Chapter 14
After dropping offthe piece of fabric at the police station, Noah drove Maggie home and insisted on waiting while she changed for the beach. With Nick and Johnny still on the loose, he had no intention of leaving her alone for a single second.
Afterward, they drove together to his place so he could change. Then they were on their way.
"They're at the north end of the beach," Maggie said, looking up from Jaime's text on her phone.
After parking, Noah attached Boon's leash while Maggie gathered their small contribution to the party feast, a container of hummus and pita bread that she'd had on hand.
"I hope this isn't too lame of an offering," Maggie fretted.
"I'm sure Jaime will understand," Noah said with a wry smile as they all walked toward the water. "Especially considering how busy we've been playing detective and being attacked again and all."
"True." She smiled up at him, her honey-colored eyes twinkling, and his heart jumped in his chest. She looked beautiful in a lacy white beach cover-up over her turquoise bikini, her spiraling curls floating on the soft lake breeze. "It's not like we're having a typical run-of-the-mill weekend."
"We definitely are not." Noah laughed.
A swath of velvety green grass dotted with wooden picnic tables, charcoal grills, and tall shade trees formed Whispering Pines' small Village Park. It butted up against a stretch of soft, sandy Lake Michigan shoreline. Noah instantly spotted Jaime among a small cluster of people near one of the picnic tables and they made their way over. The tangy scent of the lake mingled with the aroma of food sizzling on the grill, and Noah's stomach growled. All the adrenaline of the past few hours must have depleted his energy reserves from breakfast.
"Hi, guys!" Jaime said as they drew near. "I'm so glad you could join us! Noah, this is my husband, Jack. And this is Emma," she said, referring to the golden-haired baby, who was bouncing up and down on chubby little legs while Jaime held onto her tiny hands.
Jack stopped grilling to reach over and shake Noah's hand. "Nice to meet you. And perfect timing. I'm almost done here and we're just about to eat. We've got brats and burgers on the menu, plus all of that." He waved his spatula toward a nearby picnic table filled with an array of side dishes.
"Sounds great!" Noah said.
He and Maggie walked over to add their hummus and pita bread to the mix, then Maggie introduced him to several of her and Jaime's friends who were standing nearby. However, she notably skipped one of the women standing in the cluster.
As the group chattered together, Maggie stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear, "Sorry about that, but I don't know that other woman."
Jaime had just walked a waddling Emma over to them. So, Maggie gave a surreptitious tilt of her head toward the woman and asked quietly, "Who is that?"
Jaime glanced in the direction Maggie had indicated. "Oh, that's Amy Jude. She owns the Little Lakeside Bookshop here in town. She went to college with us."
Maggie frowned. "I don't remember her."
Jaime smirked. "That's because she didn't hang out in the same circle as us. She was in some brainiac club with Jack or something."
Almost as if the woman guessed they were discussing her, she looked up and stared directly at Maggie. She was thin and wiry, with dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Her round glasses made her eyes look slightly larger than they were.
Noah watched as Maggie smiled and lifted her hand in acknowledgment, but the woman's gaze was cold, almost hostile. She stared hard at Maggie for a long moment before pointedly turning her back.
That was weird, Noah thought.
"Hey," Jaime said, recapturing their attention. "We claimed some space on the beach over there if you want to lay out your blanket and towels and stuff."
Maggie thanked her. Then she and Noah trudged across the warm sand to spread out their large blanket next to the spot where Jake, Alex, and the rest of Noah's family sat, lounging in chairs and on blankets beneath colorful beach umbrellas. The fragrance of coconut sunscreen wafted on the breeze as people basked in the warm sun.
Rita McCay was there too, waggling her bright, lacquered fingers in a friendly hello. Noah noted that Rita would have been impossible to miss in the vibrantly colored cover-up she wore draped over her electric green tankini. Her bright red hair peeked out from beneath a large sun hat.
Rex and Angel trotted over to greet Boon, which involved a lot of sniffing and tail wagging.
"I thought dogs weren't allowed on the beach," Maggie said. "We were going to tie Boon up in the park area."
"As a retired police dog, Rex gets special dispensation," Jake grinned. "And I'm sure the Whispering Pines police force will make an exception for a couple of Rex's friends."
"Probably not when they know one of his friends is owned by a potential murderer," said a voice from beside J.P. and Tilly.
Noah looked over and spotted two familiar faces beneath a pair of matching, floppy sun hats.
"Margot and Gretchen!" he cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Tilly looked confused. "How do you know my friends?"
"We met earlier this afternoon," Noah said. "After Maggie and I got threatened by those two thugs from last night again."
"What?" Alex cried.
