Page 52 of Forbidden Whispers

“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.

---