Page 57 of Forbidden Whispers

He frowned. The idea that he could possibly have been self-sabotaging his first dates with women had never occurred to him. “But, I’ve never struggled with feeling unworthy of love,” he said. “And with only a few exceptions, most of the women I ask out are...well, nice ladies. They’re certainly not narcissists.”

“True,” she said, studying him. “And I didn’t mean that you were doing it for the same reason I was, or even in the same way. But could you be self-sabotaging for another reason?”

“I don’t know why I would,” he said. “I mean, I see what my brothers have, what Pops has with Tilly. And I want that for myself. I want to find true love. I came to you for help because I just figured I’m really bad at trying to choose the right woman for me.”

Maggie nodded slowly. “Maybe just think about this whole idea for a bit, whether there could be something that’s holding you back from giving your all on these first dates?”

“I guess I can do that,” Noah said. “But maybe to play it safe, after we find Valentina, I’ll try the ‘not dating thing’ too for a while.”

“Oh no! Did I just talk you out of being my client?” She laughed.

Just then, Noah’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his duffel bag and tapped the screen before setting it down between them.

“Hey, Hugo! I’m with Maggie at the beach right now, and you’re on speaker. What’s up?”

“I could ask you the same question, amigo. Is there something you forgot to tell me?”

“What do you mean?”

“The police just found your car.”

Chapter 16

Noah and Maggie exchanged wide-eyed looks.

“The Porsche?” Maggie said, immediately rising to scan the parking lot.

“Porsche?” Noah could hear the confusion in Hugo’s voice. “No, his Trailblazer.”

“Where?” Noah cried.

“Before I tell you, why didn’t you mention it was missing when we spoke on Saturday morning?”

“I didn’t realize it was gone until after you’d left. And then there was the whole thing with the Porsche.”

“What whole thing with the Porsche?”

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