Page 14 of Forbidden Whispers
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.