Page 37 of Forbidden Whispers
“Wow, what a well-behaved dog,” Maggie commented. “And...was that German?”
“Yeah!” Jake laughed. “He’s a retired police dog, so I can’t take the credit for his training.”
“Have a seat! We haven’t ordered yet,” boomed J.P.
Noah held out an empty chair for Maggie and then sat down beside her.
They all looked over the menus. Then the waitress arrived with glasses of ice water and took their orders.
As soon as she left, Alex said, “Did I see you talking with Christina, Noah? She’s an amazing artist. Works with metal. I didn’t realize you were friends with her.”
“It didn’t exactly sound like they were friends,” Maggie murmured, taking a small sip of her water.
“Oh no.” Alex’s face fell. “Not another one.”
Maggie looked at Noah with suspicion. “Another one what?”
“Another one nothing. Can we talk about something else, please?” Noah said.
“Oh, but why would we want to talk about something else when your love life provides us all with such entertainment, bro,” Jake said with a sly grin. “Plus, I’m sure your matchmaker here would love to know all about it if she doesn’t already.”
“Matchmaker!” Tilly said. “Is that what you do?”
“Yes, I’m a professional matchmaker,” Maggie said.
“She’s the one who fixed Noah up with the missing Valentina,” Jake said.
“I thought everyone was doin’ all that online now,” J.P. said.
“A lot of people do, but online isn’t always the best option for some people. An algorithm can’t predict chemistry,” Maggie said. “Or connect with you to create a more personalized experience. Plus, some people just don’t like having their personal life out there for the entire world to see.”
“I can understand that,” Tilly said, looking thoughtful. “I suppose if I were dating, I’d prefer doing everything in real life.”
“Dating?” J.P. laughed. “I sure hope you’re not already bored of me after only a couple of years of marriage, darlin’!”
“Never,” Tilly smiled, and J.P. dropped a kiss onto her cheek.
Noah loved seeing how happy Pops and Tilly were together. Pops had been so lonely after Nana died several years ago. She’d been the love of his life, and Noah and his brothers had assumed he’d remain a widower. But then he’d met Alex’s grandmother Tilly when Alex and Jake had gotten involved a couple of years ago. He’d even figured out he wanted to marry Tilly before Jake ever realized he was in love with Alex.
So many happy couples. Noah sighed inwardly and glanced surreptitiously at the beautiful woman beside him. He wished there was some way she would see him as more than just a friend.
The waitress arrived with their meals, and Noah hoped that the distraction would shift the conversation from his love life to something else. But that hope was instantly dashed when Pops said, “So, Miss Maggie, you think you can help our boy here even with all the dating disasters he’s had?”
Maggie put down her forkful of French toast and slid a glance toward Noah. “Well, J.P., I’m getting the feeling that Noah may have left some things out of the dating history profile he gave me.”
Jake snorted. “You mean he didn’t tell you about his epic pattern of FDFs?”
Maggie frowned. “FDFs?”
“First Date Fails,” J.P. supplied.
“What exactly does that mean?” Maggie asked.
“It means that he’s never gotten past the first date with a girl,” Jake said bluntly.
“Ever?” Maggie looked shocked.
“Ever,” Jake said.