prospective-buyers list who hadn’t said no.

“I appreciate you driving me, Noah. I know you have a lot on your plate.”

He glanced at her. “It’s not a big deal, Willow. I can work from the car while you’re in your meeting.”

“It kind of is a big deal. We haven’t exactly been on the best of terms the past two days.”

“We’ve been through this. I don’t blame you for Riley being at Last Call. I know exactly who encouraged her to go.”

Of course he’d figured out that Riley had been there. If he hadn’t, the videos that had gone viral this morning would’ve clued him in.

“And we’ve been over that too.” She sighed. “I know you were mad that I took Cami’s side, but she felt bad enough, and so did Riley. You yelling at them instead of giving them a chance to explain wasn’t helping.”

“I didn’t yell at them. You were yelling at me, and I had no choice but to raise my voice to be heard.”

“That’s not the way I remember it.”

“You have a selective memory.”

“And you see everything in black and white, Noah. Once you make up your mind about a situation, you won’t even consider there’s another side to it. You’re right and that’s all that matters.”

“When it comes to my sister’s well-being I am. I don’t care that Cami and Riley were at Last Call because they got it into their heads you needed protection from Megan. As far as I’m concerned, Riley needs protection from whatever other harebrained scheme Cami comes up with.”

“Don’t talk about her like that. She’s going through a difficult time, and you know that. You could be a little more compassionate.”

“My fifteen-year-old sister could’ve been arrested, and now that the video is out there for all the world to see, I have to get ahead of it and convince her father to let Riley stay with me.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I didn’t even think about what would happen if Billy found out. I can talk to him if you want.”

“It’s fine.” He glanced at her. “I’m sorry too. I don’t want you worrying about this before your meeting.”

“All we seem to do these days is argue, and I hate it.”

“I don’t like it any more than you do.” He lifted his hand off the steering wheel, and she thought he was going to reach for hers, but instead he rubbed it up and down the side of his face. “We’re both on edge, and we both know why.”

“The paternity test.” She nodded. “It’s almost as if we’re trying to put distance between us by fighting.”

“We don’t have much longer to wait.”

She’d been hopeful after seeing the photo Riley had shown them of Flynn and his family. Willow shared more than a passing resemblance to his daughters. And she thought Cami taking his surname was as relevant as Cami naming her after Will.

Noah wasn’t as positive. He dealt in facts and figures, not fantasies, and he wanted to wait until the DNA results came in. They’d fought about that too. That fight had been all on her. She knew Noah was right, but she’d begun worrying that with everything going on, he was questioning his feelings for her. It didn’t help that they’d argued about her paternity right before Megan had asked to meet her at Last Call.

Willow rested her head against the seat, briefly closing her eyes to the traffic on either side of them. She needed a distraction from everything going on with Noah and from her nerves about the upcoming presentation. The pressure of this meeting weighed heavy on her shoulders. The future of Channel 5 would be decided today.

She turned her head, her gaze moving over Noah’s handsome profile. He must’ve felt her studying him, and his eyes met hers, holding her gaze. She felt the familiar zing of attraction and straightened in her seat. This wasn’t helping.

“Would you mind if I go over the presentation with you?” she asked.

“Of course not.”

By the time Noah pulled into the parking lot beside the office tower, Willow had gone over the presentation so many times she had a feeling she’d be reciting it in her sleep.

“You’ve got this, Willow. There’s nothing they could ask you that you don’t know the answer to,” he reassured her as he opened her door.

She got out of the car and smoothed her skirt instead of kissing him like she wanted to. “Thank you.” She looked around the packed parking lot, the sun beating down on the Mercedes. “Are you sure you want to wait here? There’s a restaurant across the road. A couple coffee shops too.”

“I’m good. We’ll go out and celebrate after your meeting.”

She held up two fingers and crossed them while glancing up at the imposing glass-and-steel building.

“Don’t be nervous. They wouldn’t have scheduled a face-to-face if they weren’t interested.”

An hour and a half later, she learned they were interested, just not in buying Channel 5. Noah was leaning against the car when she walked across the lot toward him.

“Ted called you, didn’t he?” For the first ten minutes of the meeting, Ted, the head honcho at the station, had talked about Noah and how much he respected and admired him.

“He did, and before you ask, I had nothing to do with you getting a face-to-face with them, or with their offer. Ted wanted me to put in a good word for them, that’s all. They want you for you, Willow. They’d be stupid not to. And Ted is not a stupid man.” His gaze roamed her face. “Why don’t we go and get something to eat? You can tell me what you think about the offer. But you should know that they’re willing to negotiate.”

“Negotiate? Noah, I can’t believe the compensation package they offered me,” she said as he guided her across the parking lot with his hand at the small of her back.

“Whatever they offered you, you’re worth ten times more.”

She sputtered a laugh. “You’re biased.”

“Personally, I am. But not professionally. You’re the only one who doesn’t recognize how talented you are, Willow,” he said as they stood waiting for the traffic light to change.

“You’re great for my ego, you know. But Noah, this isn’t just about me. How can I even think about entertaining their offer when Naomi, Victoria, and everyone else at Channel 5 will be out of a job?”

Noah held open the door to the crowded upscale restaurant. “Is that the only thing holding you back from accepting?”

A couple of weeks before, she probably wouldn’t have even entertained the offer. She would’ve been overcome with anxiety at the thought of leaving her family and Sunshine Bay and would’ve refused almost immediately. But she’d begun to wonder if some of her anxiety had more to do with her not believing in herself and her broadcasting chops than it had to do with leaving Sunshine Bay. Lately, thanks to Noah’s unwavering support and faith in her, she’d started seeing herself as he did.

