Chapter 2
two
MAYA
I get a ride back to the cabin with Ellie and Theo, a sleeping Stevie next to me in the back seat.
“The timing’s actually great,” Theo says when he parks. “We finally got the guest room all set up.”
“Oh, I don’t need anything. I’d be fine in a sleeping bag. And please just tell me if I’m intruding.” The last thing I’d ever want is to be a burden. As nice as Theo is, I’m still struggling to navigate this new normal. Ellie and I both had boyfriends when we worked together in San Francisco, but there was always this unspoken rule that we came first. We were family .
We bonded over the stressful relationships we had with our parents, over feeling alone for so much of our young lives. We created a bond so special that it had to be magic. The one wish that changed my life for the better.
But now Ellie has a new family, a real family. It’s a strange feeling, to be so incredibly joyful for someone else’s happiness, because it still doesn’t stop me from grieving for myself. I love Theo. I can’t imagine a better partner for my best friend. I can’t help being jealous of him either.
“Don’t be silly,” Ellie says. “I’m thrilled you’re here. Honestly, I could use a little help, if you’re up for it.” She winces.
“Are you feeling okay?” I already can tell she isn’t. It’s clear by the way she walks. “When did the flare start?”
“Yesterday,” she says, as we make our way up to the front porch of the cabin. “It’s not too bad, but with Stevie…”
I can only imagine trying to care for a baby when your joints are screaming in pain. “I’d love to help. With anything you need.”
Theo opens the door to their newly renovated home. I actually haven’t been here since they built the expansion. It’s still as cozy as ever, but now it feels like a real house. A big house at that. They doubled the size of the kitchen and living area, and added a guest room and full bathroom to the first floor.
“Want to umm, borrow some clothes?” Ellie asks. I don’t miss the hint of laughter she’s trying to hold in.
“Yes, please,” I say, feeling more than ridiculous, still covered in ruined Vera Wang, but she’s already heading upstairs to get them. When she heads back down I tell her, “I’m sending a courier to pack up everything from Ryan’s place tomorrow.”
“Really?” Ellie asks, handing me a T-shirt and leggings. “So it’s like fully over between you then?”
“Why don’t I give you both some girl time?” Theo cuts in. “I can take Stevie with me to go run some errands.”
“Don’t you dare,” I say, holding out my arms and then snuggling the cutest baby in the world. “You go. I’ll take care of your girls.”
The look Theo throws us reminds me how much I love him for Ellie. He chokes out a quick “Thanks.”
“Okay.” I pin Ellie with a stare, holding Stevie on my hip. “I will tell you all about the wildest day of my life. But first, I’m taking care of my best friend. So, please go turn on Gilmore Girls while I make tea and popcorn and”—I pause, giving Stevie a quick sniff—“change this little angel’s diaper.”
It’s so easy to fall back into my old routine. I hate that Ellie’s lupus causes her so much pain, but I’ve always loved taking care of her.
I grab all the couch cushions to set us up on the floor, divide the popcorn into three bowls: one with salt and butter, one with cinnamon and sugar, and the last with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It’s the fanciest thing I can cook, if you can call using the microwave cooking.
I brew a huge pot of peppermint tea and set our steaming mugs on a table that Stevie can’t reach, and we all burrow into the cushions, finding the perfect position while we listen to Rory and Lorelai talk about Chilton.
The only difference between now and our time in San Francisco is the perfect pudgy one year old on my lap.
“This is such a treat, My. I cannot tell you how much I’ve missed girl time. Especially now that Theo has Liam right next door.”
“He seems…nice,” I say. What he seemed was sexy, his fiery red hair pulled back in a bun, letting his beard steal all the attention. Those piercing green eyes that seemed to be having a secret conversation of their own. He looked more like a lumberjack than a chef, barely fitting in the booth, but the softness he displayed with his daughter made him all sorts of complex.
He also seemed…off, in some way. Like he had some strict expectations of me to do or say something. But I don’t say any of this to Ellie. If she’s friends with him, I’m sure he’s great.
“He is. And Poppy’s such a sweetheart. She loves to babysit Stevie.”
“Is she old enough to babysit?” I already know the answer is definitely not.
Ellie laughs. “No, she’s seven. But she’ll come over and play with her while we’re home. She says she’s a babysitter in training, so as soon as she’s old enough she’ll be ready.”
“That’s adorable,” I croon.
