Chapter 5

The printer in Maggie'sapartment spat out the final page of Valentina Romano's interview results. Maggie lifted out the stack of paper and began scanning pages for any potential information that might serve as a clue to Valentina's whereabouts. Seconds later, her phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen and smiled at the name lighting it up.

"Hey, girlfriend," she said, answering it. "I've got you on speakerphone."

"Why? Is my dad there?" The voice of her best friend since elementary school, Jaime, filled the room.

"No, he doesn't normally work on Saturdays."

When Maggie had officially started her matchmaking service a couple of years ago, Jaime had begged Maggie to hire her father, George Fairfax. Not that the reserved gentleman had any real knowledge of or interest in the matchmaking business, but he'd been floundering with what to do with his life after losing Jaime's mom to heart disease. As a retired corporate executive, his business acumen and financial knowledge had been a huge help to Maggie as he took on the role of her company's business manager. There was also the added bonus that for now, he was willing to work without pay.

"You'd better not be working either, missy," Jaime said in her best mom voice, making Maggie smile. "I was calling to see if you wanted to meet for lunch. I need a break from your precious, little namesake here, so Jack is going to watch her for a few hours."

Jaime was referring to one-year-old Emma, Jaime and her husband Jack's little girl.

Maggie laughed. "Since my name is Maggie, I'm not sure if Emma qualifies as my namesake."

"You have and always will be an ‘Emma' to me!" Jaime said, referring to Maggie's college nickname. It was based on the title character of the popular Jane Austen novel who fancied herself a matchmaker. Although, Maggie had found much greater success than Jane Austen's quirky character ever did.

Jaime and Jack Knightly had been one of Maggie's best success stories. Jack was a well-established nerd who hadn't even had a dream of a chance with her gorgeous blond friend. Until Maggie that is. Maggie had seen the relationship potential when they were all in college together, and she'd used her skills to successfully connect the two of them.

Maggie sighed. "I'd really love to meet you, my friend, but I can't. I've got a crisis on my hands."

"What crisis?"

Maggie proceeded to tell Jaime about everything that had happened that morning.

"No way!" Jaime cried. "That all sounds more like one of my true crime podcasts than real life. And are you talking about the Noah Riley? Like your super-secret crush from high school, Noah Riley? As in the ‘he's so hot, but he doesn't think of me that way' Noah Riley?"

"Cut it out!" Even though Maggie was alone in her apartment, she felt her face redden. "And yes, that Noah."

"What are you going to do?"

"We've got to find her, Jaime. I'm freaking out! You know I can't afford any more bad press. It's been hard enough getting my business off the ground while battling against those random bad social media reviews that keep popping up."

"Have you figured out which of your clients is leaving them?"

"No, it's so strange," Maggie said. "You know I always ask for feedback from every client. And unless someone is lying to me, so far, everyone has been really pleased with the process and the results."

"Of course they have," her friend answered loyally. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Maggie. You're bound to overcome a few negative comments."

"Unless one of my clients ends up...murdered." Maggie could barely get the last word out.

"I'm sure that won't be the case. That police officer was probably right and she just went off somewhere on her own. You'll find her."

"I hope so."

After promising to get together soon, they disconnected. Maggie resumed her perusal of Valentina's file but didn't find anything enlightening. She looked at her phone again to check the time and realized that Noah would be returning for her soon. She stuffed the pages into a file folder and then ran into the bathroom to check her appearance.

For her morning appointment, she'd selected a pretty, sky-blue summer dress. She knew it complimented her figure well. The length was short without being too short—showing off just the right amount of leg.

She freshened up her eye makeup and lip color, then critically analyzed the mass of blond corkscrew curls that framed her face and hung past her shoulders. Dampening her fingertips, she twirled a few of them to smooth out the frizz that had developed during her morning adventure with Noah. She thought about exchanging her understated necklace and earrings for something a bit more flashy but then gave herself a mental smack. What was she doing? This wasn't a date. It was a rescue mission. Keep your head in the game, Milena!

