Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
After another moment with Finn’s eyes on her, Maisie raised what was left of her butty in the air. “Yeah, that’s me with the bacon,” she called above the noise of the bus.
“Ah, she has revealed herself,” Finn said in the intercom, his chair still bouncing up and down. “Are you willin’ to pay your tax, then?”
Maisie swiftly shoved the final bite of the butty into her mouth and raised her empty hands. “Sorry!” she said, her words muffled with the great lump of food in her cheeks. “As luck would have it, I just finished.”
“Ah, shame, that.” Finn clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Well, no matter. I’m sure I can safely assume you’re from the States?”
She nodded, swallowing the last of her food, a smile still on her lips. “Yep!”
“Hmm,” Finn continued. “It’s just as well you finished the butty. You lot don’t have the best reputation when it comes to bein’ taxed, you know what I mean?” A few chuckles sounded. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d rather see that bacon butty stuffed into Miss King’s mouth than dumped into Carnlough Harbor. ”
“’Murica!” shouted a voice from the back.
Maisie laughed with a few others, glancing back to see the teenage boy who’d said the word proudly.
A young couple with a one-year-old baby girl smiled at the boy, too, clearly amused with his exclamation.
“We’ve got a few of you in here, then,” Finn responded. “Right, I’ll be sure to mind my tongue.”
He finished, his eyes now fixed on the road as the city buildings gave way to glimpses of the sea, and Maisie admired the gorgeous view of the ocean she was treated to. The water shone a deep blue, the sun’s light reflecting off the tips of the choppy waves as vast as the stars in the sky.
Back in North Dakota, she’d grown up on a ranch surrounded by gorgeous mountains and unending prairielands, so Maisie hadn’t seen the sea until she’d moved to Boston with Daphne last year. Since then, she’d become obsessed with the water. She’d missed it over the last few weeks being in central Europe, so she hungrily ate in the sight now.
After another few minutes, Finn spoke over the intercom again. “Alright, listen up, ladies and gents. As you can see, we’ve nearly reached our first destination, the village of Carnlough. As mentioned before, this village does have a wee harbor first built in the 1700s, though the one you’ll soon see out your window wasn’t built until 1853.”
He rattled off a few more facts about the village, Maisie having to listen intently to understand his words through his accent. Reading his lips would make it much easier. Though, that would probably make it much more distracting, too.
“Now,” he continued, “when we stop in Carnlough, there are a few things to do. First, you can take a dander to Cranny Falls that will have you feelin’ like you’ve set foot in a tropical rainforest—you’ll also be as wet as you would be in a rainforest, seein’ as how me fair country has decided to welcome you all with a lashin’ down.”
Maisie looked ahead at the windshield wipers thwapping fiercely back and forth across the broad windows at the front of the bus. It might be trickier to walk in, but she’d never been one who’d minded the rain.
“If a walk doesn’t suit,” he continued, “feel free to explore the village and shops, or do yourself a favor and visit Doherty’s Café. The food is class.”
Maisie’s interest focused more intently on his words at the mention of food. She’d done her research. It was no coincidence that she had chosen this bus tour for her and Daphne. The restaurants they’d pass by all had glowing reviews—Doherty’s café in particular. But to hear it from a local? That was proof enough for her. Now more than ever, she couldn’t wait to eat.
That butty hadn’t nearly been large enough to satisfy her ravenous appetite.
“Whatever you do,” Finn continued, entering the parking lot, “just be sure to return to the bus at one o’clock sharp so we can leave on time. But fair warnin’. I only give one free pass to those of you who are late gettin’ on me bus. After that, I have ways of makin’ sure you come on time. It’s up to you if you’d like to discover those ways yourself.”
His eyes flashed in her direction as the bus came to a full stop, and Maisie couldn’t help but smile.
The passengers filed off the bus one-by-one, and Finn stood from his seat to say goodbye.
Maisie just so happened to be the last to leave, taking a moment to arrange her belongings in her organizer before walking down the aisle toward Finn, her nerves rattling like a bag of dried chicken bones. Why was she so anxious to speak with him? She’d talked to plenty of attractive men before. Surely this would be no different.
And yet, as she watched him briefly chat with the small group of women who’d been seated at the front of the bus, the three older ladies giggling at his words, Maisie’s stomach continued to toss .
He was probably a flirt with everyone. So why was she looking forward to having him flirt with her ?
Finally, the ladies departed, and Maisie and Finn were left alone on the bus. Finn’s eyes fell on her, and she pressed down the giddy feeling in her heart.
This was the first time she’d seen his entire face not hidden by people in front of her or reflected in the rearview mirror. And truthfully, when it came to looks, he was in a league of his own.
Strong brow. Charming flat cap covering a head of jet-black hair. Good nose. Great lips. Dark eyes that wrinkled at the sides when he smiled.
If he was a hog, she would give him full markings. Ten out of ten, for sure.
“Ah, here she is,” Finn said, still smiling. “The already notorious American.”