Noah went on to recap everything that had happened earlier, including how the two little old ladies had come to their rescue.
"Pshaw!" Gretchen waved a hand. "No big deal. Just glad my training paid off."
"And really, Margot, again?" Tilly asked, giving the woman a playful nudge with her elbow.
"I don't know what you're referring to," Margot said primly, dusting some imaginary specks off her voluminous, pale pink caftan.
"Oh knock it off, Margot," Gretchen said, looking at her friend over the top of her sunglasses. "It's not the first time you've used that handbag as a weapon."
"Really?" Maggie asked.
"Oh, yeah, she once used it to beat up this old fart who was stirring up a lot of trouble for Jake and Alex a few years back. But Margot attacked him with that weaponized handbag and it took care of him."
"I was just...frustrated," Margot sniffed.
"Beware, folks! You don't want Margot frustrated with you when her handbag is anywhere nearby!" Gretchen said, then snorted with laughter at her own joke.
"Hello, everyone! May I join you?" All heads turned to see that Jaime's father George had arrived. He'd clearly already been swimming, his salt-and-pepper hair now dark with water and slicked back from his face, a damp towel hung over one tanned shoulder. "It's such a warm day, I couldn't resist jumping right in when I got here. The water feels great!"
"Oooh, I saved a spot for you right over here, Georgie!" Rita flashed him a brilliant smile and patted a spot on her blanket beside her.
"I'm sure I can just squeeze in over—"
"Don't be silly," Rita said, jumping up. She crossed the sand and hooked her arm through his, pulling him along to the space beside her. "Besides, your towel is wet now, so you can't sit on it!" She pulled a fresh, fluorescent-colored towel from an oversized beach bag and spread it out for him right next to her. Noah watched as George reluctantly sat down on it.
"You know somethin', sugar?" Rita said. "Your shoulders look a little red. Let me get some sunscreen on that."
"No, no!" George protested. "I'm fine. I already—"
But it was too late. Rita had already whipped a bottle of coconut-scented sunscreen from her bag and was massaging it slowly and generously over George's shoulders and back. His face was bright red and he was looking at Maggie helplessly.
Noah glanced at her and saw that she was biting her lip to stop herself from laughing. Noah cleared his throat and tried to signal Rita with his eyes to let her know that she was going overboard, but he was pretty sure that she was deliberately ignoring him.
"We saw the newspaper article about your missing date, Noah," Tilly said. "I'm so sorry they wrote it in such a sensationalistic style."
"Yeah, bro," Jake said, using both of his hands to stroke the two bigger dogs' heads as they now both lay on either side of him. "That article was way extra. I'm the only one who should be allowed to mess with you about your losing record of FDFs."
Noah shot his brother a withering look, then shook his head. "I get it. They want to sell their stupid papers. What I'm more annoyed about is the way they purposely cast Maggie's business in a bad light."
"Unfortunately, that part of the article wasn't inaccurate," Maggie said with a sigh. "I did set up the date. I do personally vet my clients. And I have been dealing with some bad reviews lately."
"But those reviews are not legitimate!" George said heatedly. "You are a consummate professional, Maggie." His eyes moved around the small group. "She is very proactive about seeking feedback from her clients. And even those who haven't yet found their perfect match have nothing but positive things to say about her and her business."
"Oooh, Georgie! You sound so...formidable when you talk like that," Rita said, letting her hand rest on the shoulder where she'd just been focusing her efforts. Then she leaned in close to his ear and whispered something.
It seemed impossible, but George's face went even redder than before. However, Noah noticed that he didn't remove Rita's hand.
"Thanks, George," Maggie said, giving him a small smile. "At least my trusty business manager is always here to encourage me."
"I'm only speaking the truth, Maggie," George said. And Noah could see in his eyes how much the older man cared for her.
"It's just so frustrating because I really do try to ensure that every client that I work with is satisfied. But to get hit with those reviews and then the news article, I'm afraid they're really going to do damage to my fledgling business."
"I'm so sorry this is happening to you, Maggie," Alex said with a sympathetic look.
"Soup's on!" Jack called from the grill.
"Woohoo!" J.P. shouted as he rose. He reached out a hand to help Tilly to her feet. "That's great, because I'm starved."
The partygoers headed into the park area, and after loading up their plates, everyone spread out among several of the picnic tables.
Noah and Maggie ended up seated with Tilly, J.P., Gretchen, Margot, Rita, and George. As they ate, the conversation picked up where it had left off.
"Have you tried to figure out who exactly the reviews are from?" J.P. asked after swallowing a mouthful of his burger.
Maggie nodded. "They've come from several different social media accounts. But whenever I try to find the bio of the reviewer, I can never find anything."