“Yeah. And honestly, it’s nice to know we’ll have a sitter next door, even if we have to wait a few years.”
“Can I be your sitter until then?” I ask, hoping Ellie doesn’t remind me I’m less experienced than the child next door. “My calendar is wide open.”
This isn’t a hundred percent true. Ever since Ellie and I sold our website almost three years ago, I’ve been focusing more time on my travel blog and the family business. But consulting for my father’s hotel group lets me be busy sporadically, on my schedule. Normally, after a day like today I’d be off to one of my favorite cities, or even somewhere new to explore, but the urge to travel is not hitting me at all right now. After everything that happened this morning, all I want is to stay put and be with someone I can trust.
“All right. What happened? You’ve gotta spill, My.”
Okay. How do I explain this to Ellie? I’ve never hidden anything from her, except for the one most important thing, the reason we’re even friends. But I’ve never told a living soul about my wishing ability. Would she even believe me? And if she did, would she hate me for it?
“So, you know how everything with Ryan happened so fast?” I offer.
“Yes!” she exclaims. “I mean normally you have so much to share with me, like best sex of your life guy, or when you started seeing Greg and told me about that weird thing he did with—” I silence her with my eyes. “But then with Ryan, it was like you met and suddenly you’re planning to elope? I never got any details about him except the basics.”
“Wait, what?” I ask. Best sex of my life? She sadly must be thinking of someone else. She’s also very correct. I’m not a private person. And when I like a guy, I tell Ellie everything , even the delusional daydreams I have about our futures together. A very common occurrence.
But with Ryan, I never really daydreamed. He was perfect from the beginning. Never kept me guessing about his feelings. There just wasn’t that much to talk about.
“Nevermind all that, tell me about today,” she urges.
“Fine. It turns out Ryan was just using me to initiate his trust fund.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yep. He sort of…sought me out when we first met. It wasn’t an accident at all.” I still can’t believe how foolish I was, falling for all the ways he manipulated me. He bumped into me at my favorite coffee shop, one I had recently posted about on social media. Literally bumped, like spilled coffee all over each other. He called it our meet-cute, said it was love at first sight.
All he really saw were dollar signs. Maybe to him, that was love.
“Creep!”
“Agreed. His grandmother left him a hundred million in a trust, but he could only access it after he married. And the catch was that whomever he married had to sign a prenup that explicitly stated they wouldn’t have access to the money. So, he was on the hunt for a girl with her own money that would want a prenup. And one as foolish as I am, apparently.”
I didn’t think anything of it when I reviewed the prenup. My lawyer and I were both happy to keep all finances separate. His trust was large, but it still didn’t compare to what my board seat is worth for Bloom Hotels.
Still, I should have known when he asked for the elopement. At the time, he convinced me by saying it would be more special if it was just us, not for show. How he didn’t want to wait a year just so we could plan a big event. And I never wanted an extravagant wedding anyway. But I would have wanted Ellie there.
Maybe Ryan was worried he wouldn’t be able to fake it in front of a crowd.
“You’re not foolish, My. He played you. That could happen to anyone.”
“But it didn’t happen to anyone. It happened to me. Just like how Greg thought he could have an affair for a year without me knowing. Oh wait, he did,” I deadpan.
“It’s not because you’re foolish. You just have a big heart, and you look for the best in people. And Greg sucked.”
I soak up her words and look over at the TV. Rory and Dean are attempting to flirt and all I can think of is that I’m just like her. Nothing ever lasts for me. Every time I think I’ve found “the one” he’s worse than the guy before him. I’ve had my fair share of Logans, but now I think I’m more attracted to the stability of Luke.
“It never would have worked with Ryan anyway,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “I mean what would our ship name even be? Mayan ? Maybe I should just give up on love and be one of those spinsters everyone calls aunt . I can be the one who buys Stevie alcohol when she’s underage and embarrasses everyone at holiday gatherings.”
Ellie sighs. “I hate to break it to you, but the term spinster only applies if you’re twenty-five or under. You’d be called a thornback now.”
I glare at her. “How dare you.”
She giggles. “It’s kind of tough sounding though, right? Want me to make you a T-shirt? I have a whole crafting station set up at Liam’s from Poppy’s birthday.” She takes a sip of tea, her eyes sparkling back at me over the mug.