But doing that was going to be quite the challenge around gorgeous Noah Riley. He was even better looking now than he'd been in high school. And he could still make her heart skip a beat when he turned those smoky gray eyes in her direction.

Not that he ever knew.

Even though they'd become close friends in high school, he'd spent most of his time jamming with his band and hanging out with his fellow music-loving friends—always with a different girl on his arm—while she'd ultimately wasted her time trying to make her long-term relationship with Joe work. She shook her head at the memory. She'd been loyal to a fault with Joe. No matter how many times he'd cheated on her, she'd always caved and taken him back, determined to make it work.

When she'd finally found the courage to break up with Joe for good during their senior year, it was Noah who had brought her solace. He'd stumbled across her in an empty classroom with tears streaming down her face. Without words, he'd pulled her into a tight embrace and allowed her to cry until she'd run dry.

"I just thought if I tried hard enough, showed him enough love, I could make it work. Make us work," Maggie had confessed between sobs. "I feel like such a failure."

"Oh, Mags," Noah had said, pulling back so he could look down into her tear-stained face. "This is not on you. You are not a failure. True love should never be one-sided, where one person has to constantly fight to keep it alive. It should be effortless, like slipping on silk or gliding on waves. And it should make your soul sing, not weep in the quiet corners of empty classrooms."

Maggie had smiled through her tears. "That sounds like the lyrics to one of your songs."

Noah had grinned at that, gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs. Then his face had grown serious. "Joe is a total narcissist, Maggie. He never treated you the way you deserved. To be totally honest, he's not good enough for you. You are worthy of...so much more than someone like him could possibly give."

She'd almost imagined a choked sound to Noah's voice when he'd said that last bit. And when she'd lifted her head to look back up at him, she saw something enigmatic glimmering in the depths of his eyes.

Over the next several months, they started spending more and more time together. Going out "just as friends." And it wasn't long before Maggie realized that her feelings for Noah ran much deeper than friendship. Maybe they had for a long time. But she'd been too wrapped up in trying to make her broken relationship work to notice.

Just before graduation, she'd finally decided to risk their friendship by telling Noah how she felt. She'd talked Jaime into coming with her to attend his band's final gig before summer vacation, determined to talk with him at the end of the performance. But when a girl from his band wrapped her body around his and put him in a lip lock in the middle of the performance, she realized how ridiculous her idea was. He'd always been a good friend, but he'd never made a move beyond that. It was clear that he just wasn't interested in her in that way. The crowd had cheered like crazy at the kiss, and any hope she'd had of a romantic relationship with Noah evaporated with that applause.

After that, he'd left town for the summer and she'd begun distancing herself from him because she knew that she could never go back to being just friends with him again. Then in the fall, they'd headed off to different colleges, providing the perfect opportunity to simply drift apart. It was painful at first to ignore his texts and emails. But after a while, they stopped coming, and she tried to forget about him and move on with her life.

Needless to say, she was shocked when he'd turned up requesting her matchmaking services. She doubted any woman around was immune to his charms and still couldn't believe that he needed any help in that department.

Plus, finding the perfect woman for the man she had been in love with was about the last thing she wanted to do. But she squelched her personal feelings, determined to be a true professional with him and do her job.

The ring of her doorbell snapped her sharply out of her memories.

She gave herself one final glance in the mirror and then ran to the door. Swinging it wide, she sucked in a quiet breath as the handsome face of her imaginings looked down at her. He definitely cleaned up well. His deep, gray eyes were fringed with thick, dark lashes that most women would envy. The light bruise on his cheekbone didn't do anything to detract from the strength of his chiseled jawline or the tantalizing dimple at the center of his chin, which almost seemed to beg for a kiss. His dark curls were still damp from his shower and combed back from his face. And he'd changed into a pair of jeans and a navy blue polo shirt.

"Can I come in?"

"What?" She felt a little dazed. "Oh, sorry! Yes, of course." She moved back and he stepped inside, filling her small entrance with his lean, muscular frame.

