Three Wishes

by Reana Malori

  “Dude, you’re crazy. I’m not the one playing games. That’s all you buddy, and that shit’s real suspect if you ask me. You’ve never cared before when a man was interested in me. Why the sudden interest in who wants to take me out to dinner? I mean, you practically growled at him. Who does that?” she finished in a near yell. At his cutting look, she adjusted her tone. Jordan may be many things, but he was not a man who took kindly to being yelled at. There was some history there, but he was always closed off about it. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and tried again. “Jordan, even if I start dating someone, that’s not gonna change our friendship. You know that, right?”

  “Leticia, we should stop talking about this.” He looked away from her, grabbing the remote to change the television to a channel he wanted. Sports, of course.

  Barreling through, she knew this needed to be said. “Listen to me. We’ve known each other for a couple years now.” Damn, just how long had she been pining over this man? She could have been married with a child by now. But no, here she was. In love with a man who only saw her as his friend. How the hell did she get so unlucky?

  Shaking his head, he pitched the remote onto the table in front of him. A large hand scrubbed down his face. “It’s been more than two years, and you know it. I want credit for all the time we’ve known each other,” he interjected.

  “Yes, fine. It’s been more than two years. My point is, you’ve dated other women. I’ve dated other men. We’ve both survived and come out on the other side. But, things are changing for me,” she paused. This next part wasn’t so easy to say. “I can’t…I mean, it’s time that I stop,” she paused again, taking a deep breath. “Listen, at this point in my life, I can’t do this.”

  “Do what?” His voice was loud, and his tone was sharp. Eyes dark with fury. Face scrunched up in a frown. The ready smile had disappeared from his handsome face.

  “Jordan—” as she began, her phone rang with the special tone she’d set up for the hospital staff. Being a trauma nurse was filled with daily blessings and miracles. It was also filled with equal amounts horror and sadness. Reaching over to pick up her phone, she gave him an apologetic look and stood from the couch to leave the room. Pressing the button, she answered the phone, “Leticia James.”

  Less than five minutes later, she rushed back into the room. “I’m sorry. There was a bus crash on Interstate 95. More than fifty people were injured. Some seriously,” she huffed, pulling on her boots. December weather in Virginia was brutal on the best of days. Throw in a huge passenger bus and a driver going too fast around a curve with black ice on the road. It was a recipe for disaster. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. That was my boss, Susan. She thinks there’s enough staff, but she asked me to come in for a few hours to help with the surge.” Giving him a look of apology, she grabbed up her coat and gloves.

  “Hold on a second. If you think I’m really going to let you drive yourself in this weather, you’re crazier than I thought.” Jordan unfolded his large body from the couch and slung his heavy coat over his shoulders. “I’ll drop you off and come back here. I need to put up that fake ass Christmas tree you swear by, so I’ll stay busy while you’re out.”

  A huge smile came over her face, because she absolutely hated putting up her tree—or taking it down, for that matter. If Jordan was volunteering to do it for her, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. “See, that’s why I love you so damn much. You totally get me.” Little did he know just how true those words were. She did love him. Less like a brother or friend, and more like a lover and the man she wanted in her bed at night holding her close. There was no way in hell she was going to admit it though. Especially not to him. “But, you really don’t have to take me to the hospital. It’s only a short drive. My car can make it.”

  Without breaking his stride, he glanced back and snapped, “Stop fighting me on everything today. You just can’t help yourself. Go get your pretty ass in the damned truck.” Well, damn. Maybe he’s not over his little pout from earlier today. Leticia couldn’t worry about it right now. There were more significant issues to focus on than Jordan’s confusing behavior. Holding the door open for her, he waited until she exited before he locked and closed the door.