"Maybe I can help," Margot said.
"You?" Gretchen shot Margot a look of surprise, pausing in the midst of drizzling mustard over her Italian sausage.
"Yes," Margot sniffed and lifted her chin. "While you were busy learning Krav Maga, I took several online research classes offered by the public library. I'd be happy to look into it for you, Maggie."
"That would be wonderful," Maggie said.
"What would be wonderful?" Jaime asked, coming up to stand beside Maggie. She was holding Emma, but when the baby saw Maggie, she immediately put out her arms and Maggie placed her on her lap, cuddling her in a hug.
With her little halo of yellow curls, Noah could easily imagine her as Maggie's own baby, which sent his mind into a reverie, wondering what their babies would look like if they ever married. Then he instantly gave himself a mental slap. What the heck is wrong with you, Riley?
"Margot may be able to help me figure out who has been leaving those terrible reviews," Maggie said.
"Oh good!" Jaime said. "My Emma is a rock star, and she doesn't deserve that negative stuff they've been saying about her online!"
"Emma?" Tilly looked in confusion at the baby in Maggie's arms.
Maggie laughed. "Jaime has been calling me Emma ever since I started applying my matchmaking skills back when we were in college."
"Ah," Tilly said. "I'm guessing she named you after Jane Austen's heroine?"
"Yup," Jaime said with a grin. "Except that my Emma is way more successful than Jane's."
"Have I met this Jane person?" J.P. said, pausing mid-bite to give Tilly a sidelong glance.
"No, love," Tilly laughed. "She's a very famous romance author from the early nineteenth century."
"Oh," he grunted, and took the bite.
"I just love all of Jane Austen's books!" Margot said with a dreamy look.
"They're all right," Rita said. "Although, I prefer my romances with a lot more steam in 'em."
"Shocker," Gretchen muttered, jabbing a slice of sausage with her fork.
"Oh my goodness, sugar! You have a bit of ketchup on your shirt. Let me get that for you." Rita began daubing her paper napkin against George's chest, and Noah watched George's face go red for about the hundredth time.
Gretchen rolled her eyes. "Seriously, McCay, you're about as subtle as a brick."
Rita didn't seem the least bit phased by Gretchen's blunt comment. She simply turned a dazzling smile in George's direction and gave him a wink.
Now it was Noah's turn to press his lips together to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Suddenly Boon, who had been lying quietly beside him, got up and walked around the table. He reared up on his hind legs and put his two front paws on the picnic bench seat beside George, similar to what he'd done earlier that day. Then the dog gave George a big lick on the face and attempted to lay his large, upper body across George's lap.
"What's he doing?" George sputtered.
"Nothin' I haven't already thought about doin'," Rita murmured.
"I'm so sorry." Noah jumped to his feet. "No, boy! Boon, down!"
The dog looked at Noah with his gentle, brown eyes, but he didn't move until Noah came around the table and physically lifted the big dog off George's lap.
"There must be something about you that invites doggie cuddles, George," Tilly commented.
"It isn't just you, George," Maggie commented. "He did the same thing to me. Maybe once we find his owner, we'll figure out what's behind this weird behavior."
"It's all right," George said, reaching down to pat Boon's head since the dog still stood by his side gazing up at him. "I can tell he doesn't mean any harm. In fact, in the right circumstances, it might even be comforting."
"With McCay so obviously makin' the moves on you like that, you could probably use some comforting," Gretchen said, and everyone laughed.
Noah glanced up at Jaime, wondering how she was reacting to Rita's extremely forward behavior toward her father. He expected to see shock or annoyance. Instead, he noted the hint of a smile playing at her lips. Then she surprised him by saying, "I think it's kind of refreshing to see someone flirting with you like that, Dad."
"Jaime!" her father exclaimed.
"Seriously, Dad!" Jaime put her hands on her hips. "You've been alone for four years now. And I may as well confess, half the reason I wanted you to work with Maggie is because I knew if anyone could help you find someone special to bring into your life, it would be Maggie."
"No offense to your skills, Maggie," Rita said, throwing an arm around George and pressing against him. "But this sweet man won't need any kind of matchmaking service while I'm around!" Everyone at the table laughed again.
"Aside from my dad, there is one other person I would love to see get the benefit of Maggie's amazing matchmaking services," Jaime said lightly, taking baby Emma back into her arms.
"Who?" Maggie said, her attention suddenly sharp. "Did you give them my card?"
"I don't need to give them your card," Jaime said with a twinkle in her eye.
"Why not?"
"Because it's you!" And with that, she bade the group farewell and moved on to chat with the people at the next table.