She walked over to her kitchen table and picked up the file with Valentina's paperwork. "I've gone through it but I didn't find anything helpful."

He looked disappointed. "Well then, I guess the best thing for us to do is ‘begin at the beginning,' as Lewis Carroll famously wrote."

"You know Alice in Wonderland?" she said with surprise.

"Sure," he said with a grin. "I may not have been as brainy as you were in high school, but I love a lot of the classics. And you have to admit, it's an appropriate story for where I'm at mentally right now."

She laughed. "Okay, let me grab my purse, and we can begin at the beginning with Lakeside Latté."

***

They pulled into thesmall parking lot of the popular Whispering Pines icon. It was full of cars, as usual.

Noah pulled out a black extendable leash from the center console storage area and, twisting in his seat, reached behind to attach it to Boon's collar.

"Where'd you get that?" Maggie asked.

"My family are a bunch of dog people. I borrowed it from one of my brothers. I know this place is dog friendly, so we can just bring him inside with us."

Maggie remembered that Noah had two brothers—one older, one younger—and that it had been his brother Jake's wife, Alex, who had contacted her on Noah's behalf to arrange for the matchmaking service. Jake and Noah looked a lot alike, both tall and lean with that dark, curly hair. The main difference was that where Jake's eyes were almost black in color, Noah's were a soft gray that seemed to change shades depending on his mood.

As the three of them walked toward the door, Boon easily kept pace. The graceful way his long, slim body moved reminded Maggie of a gazelle. She smiled as Noah quickly scooted behind her so that he could reach to open the door for her. Once they stepped inside the cozy shop, Maggie breathed in the delicious aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and baked goods. She hoped Noah didn't hear her stomach rumble in response. In her morning rush to Noah's aid, she hadn't been able to finish her pastry or even her mug of coffee.

The shop walls were exposed brick and shiny metal piping ran along the ceiling overhead. A polished wooden floor gleamed beneath cozy groupings of overstuffed chairs and low tables. Pendant lights with warmly lit Edison bulbs hung down over rectangular high-top tables that lined both walls. Almost every space was filled with people sipping beverages, chatting or working on laptops.

Lakeside Latté was the most popular coffee shop in town, thanks in large part to the warm, welcoming personality of its owner, Olivia Wooldridge. Maggie often chose it as the location for morning and early afternoon dates that she arranged for her clients due to its comfortable vibe. Olivia was a third-generation citizen of Whispering Pines. She knew pretty much everyone in town, and everyone knew her. She was always a great source of information concerning anything happening in the area.

Maggie led the way toward the back of the shop, passing by glass cases filled with the source of the delicious baking aromas.

"Hi, Olivia," Noah and Maggie said in unison.

The full-figured brunette shop owner laughed from behind the cash register. "How's it going, you two? Especially you!" She lifted a brow and smirked at Noah.

"Why did you say it like that?" Noah asked with a slight frown as he sat down on a stool in front of the counter. Just then, Boon poked his head over the countertop. Both of his pointed ears were standing straight up at attention now, his black nose wriggling as he inhaled the delicious, new smells.

"Well, hello to you, pretty boy," Olivia said, distracted from answering. She reached across the counter to pat Boon on the head and scratch him behind his ears. The dog closed his eyes in bliss. "Is he yours?" she asked Noah.

"Er, no," he said awkwardly. "It's kind of a long story."

Olivia looked up, quizzical. "Anything to do with yesterday afternoon?"

"Maybe? But before we explain," Noah said, "can I get one of your delicious café lattes with oat milk and an Asiago cheese bagel with cream cheese? I feel like I need caffeine and protein." He turned to Maggie. "Would you like coffee or anything?"

"Actually, that would be wonderful! I'd love one of your cinnamon rolls and a caramel mocha with two extra pumps of caramel, please."

Noah stared at her for a beat.

"What?"

"That's not coffee, Maggie. That's dessert."

"What can I say, I like sweet things."

