Page 89 of Forbidden Whispers
At one point, Noah stopped and turned, pulling her close into an embrace. They had removed their shoes and now stood at the edge of the water, the foamy waves sliding gently over their feet and swirling at their ankles. She felt warm and safe in his arms.
“The sun won’t set for another hour or so,” he said. “Should we—”
The rest of his sentence was cut off at the sound of a sharp whistle.
“Hey there, sugars!” They both turned in surprise to see Rita McKay seated on one of the benches the village had set up along the backside of the beach. Next to her sat none other than George Fairfax, with Rita’s arm hooked possessively through his. And on the bench next to theirs, sat Gretchen and Margot.
Maggie and Noah walked over to greet the group, and Maggie noted the glowing smiles on the faces of Rita and George. They looked really happy, despite the fact that Rita’s flamboyance and George’s reserved nature made them seem like quite the mismatched pair.
George was dressed conservatively as usual, wearing a pair of khaki dress pants and a light blue cotton button-down oxford. Rita was a flashy jewel in bright white Bermuda shorts and a highlighter-pink top that hugged her generous curves. Large apple-green hoops bobbed from her earlobes.
Rita immediately rose to give Noah and Maggie each a warm embrace. Then she sat back down to instantly reclaim George’s arm. He gave her a pleased smile, which she returned with a flash of her ruby red lips.
“Sooo, what’s going on here?” Noah asked with a bemused smile, indicating their locked arms.
“What’s goin’ on is that McKay successfully snookered this poor guy,” Gretchen said, jamming her thumb in Rita’s direction.
Rita lifted her chin and patted her fluffy hair. “Actually, Georgie here just finally saw the light,” she said, giving George a sidelong look. “He finally realized what a great catch I am.”
George laughed, and his expression softened as he looked at her. “Honestly, Rita is absolutely right.” He looked at Maggie. “Even after all this time working with you, Maggie, you know I never thought I’d date again after my Sarah passed away. I told you that over and over, didn’t I?”
“You did,” Maggie agreed.
“But I could never have predicted the force of nature that is Rita.” He looked tenderly at her. “I guess there’s room in my heart for more love in a lifetime than I thought. I mean, Sarah will always be in my heart. But I know she’d be happy that I found Rita.”
“Oh, George, that’s wonderful!” Maggie exclaimed. “I’m so happy for you guys.”
Noah echoed her words.
“So now it’s your turn to give us the scoop.” Rita leaned forward, her eyes alight. “I heard y’all been busy roundin’ up mobsters?”
“And kissin’ at concerts,” Gretchen tossed in, causing Margot to sigh dramatically.
“All true,” Noah said with a grin.
“Really?” George said.
“Start with the mobsters,” Rita said.
Maggie began explaining—with Noah interjecting bits here and there—until together they brought the small group up to speed on everything that had happened.
“Whew!” Rita said, shaking her head and making her earrings bump against her neck. “You two have been on quite the adventure.”
“Definitely,” Noah agreed.
“Now let’s get to the good stuff,” Gretchen said, her small dark eyes moving from Noah’s and Maggie’s faces to their joined hands. “What’s the story with you two? Did you finally convince another innocent victim to go on a date with you, Noah?”
“Gretchen!” Margot cried, looking appalled. “That’s so rude! Besides, you can’t just pry into people’s private affairs like that.”
“But is it an affair?” Gretchen said, narrowing her eyes.
Margot let out another exasperated breath.
“Oh, it’s definitely an affair,” Noah said, smiling at Maggie. “I not only convinced Maggie to go out on a date with me, but now we’ve adopted a baby together.”
“What?” Margot cried in surprise before covering her mouth with her hand.
Noah laughed and quickly explained about Boon.