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something super witty. Preferably something that would make him laugh. But she was so distracted by his charming grin that her words fell out in a jumbled mess.
“Late and cmurd for…” Her words trailed off. What in the world had she just said?
“Steady on,” Finn began, apparently in need of a translator, too. “Was that Greek you were just speakin’?”
Had his smile not melted her embarrassment like the butter over that warm bacon butty, Maisie would have been mortified. Fortunately, she had just enough dignity left to pick up the pieces of her pride and try again.
“Sorry,” she said, “my words were faster than my lips. I was trying to apologize for being late—and for not sharing my bacon butty. I promise next time, I’ll be on time, and I’ll bring enough food to pay your tax.”
Boom. Got through a whole sentence without stumbling over her words. She was such a pro at speaking now.
“I’ll be holdin’ you to that, so I will,” he said.
They shared a smile, and Maisie, practically falling into a stupor again with his eyes on her, cleared her throat to snap out of it. “I’m Maisie, by the way. Maisie King.”
“I know,” Finn said. “I have your name on me list. Right under Straggler and Tax-Evader .”
She stared. His jokes were delivered so dryly, she might have mistaken him for speaking seriously. But the dead giveaway was once again that twinkle in his dark eyes.
“You’re joking,” she stated, just to be sure that he was.
He rested one hand on the back of his seat, the other propped on his hip. Both were ringless.
“I am,” he clarified, and she smiled.
Silence followed, and she told herself to get going, to join the others on the tour, but her feet remained rooted to the dark rubber floor of the bus, and her mouth remained—apparently—sealed shut.
Fortunately, he seemed far more comfortable than she did. “So do you know what you’re wantin’ to do here? Or are you waitin’ for a recommendation?”
She looked beyond him, finding most individuals having already started toward the wooden post labeled “Cranny Falls.”
“Oh, um…” She hesitated. “I think I’ll try to do everything, but I would love it if you could recommend something from the café. Your favorite dish, maybe?”
“Oh, aye,” he said at once. “The vegetable soup is me favorite. Best thing on the menu.”
Excitement rushed through her. Tasting new foods was her absolute favorite thing in the world.
“Vegetable soup,” she said, pretending to log it away, though she’d already researched the menu and had decided on ordering it weeks ago.
Finn leaned in slightly toward her, and Maisie read his lips to understand him better—which wasn’t an unpleasant thing to stare at in the slightest. “And if you want to make it cracker, ask for a Belfast Bap. Mrs. Doherty always sets aside a few for the locals, but she’ll give them out if requested. You can’t have vegetable soup without it.”
Maisie nodded eagerly, grateful for the tip.
“Oh, and another word of advice,” he said. “Eat after the falls. Otherwise you might not make it due to your belly bein’ as big as a wee whale.”
She laughed at the imagery his words had caused—and how his accent had made them sound even funnier. “It’s that delicious, is it?”
“Ach, aye,” he groaned with his hand to his stomach. “Next to me ma’s food, it’s the best in all Norn Iron.”
Norn Iron. Norn Iron. What was that?
Finn must have seen the confused look on her face, as he clarified, “Northern Ireland.”
“Ah, of course,” she said. “Well, I can’t wait to try it out, then.”
“You’ll have to let me know how you like it,” he said. “Or if it’s too bland for your salty, American tastebuds.”
He ended with a wink, and if she hadn’t had her wits about her, she would’ve just fallen over right there.
Little did this guy know about the months of traveling she’d done and the hundreds of dishes of foreign foods—none of them salty or American—that she’d tried over that time.
Still, he didn’t need to know her life history.
“If it’s too bland, I’ll be sure to blame you for hyping it up too much,” she said.
He gave a single laugh in return, and their eyes connected, lingering just a moment as a palpable energy sparked between them.
Cranny Falls. She was supposed to be headed to Cranny Falls.
Clearing her throat, she looked away. “Well, thanks again for the recommendation. I guess I better leave now so I’m not late coming back.”
“You wouldn’t want that, now,” he replied.
He stepped to the side, allowing her a wider passage, and she gave a little wave as she walked past him and down the steps of the bus.
The cold air and rain overhead instantly greeted her, so she threw up her hood and popped open her umbrella.
“Are you goin’ to the falls first, then?” Finn called after her.
She turned around to face him. “Yeah, I think so.”
He quirked a brow. “Fancy a walkin’ companion? I’m headed that way now, too, so I am.”
Did the bus drivers in Northern Ireland always join their passengers at each location? None of her other guides had.
Maisie raised a nonchalant shoulder, when in reality, her desire to linger with him was growing stronger by the minute.
“Sure,” she said in a light tone. “We might as well walk together.”
He joined her at the foot of the bus, closed the doors from the bottom, then motioned for her to precede him toward the sign. As they fell into step with each other, Maisie did her best to appear relaxed, though the smile she wore refused to leave her lips no matter what she did.