"Maybe that's why you're so sweet," Olivia laughed, pulling on a pair of gloves and turning to fill their orders.

"Thanks, Olivia," Maggie said, flashing Noah a smug look. "Now, about yesterday, can we ask you some questions concerning anything you remember about the date Noah had here?"

"Sure!" she said as her hands worked the espresso machine. "But give me a bit, I have another worker coming in, in about fifteen or twenty minutes, and I can take a short break then."

Noah, Maggie, and Boon stepped aside as some new customers approached the counter to place their orders.

Noah still held onto Boon's leash, so Maggie grabbed their orders when they came up. "We should get a table," she suggested.

"I noticed a couple of empty ones outside when we walked in," Noah said.

They walked back through the shop and outside to claim the table. The late-June sunshine bathed the area in light and warmth, and Boon lay down comfortably on the ground beside them.

Noah held out a chair for Maggie before slipping into the one across from her. She recalled how even back in high school, he'd exhibited old-fashioned gentlemanly manners like this. She knew some women might find it offensive. But in truth, she liked it. It made her feel special. A breeze ruffled the now-dry curls on top of his head and when he turned his eyes on her, her breath caught in her chest. There was an inexplicable heat and intensity in the way he looked at her. It made her feel as if he could see right through her.

She took a sip of her drink and decided to change the direction of her thoughts by slipping into one of her most comfortable roles: the professional interviewer.

She cleared her throat. "So, Noah, I know all about your dating history, of course." She was surprised to note a light flush suffuse his cheeks at her mention of this, but she continued. "But I'm wondering, what inspired you to make your recent move from Grand Rapids to Whispering Pines?"

Noah had already polished off nearly half his bagel. He followed it up with a long swallow of coffee before responding. "I moved here in part because of my brothers' and grandfather's nagging," he grinned. "But in all honesty, it didn't take much persuading. I've always loved this area. Even though, as you know, we grew up in Grand Rapids, we spent every summer here with our grandparents for as long as I can remember."

"Your whole family?"

He shifted in his seat. "No, just me and my brothers, Jake and Wade. You remember that my mom died when I was pretty young?"

She nodded.

"Well, it was really after that. It kind of became a tradition. My dad was always really busy with his construction business. I think he felt he didn't have the time—or if I'm being completely honest, the interest—in spending time with us the way our mom had."

Maggie frowned at this.

"But hey, I managed to grow up all right, didn't I?" Noah seemed to rush to lighten the mood. "I mean, I know it wasn't great on my dad's part." He looked away. "I feel like he just never really got over my mom's death. And his solution was to bury himself in his work. But I had my brothers and my grandparents, and we're all pretty close."

Maggie nodded with understanding.

"Anyway, both Jake and Wade have moved here. They really wanted all three of us to be together again and near Pops, our grandfather. Our Nana died several years ago and Pops remarried a wonderful local woman. It's been really good to live near family again."

He closed his eyes and tipped his face toward the sun, taking in a deep breath. "Plus, I really do love this town with incredible Lake Michigan right here and the state park with its acres and acres of trails and sand dunes. And, of course, the people here are great." He opened his eyes and winked at her. "So, once I started my business, my brothers knew I was able to work remotely from anywhere, and I had no excuse not to join them here in Whispering Pines. So here I am."

Maggie dabbed at the remaining crumbs of her cinnamon roll. "I know from the forms you filled out that your business involves marketing, but what exactly do you do?"

He gave her a sort of shy smile. "There's a bit of a story to it if you really want to know."

"I do!"

"Well, as you likely recall from when we were in high school, I've always been into music."

An image of the last time she'd heard him perform—and the girl kissing him—popped into her mind. This time the light flush was staining her own cheeks. She hoped he didn't notice. And she shoved the memory away.

He continued. "I actually developed my love of music from spending time here with my Nana. She was a gifted pianist and she gave me lessons whenever we stayed with them over the summer. My mother played as well, so we had a piano at our house in Grand Rapids, too. I would practice on it during the school year. It sort of helped me feel a connection with my mom, just knowing that her fingers had once touched the same keys."