  Reston, Virginia was a beautiful, upper-middle-class area to live in, but Jordan never left his home, or hers, without locking the door. Another quirk of his that interested her, but she hadn’t really thought to question. Within ten minutes, he pulled up at the front entrance, and she could tell chaos had ensued. Police cars with flashing red and blue lights surrounded the entire hospital. People stood outside crying and holding each other as they waited for information about their loved ones. Apparently, it had been a commuter bus traveling in the high-occupancy vehicle lane. Which meant, all the passengers were local people who lived in the vicinity. Not sure why the thought entered her head, but she wondered if there was anyone in this group of passengers who wouldn’t be missed if they passed away.

  If she were one of the people on that bus, would she be missed by anyone other than her mother? Her cousin Tasha, whom she’d grown up with, but only spoke to once a week? Would Jordan care if she was no longer in his life? Or would he be sad for a few weeks and then quickly move on to the next thing? The next beautiful woman he could get lost inside of while ignoring all the real-life issues swirling around him. His deep voice broke through her morbid musings.

  “Okay, sweetheart. Call me when you’re ready to come home. I’ll be here to pick you up.” The giddy feeling that passed through her at his pet name was tempered by reality. He always called her that. This was nothing new. She needed to stop trying to read into things so much. She opened her mouth to protest him coming back for her. Her friend Cassie was also working tonight. She could bum a ride from her instead. Before she got the first word out, he cut her off. “Stop trying to find a way to argue with me about this. Go put on your Superwoman cape. It’s time to save lives. I’ll be here when you’re ready to leave.”

  Giving up on even trying to have this discussion with him, she hitched her backpack on her shoulder. “Thanks for bringing me. Hopefully, it won’t be too long.”

  “Either way. I got you. You should know that by now. Oh, and we never finished our conversation earlier today,” he smirked. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten. We’ll finish that discussion when you get off tonight.”

  “What discussion?” At his frown, she smiled. “I’ve already forgotten about it, so I’m sure it wasn’t very important.” She wasn’t having this conversation with him. Not now and sure as hell not later. That spurt of courage had flown out the window as soon as her phone rang. Plus, all he wanted to do was boss her around and tell her what he wanted and what she should do. One part of her was tempted to tell him just where he could stick his bossy demands. The other part wanted to do whatever he told her to…twice…while rubbing her soft curves against his hard body.

  Closing the door as he began to respond, she blew him an air kiss and gave a little wave. She rushed away from the truck without looking too closely at his face. Passing through the sliding glass hospital doors, she glanced back only once. Jordan was still there. Watching her walk away from him until she was safely inside. The look on his face was a mixture of frustration and something else. Once she’d made it through the second set of doors, he pulled away from the curb. It was horrible of her to needle him the way she did, but sometimes he deserved it. For one, he was too serious all the time. The man was only thirty-five. There was no way he should behave like an old man who’d lived an entire life. His only fun was running, rock-climbing, and…well, going out with beautiful women. Actually, that third one doesn’t count. From what he’d told her, those women weren’t all that fun when things got down and dirty.

  Thinking back on what happened at the coffee shop, she knew something was changing between them. The only question in the back of her mind was whether the changes were good or bad. With how she’d been feeling lately, something had to give. Jordan ha
d begun acting odd lately. More times than not, he stared at her with a strange look on his face. A question lingering in his eyes. He never asked, but she knew there was something on his mind.

  If she were honest, she’d started to pull back from him. Space was the only thing she needed right now. Her emotions were becoming too much to handle when around him. If she wasn’t careful, she’d blurt out how she felt about him. That was the last thing she wanted or needed. With everything surrounding them and the topsy-turvy roller-coaster of emotions she experienced daily, she was damn sure it was time for things to change in her love life. If Jordan wasn’t the one for her, so be it. That just meant she had to find a man who was ready to take things to the next level. Jordan would just have to deal with it.

  Christmas was less than three weeks away and the new year one week later. There was no better time to make a change in her life. Thinking again of the wish list she made the other night while sitting in her empty home drinking a glass of wine, she knew that was the first step.

