Page 46 of The Devil She Knows

Sam’s lip wobbled.

All those times Hannah had visited her mom in Rhode Island. Or that girls’ spa trip in the Catskills where she’d claimed to have had spotty cell service. Her growing indifference and how she seemed toknowbeyond a shadow of a doubt that Coco would never promote Sam to executive pastry chef.

How could things between them have gotten so—so broken?

How could Sam have let it happen?

People didn’t step out on a relationship because theirpartner didn’t make enough money or wasn’t ambitious enough in their career. People—God, Sam could hardly think the word—cheated because they weren’t fulfilled. Because they felt physically or emotionally neglected. Because they were hurt and angry and wanted to spite their partner. People cheated because they weren’t happy. People cheated because they had fallen out of love.

No amount of money and success would fix this. Her circumstances weren’t the problem here.

Sam was.

She knew exactly what her wish would be.

“I wish—”

“Wait.” Daphne held up a hand. “Don’t you want to take a minute? Think about it?”

Nowshe cared about Sam going into these wishes with her eyes wide open? Don’t make her laugh.

“I don’t need a minute. I know exactly what I want.” Sam squared her shoulders. “I wish that I was the woman of Hannah’s dreams, her perfect partner in all ways.” She paused, cutting her eyes at Daphne. “And don’t you eventhinkof getting cute and giving me something like that Creutzfeldt-whatever disease or I swear on all that’sunholy that I will spend the rest of my natural life figuring out how to make you wish you’d never met me. Same page?”

For a long moment, all Daphne did was stare. Finally, she sighed.

“I hope this goes the way you want it to, Sam,” she said. “Wish granted.”

10

ASOFT SOUND WOKE Sam from her sleep.

She rolled onto her side, the sheets tangling around her legs. She cracked one eye open and stared

bleary-eyed at the clock on the nightstand. Still early. She snuggled deeper into her pillow and tugged the covers higher, tucking them under her chin.

Mm. She’d had the weirdest dream.

Trapped in an elevator with a demon. A demon partial to wearing pink. Sam snorted a laugh. Maybe she ought to start looking for a different allergy medication. This Benadryl wasreallymessing with her head at night.

Sam chuckled again, more of the dream coming back to her in bits and pieces. A heist. A kitchen throwdown. Six wishes and she’d wasted the first on bread pudding. Now,thatwas the most unrealistic part of the dream. Never in a million years would she actually be so stupid as to—

Sam sat bolt upright.

Oh God.

It wasn’t a dream.

She had actually made a deal with a demon.

Okay, calm down. This was fine. She had six wishes, and she’d only made—

Four.

I wish that I was the woman of Hannah’s dreams, her perfect partner in all ways.

Great. So … where was Hannah?

For that matter, where wasshe?