Maggie noticed how Noah's eyes grew a little misty as he shared this memory. But then he refocused his gaze on her. "Over time, I expanded into other instruments, like guitar, saxophone, and drums. I had dreams of making it big one day. By the time I got to college, though, I realized that making it as a professional musician probably wasn't in my cards. However, music has remained a passion of mine. So, after a few years in the corporate world, I eventually figured out a way to combine what I love with my experience in marketing."

"How so?" Maggie asked, tilting her head.

"I now provide freelance marketing services for a couple of venture capital firms that specialize in investing in music tech startups. The startups are run by techies who believe in their products and hope to get acquired by name brand companies. But they're not marketers. I help them create a marketing strategy. And I write a lot of their marketing content for them, like website copy, ebooks, customer success stories, stuff like that."

"That's unique," Maggie commented, taking a sip of her caramel mocha. "Definitely not your run-of-the-mill marketing job."

"Nope." Noah flashed her a dazzling smile.

Maggie smiled back. "So, do you still make music?"

"Mostly just for my own pleasure," Noah said. "Although, thanks to my grandfather's bragging, I've been able to play a few gigs at some local venues here in town. But that's about the extent of it, besides volunteering for Whispering Pines JAMZ."

"What's that?"

"A music school for lower-income kids in the area. We work with young kids up to older teens, anyone who has musical aspirations, regardless of skill level, age, or musical ability. I firmly believe everyone can use more music in their lives."

"That sounds fantastic," she said, genuinely impressed. "I'm sure the kids love it." This was the Noah she remembered from high school. Kind and thoughtful, always doing things to help others. It warmed her heart to see he hadn't changed much in that regard.

"They do," Noah said with a grin. "And I have to admit, I love it too. It gives me such a great feeling to see their faces light up when they learn something new or accomplish something they didn't think was possible."

Listening to him, Maggie couldn't help but admire him even more. Not only was he talented, an entrepreneur, and incredibly good-looking, but he had a big heart as well. She wondered why it was so difficult for him to find a woman who appreciated him for who he was.

"You know," Maggie said, peeking at him over the top of her coffee mug. "I always loved hearing your band play when we were in high school. I don't think I missed a single performance you gave. You guys were good!"

"You were a very supportive friend," Noah said.

She sighed inwardly at his use of the annoying "F" word.

"I still can't believe you took time out of your busy schedule of studying, tutoring, student counseling, and participating on the debate team to come hear little ol' me and my band play."

"I wasn't that busy," she mumbled, secretly flattered that he recalled all her former activities with such ease.

Noah laughed. "Yes, you were." At her expression, he rushed to add, "But that's a good thing! You were way more organized, motivated, and goal-oriented than I ever was. That's why I know your business will be a great success, Maggie. Despite this, er, setback."

Maggie sighed deeply and put her mug down. "I really hope you're right, Noah, for both of our sakes."

"Okay, your turn," he said. "Why matchmaking?"

She smiled and glanced away, unable to meet his eyes as she searched for the right way to explain it all. Finally, she said, "I guess I have a story, too. One that goes back to before we were in high school.

Noah's brows lifted at this.

"I'm sure you recall the tragic connection we share from our childhoods, how I lost both of my parents in a car accident when I was ten."

She glanced up briefly to see acknowledgment and sympathy reflected in Noah's eyes. But she dropped her gaze again to continue.

"From my earliest memories, my parents were always so in love with each other and with me. But everything changed dramatically for me after they died. I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle, whom I'm sure my parents thought would be the best guardians for me. But it wasn't a happy home. They had a terrible marriage and fought constantly. I never understood why they stayed together. It was a toxic environment completely devoid of love. To escape from it all, I began immersing myself in romance novels."

Noah smiled at this. "So, that's where your love for matchmaking came from?" he asked, intrigued.