  It was time for her to start thinking of herself. Self-care was a real thing. At thirty-three, life was beginning to pass her by. No, that wasn’t right. Life had passed her by and was across the pond on its way to the Scottish Highlands. Time to take control and it started with three small, teeny, tiny wishes.

  CHAPTER THREE

  JORDAN SAT ON THE EDGE of Leticia’s bed in stunned shock. His eyes couldn’t believe what he was reading. Turning the piece of paper over, he knew it had to be a mistake. If not a mistake, then it must be a joke, because the words staring back at him made no sense. There was no way in hell this was written by Leticia. Not HIS Leticia. The woman who knew most—okay, some—of his deepest, darkest secrets. She’d never make this list and then keep it from him. Then again, based on what was on this offensive piece of paper, she just might.

  “What the fuck?” he whispered into the quiet room. Turning his eyes back to the offensive words on the paper, he began reading again.

  Meet someone and fall in love (so I can fall out of love with Jordan). Find someone who wants me so bad, nothing else matters but being balls deep inside me every night. A man who’ll give me my first real orgasm that doesn’t come from my own hand.

  Dance under the moonlight in a long silver gown, with only me and a man who looks at me as if I hung the moon sitting in the sky. All I want is one night to feel as beautiful as the women who never fail to pull Jordan away from me on a regular basis. (Damnit Leticia, stop bringing everything back to Jordan!)

  Jordan couldn’t help but laugh at the second bullet. Leave it to his girl to chastise herself on her own wish list. Curse words and all. Rereading the last item on the list, his frown returned. There was no way in fucking hell he was going to stand by and let this happen.

  By New Year’s Eve, if I haven’t found the man for me…and Jordan still looks through me as if I’m transparent, find a gigolo to give me wish #1 and #2. Once those wishes are fulfilled, leave Jordan behind. Stop hoping and wishing for him to want me the way I do him or love me the way I need to be loved. (It’s time to take care of yourself, Leticia!)

  Disbelief coursed through him. The only sound he could hear was the blood rushing through his body. Staring down at the note again, he thought it had to be a joke. What the hell was this bullshit about leaving him? Finding a gigolo? Was she fucking serious? His first thought was to rip the paper to shreds and flush it down the toilet. But he knew that was wrong. Did he even want to let her know he’d found her secret list? Maybe this was exactly what he needed. Was he being sneaky and underhanded? Abso-fucking-lutely! If he got Leticia, nothing else mattered.

  Thinking fast, he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the list before putting it back under the stack of papers on her nightstand. Usually, he wouldn’t be looking for shit or snooping around her space like this, but his sister had seen some monogrammed and designed paper Leticia left at his house one weekend. Since he was here and had some time on his hands, he decided to go online and buy her some. Searching for one of the notebook pads to find the manufacturer’s information led him to her nightstand, and the stack of papers seemed a logical place. He got more than he bargained for.

  Shaking his head, Jordan sat in stunned silence for a few moments. Did Leticia really believe all that shit she wrote down? What woman had ever pulled him away from her when she needed him? “Oh, right…Beth.” That was the night they’d planned to go to a play at the theatre downtown. He’d bought tickets to a show Leticia loved, but he’d fucked up with his latest squeeze and called Leticia to cancel. When he called Leticia to cancel so he could make nice with his girl of the month, she’d seemed okay with it. She’d even laughed about it. They’d only known each other for a month or two at the time. Hell, he wasn’t that much of a saint. His entire life hadn’t changed in a matter of two months for a woman who put up every barrier she could whenever he tried to show any type of interest.

  But that was the only situation that came to mind. There wasn’t any other… he paused as a memory flashed before his eyes. “Damn. There was that fucking trip to Jamaica.” Closing his eyes, he exhaled, “Shit.”