“If you make me any clothing with the word thornback on it, I’ll tell Theo about that time I caught you watching hockey under the covers on your iPad and?—”
“Okay! It was just a joke. I would never. And it wouldn’t matter anyway because I bet you’ll meet your real Prince Charming before you know it. You won’t be a thornback for long.” I glare again. “Want to pretend we’re in Practical Magic and make a spell to wish for your perfect man?”
I close my eyes, take a very deep breath. “Absolutely not.”
We watch TV and munch on popcorn for a while, only breaking the quiet when we admire how cute Stevie is when she falls asleep in between us with half her fist in her mouth.
“Wait,” Ellie cuts the silence. “How did you find out about Ryan’s plan? Who told you?”
“He did.”
“He just…decided to come clean on your wedding day? Moments before he’d get exactly what he wanted?”
I really don’t want to lie to Ellie. But I can’t exactly tell her the truth either.
“I was feeling uneasy about getting married, the elopement, all of it. I thought asking him to be honest with me would quell my nerves.”
I was so anxious I felt like throwing up. It was finally my day, my happily ever after, the thing I’d wanted for longer than I could remember. But then why did I feel such a sense of doom? Shouldn’t you be giddy and overcome with joy on your wedding day? I knew butterflies were normal, but these felt more like wasps.
“Ryan?” I asked, before it was our turn to sign the papers. “You’re sure we’re not moving too fast? This is what you want? You promise?”
“Baby, of course. I don’t want to go another day without being your husband.”
“But…why?” I knew I should be swooning over a guy who made declarations like that, but at that moment I needed hard evidence. Why couldn’t he want to be my fiancé a little longer? Why didn’t he want to soak up this special time and share it with our friends? “Is there a reason?”
The soft, loving face before me changed, just for a second. He fixed it quickly, but I didn’t miss the hint of irritation behind his eyes. And then I knew, if there was ever a time to use my gift, to not be worried about repercussions, it was now.
“I wish you’d be honest with me, Ryan. I wish you’d tell me anything you’re hiding. I wish you’d say exactly why getting married today is so important to you.”
And he did.
“I’m so sorry,” Ellie says. “If I wasn’t in so much pain right now, I would go to New York and kick his ass.”
“How bad is the pain?”
“Mmm, second base, I think?” When we were in college at Berkeley, we created baseball code for me to check Ellie’s pain level. That way if anyone overheard us, they’d think we were talking about boys instead of lupus.
“Where do you keep the heating pad?” I ask.
She smiles at me as I stand up. “Guest bathroom, under the sink. Thanks, My.”
“Of course.”
As I head down the hallway I hear her murmuring to Stevie, “I’m so glad she’s here.”
Me too , I think. But how long will she want me to stay?
I’m brewing a second pot of tea and scavenging their kitchen for some chocolate when I hear the front door open.
“Where’s Princess Maya?”
The voice is the little girl from the diner, Liam Harley’s daughter . I’m still a bit shell shocked that I just met my favorite chef today, while looking like a bride straight from hell. Eating his food was truly a religious experience, a night I will never forget.
And now that I know he’s not only an amazing cook but also… gorgeous , I’m more than curious about him. Like, is he married? Is Poppy’s mom on the other side of that door? Ellie mentioned he was friends with Theo, but nothing about a wife or girlfriend. And more importantly, why did he look at me today like we had some special secret between us?
I fill up our empty mugs and head back into the living room. “The princess is here!” I announce with as much theatrics as I can muster.
“Oh, you really can’t keep calling her that,” Ellie says to Poppy. “We’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Princess! Princess!”
“Hey, Poppy. You can just call me Maya. I wouldn’t want Ellie here to get jealous of my royalty.” I wink.
We all settle into the cushions, fussing over a just-woken Stevie who’s yawning in the cutest way possible.
“Hey,” Theo says, walking inside. “Poppy, you weren’t supposed to leave without us.”
Liam strolls in behind Theo, a grimace coating his features.
“Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Theo. I wanted to watch Frozen with Maya. So she’s not sad anymore.”
A collective “awww” comes from everyone but Liam, who’s staring down his daughter. She jumps up and jogs over to him, hugging one of his legs. “Can you make her a treat?”
He grunts, but I guess that’s a yes because he makes his way to the kitchen and presses some buttons on their oven.
“Maya, what’s your favorite treat?” Poppy asks me. “Daddy can make anything . He’s like a wizard.”
Liam and I respond at the same time.
“Brownies.”