"Partially," Maggie said. "Reading all those love stories sort of planted the seed. But then it kind of grew from there. You probably didn't know this, but in high school I successfully set up a few of my friends, and their relationships worked out surprisingly well. When I got to college, I had more successes and realized I had a knack for it. Even a passion for it. I encountered so many people struggling in unhappy relationships or unable to find love at all. And it was so fulfilling to help them find the same kind of loving connection that my parents had.

"Of course, at first, I never thought about trying to earn a living out of making love matches." She chuckled. "So, after graduating with my double major in human resources and psychology, I followed the traditional path and got a job at a large recruitment agency where I worked for a few years."

"Hmmm...isn't that kind of like matchmaking for businesses?" Noah said. "I mean you're matching the right people to the right companies."

Maggie laughed. "I suppose you're right. I never thought about it like that."

Noah's expression grew curious. "So, how did you make the shift from matchmaking for businesses to matchmaking for individuals?"

"Well," she said. "I became aware of how much my friends, and friends of friends, were struggling with online dating apps in their efforts to find the right person to share their lives with."

"Online dating is the worst!" Noah said.

"Exactly." Maggie leaned forward, her passion growing as she spoke. "Tech companies and algorithms are completely impersonal, plus they're not totally devoid of the biases of the programmers who create them. They can't measure chemistry or gut feelings or love connections. I just knew I could offer a more personalized and effective solution. So, after a few more success stories under my belt from playing matchmaker for friends, I did some research and ultimately took the plunge to turn it into a business venture."

"That's a great story," Noah said. "Your business is definitely not run-of-the-mill either. Before my sister-in-law Alex found your service, I thought real-life matchmakers were only for the rich and famous."

Maggie laughed.

Then Noah surprised her by reaching across the table and gently lifting her left hand. "What about you, though, Maggie? You've had success with so many couples now. Why don't I see a ring on your finger?"

She hoped he didn't notice the goosebumps that rippled up her arm as his warm fingers gently enveloped hers. She didn't respond right away as he continued holding her hand and gazing into her eyes with that blasted smoldering intensity again. His touch was so distracting that any response she could have mustered instantly flew out of her head.

"Oh, honey, I wouldn't if I were you!"

Maggie looked up to see a gorgeous strawberry-blond gazing down at their clasped hands.

"Excuse me?" Maggie said, quickly pulling her hand away.

"Hello, Susanna," Noah said. Maggie noticed that his face had turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Noah." Susanna nodded with a half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Maggie observed that Susanna was wearing a Lakeside Latté apron. She must have been the worker that Olivia was waiting for.

"Let me give you some free advice," Susanna said, her attention back on Maggie. "If you're hoping for a good time with someone who makes you feel interesting and special," she jerked a thumb toward Noah, "stay away from this one."

"Susanna, I already told you how sorry I was," Noah said. Impossibly, the flush on his face seemed to grow even darker. "It was an accident."

"Uh-huh." Susan was already turning away to head for the coffee shop entrance.

Maggie frowned. "What was that about?"

"I...uh, went out with her once after I moved here and...uh, sort of fell asleep while she was talking."

"What?"

"It really was an accident!" Noah cried. "I'd done an especially grueling weight workout earlier that day and I'd pulled a muscle. I accidentally took a pain medication that included an ingredient to help you fall asleep faster. It literally knocked me out.

Maggie's mouth was still hanging open when the coffee shop door opened and Olivia stepped outside. "Am I interrupting something?"

Maggie closed her mouth and cleared her throat. "No, no, of course not. We were just discussing business."

Olivia set her coffee down on their table and pulled a chair away from another empty table to sit on. She closed her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, then sighed with bliss. "Okay, I'm ready now. You said you have some questions about Noah's coffee date yesterday? Fire away!"

Noah seemed to have collected himself. "So, you remember me coming in with my date yesterday, right?"

"Yup, a hot brunette with the kind of figure other women would kill for? Hard to miss."

"Uh...right. Anyway, I remember we sat at a table near the register, right?"

Olivia nodded, taking another sip of her coffee.

"But after that, I have no memory of what happened."