  Leticia had been determined to keep things between them in the friendship zone. No matter how much he wanted it to be different. He was pissed off about it and had done something petty. He had the grand idea to bring a date with him on their joint vacation just about a year-and-a-half ago. An entire week on an island with bikini-clad women surrounding him. In his mind, he was playing it safe by bringing someone he was no longer attracted to. Meghan was the closest thing to a pariah in his eyes—a woman who cheated on him while they were dating. Which now made her a woman he wouldn’t touch again sexually if his life depended on it.

  Meghan had rubbed her relationship in Leticia’s face the entire time. Didn’t matter that he hadn’t slept with her during that whole week. To be honest, he didn’t know why he brought her in the first place, other than to be a dick and prove to Leticia that her standoffish ways didn’t bother him. When clearly, they did. But he also knew Leticia didn’t realize that. He rubbed his hand down his face in frustration and defeat. This list was his fault. He’d been sitting on his hands for too damn long, thinking he was doing things the right way. Instead of rushing into things and letting his little head take charge, he’d tried to play it smart. He’d never been this way with any woman before. Now the entire situation was fucked up. Usually, if he wanted someone, he went after them. This change in tactics had backfired and now the woman he wanted more than anyone else didn’t think he found her attractive. “Fuck!”

  Desperate times called for desperate measures. Standing from the bed, he walked into the living room, glancing over at the decorated Christmas tree in the corner. For the past three Christmas holidays, he’d been the one to decorate her tree. Well, the first year, she’d convinced him to help her, but she was so horrible at decorating, he got frustrated and made her go sit down while he finished it.

  He should have realized it had been her plan all along.

  The next year, he didn’t even give her a chance to ask him. One night, he’d just told her that he would decorate her tree and she could make them dinner. Smiling to himself, he thought this year’s decorations were his best work yet. He’d sworn her to secrecy and made her promise on pain of torture and death that she’d never tell anyone that Christmas was his favorite holiday. His friends would laugh their asses off if they knew.

  The phone on the other line rang a few times before it was picked up. “What’s up bro-ham?” His sister April always answered the phone that way. At least since the dawn of Caller ID and cell phones.

  “Hey, Piglet,” he greeted, which he knew pissed her off to no end. When she was born, she was fat and pink and ate everything in sight. He’d told his dad she looked like a baby pig. When his dad laughed and called out to Jordan’s mom that he’d called his new sister a piglet, it stuck. It got on her nerves, but he was too old to stop now.

  “Keep it up, fucker. I�
��m going to call Leticia and tell her you’re messing with me,” she said with a laugh. Yeah, his family always used Leticia to keep him in line.

  How could that woman not see how their lives were tied together? She knew him better than almost anyone. Sweet and kind weren’t usually the words used to describe him at all. No one outside of his immediate family would ever accuse him of having an ounce of kindness in his soul. But then he’d met Leticia, and she’d turned his world upside down. Made him question everything. Forced him to think about what he wanted for his life. Endless sex with mindless women or something real with a woman who made him crave her body like a damn fiend. That he hadn’t broken down and tried to force the issue was a damn miracle. His father called him a fool. His mother said he was doing the right thing, but not to wait too long. His sister, well, she thought Leticia was just what he needed to bring him to heel. Yeah, well, she was his little sister. What did she know?

  “Shut up. Where are you?” Grabbing a glass, he poured himself a few ounces of his favorite whiskey. Leticia always kept it stocked here at the house for the times he came over, which was every other day. The other days, she was at his home, where he kept a stockpile of her favorite red wine.

  “Out with Gabby. Her parents wanted us to come for dinner tonight.” April had been dating her girlfriend for almost three years at this point. Gabby was good for his sister. Plus, his family liked her, which made things easier.

  When April came out to her parents, it was a warm August night. She was fifteen and about to enter her Sophomore year in high school. By this time, Jordan had known for over two years that his sister would never have a crush on the guys with chiseled chins and testosterone flowing through their bodies. No, her attraction was more focused on soft curves, soft lips, and faces that resembled her own. He’d never judged her for who she found attractive, just as she never judged him for drooling after girls with dark skin.