“Willow?”

She glanced at Noah. He and the hostess were looking at her as if expecting a response to something one of them had said.

“They don’t have any tables available inside.” Noah clued her in. “Are you okay on the rooftop patio?”

“Of course. Sorry about that,” she murmured to Noah as they followed the hostess up the stairs. “My mind was elsewhere.”

He reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Understandable.”

When they were seated at a glass table under a black umbrella, a waitress came over to take their order. Willow ordered a lavender lemonade and Noah ordered a citrus spritzer. They settled on a platter of seafood appetizers to share.

Noah leaned back in his chair. “Would it make it easier for you to accept the offer if I told you that I’ll do whatever I can to ensure everyone at Channel 5 finds a job?”

She looked away, blinking the gathering moisture from her eyes. He really was perfect. The kindest, most considerate man she’d ever known. The smile she offered him wobbled. “It would.”

“I’m sensing a but.”

The waiter approached with their order. Willow waited until he walked away to tell Noah how she was feeling. “When Ted and his management team were talking about their plans for me, I realized how different it would be from working with everyone at Channel 5. They’re a major network, so I knew it wouldn’t be the same, and this will probably sound naive to you, but our vision for a new, improved Channel 5 didn’t just come from Don, Victoria, Naomi, and me, everyone gave their input. It was a group decision. We’re a team.” She took a sip of her lemonade. “But I’m not sure everyone else feels the same as me.”

“Maybe I’m missing something, but unless you have another buyer interested in the station, it’s a moot point.”

“And here I had been thinking you were the kindest, most considerate man I’ve ever known,” she grumbled.

His lips twitched. “That’s an improvement over how you’ve been thinking about me lately.”

“Did you miss the part where I said I had been?”

He held her gaze. “I’ve missed a lot about you these past few days.”

“Ditto,” she murmured.

He glanced at the couples at the surrounding tables, who were clearly enjoying a romantic lunch.

“This might not have been the best idea.” Now that she’d noticed the couples, she couldn’t seem to look away. That could’ve been Noah and her just a few days ago, before they’d learned the truth. It still could be, a hopeful voice whispered in her head. She wondered if Noah was thinking the same thing.

Obviously not, she decided, when the next words out of his mouth were, “So if you’re not going to accept the job, what are you going to do?”

She didn’t relish the idea of bringing up Last Call or Megan, but there was no way around it if she was going to tell him the idea Megan had shared with her the other night. “Megan didn’t only invite me to Last Call to offer an apology and an explanation for her behavior. She—”

“What could Megan possibly say that would explain how she acted, not to mention earn your forgiveness?” He looked at her. “Please tell me you didn’t accept her apology.”

“It was a heartfelt apology, Noah. She cried.”

He snorted and picked up a shrimp.

“Okay, so she sniffled, but she was on the verge of tears. And her apology was genuine.”

He raised an eyebrow and bit into the shrimp, baring his straight, white teeth.

“You weren’t there so you can’t judge, and just to say, you’re being pretty judgy. She was having a really bad day when she found out you were pausing the sale. One of her coworkers had just told her she was dating Megan’s ex, and not only was she dating him, she’d gotten the listing of his friend’s vacation home, which puts her in the running for Real Estate Agent of the Year.”

“So that somehow makes it okay for Megan to say what she did to you?” He picked up a crab cake, dipping it rather forcefully into the spicy rémoulade.

“You know, we did a story about how your body doesn’t absorb nutrients if you’re angry or upset when you’re eating.”

“Obviously that’s not a problem for you. You don’t get angry.” He paused with the crab cake halfway to his mouth. “Except you do with me. I wonder why that is?”

“Despite what you seem to think, you’re not the only one I get upset with. But life’s too short to hold a grudge. And like I said, Megan apologized, profusely.”

“Did she also apologize for forcing you to sell your home and putting you in debt?”

“She didn’t force me to sell. It was the only way for me to get the money. But yes, she did apologize for that too, and before you ask, she also apologized for her uncle asking me to leave two weeks earlier than I expected.” Even she had to admit she sounded like a doormat if all it had taken for her to forgive Megan was a heartfelt apology.

The thing was that Megan had offered her more than an apology. She’d come up with an idea for saving Channel 5 if their efforts to sell the station failed. She’d broached the idea of an employee buyout, and she’d spent a lot of time researching the ins and outs. She had the facts and figures to back it up. She’d also offered to loan Willow the money for the buyout to make up for the losses Willow had sustained from the house flip. An offer Willow appreciated but wouldn’t accept, and given how Noah felt about Megan, she wasn’t comfortable mentioning the employee buyout to him, at least not yet.

“What does Megan have to do with your plans for the future?” he asked after swallowing his crab cake. His eyes narrowed. “Please tell me you’re not flipping houses with her again.”

“No, but she gave me an idea, and before you ask, I’m not telling you what it is. Not until I talk to everyone at Channel 5.”

“So you really aren’t going to accept Ted’s offer?”

“I have forty-eight hours to give them my decision. If I can’t get everyone at Channel 5 on board, I’ll accept the offer.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. She had to organize a meeting with her coworkers today and present Megan’s idea. And then they’d have to present the offer to Noah. “Would you be available to meet with us around two tomorrow?”

It would mean pulling an all-nighter, but they had no time to waste. They had to meet Noah’s deadline for the sale.

“I have a conference call at two. Would three work?”

The silent auction was the next night, and she had to help with the setup, but she could make it work.

“Absolutely. Thank you.” She picked up a crab cake. “Now let’s talk about what you’re going to say to Billy.”