Olivia set down her coffee cup. "Really? Like amnesia or something?"

"Yes," Noah said. "I can't remember anything about the date, what we talked about, where we went afterward, nothing."

"Wow, that's so bizarre!" Olivia's eyes were wide. "Sooo, does that have anything to do with why you're not sure what the story is about this sweet pup?"

Boon had risen and was resting his head on Olivia's lap to enjoy more of her ear scratching.

"That's right," Noah said. "Can you tell me anything about what happened on my date yesterday? Anything at all?"

"Well," Olivia looked off into space while she continued to run her hands over Boon's silky black and gold head. "The start of the date was typical for you. A complete disaster."

"What?" Maggie cried.

Olivia focused on her with a grin. "Ever since Noah moved to Whispering Pines, I've had the pleasure of witnessing him on a couple dates here, including one with Susanna." She tipped her head toward the shop. "They never seemed to go very well."

Noah's face was red once again. "Uh...could we forget about all that for now? Let's just focus on yesterday."

"Right, yesterday. Let's see...after you picked up your coffee orders, you sat down together at a table near me, just like you said. It looked like the conversation wasn't really flowing well because she wasn't really looking at you, and she was texting on her phone a lot. To your credit, Noah, it looked like you were really trying to engage her. But then, you spilled your coffee. And she lost it! Her reaction seemed over the top to me. She ranted at you for several minutes. It was painful to watch."

"Really?" Maggie was surprised. Valentina had seemed so sweet and mellow throughout all their interactions.

Olivia nodded. "It was weird, actually, because it wasn't like any of the coffee got on her fancy clothes or anything. Noah just accidentally knocked it off the table, and it went all over the floor."

"I'm so sorry!" Noah said.

Olivia smiled and patted his arm. "That's what you said yesterday, too. Even offered to clean it up for me."

"Good," Noah said.

"Anyway, while you and I were mopping it all up, your date stepped outside. I could see her pacing in front of the shop window, talking on her cell phone. Just as we finished up, she came back in and you both sat back down again. But then this is where it got even more weird."

"How so?" Maggie asked.

"Remember how I said that his date didn't really seem into it at all, like not really paying attention to Noah and more focused on her phone?"

"Yeah."

"Well, all of a sudden, she turned on the charm. She put her phone away and started acting super flirty, tossing her hair, laughing at everything Noah said, touching his hands on the table. It was kind of like a switch got flipped or something."

Olivia looked at Noah. "After a bit, I saw you pull out your phone and I heard you say, ‘Dinner sounds like a great idea! I'll see if I can get us a reservation.'"

"Then what?" Noah asked.

Olivia shrugged. "I heard your date say that she insisted on driving. But then you guys left."

"Did I mention what restaurant I made reservations at?"

Olivia shook her head. "Sorry, honey, I didn't hear it if you did."

Noah's face fell.

"Wait a minute!" Maggie said excitedly, turning toward Olivia. "You said Noah made the reservation? From his cell phone?"

"Yes."

She looked at Noah. "Just check your recent calls!"

"Of course! My brain still isn't operating at full capacity, I guess." Noah pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen.

Then he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. "Hello? Uh...I was wondering if I could get a reservation for lunch today? Oh?" He was quiet for a few beats. "Well, how about dinner then? What time do you open? Perfect! Can I reserve a table for...two?" Here he shot Maggie a questioning look, and she nodded vigorously. "Under the name Riley, please. Great, thank you."

He laid his phone on the table. "The restaurant doesn't open until five o'clock. But we now have a waterside table reserved at Oasis on the Water."

"Oooh!" Olivia said. "I'm jealous! I love that place."

Maggie battled with her conflicting emotions as she tried to ignore the flutter of delight rippling through her. She was excited to realize that she was finally going on a date with the gorgeous man seated across from her. But then she immediately scolded herself. Remember what this is really about, Milena!

It was about the safety of a young woman and helping Noah clear his name. She needed to get any unrealistic romantic dreams out of her head. They had to focus on finding Valentina.