Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Um, yes. Maisie would very much fancy a wee cyclin’ mate .
Still, she couldn’t appear too eager. How desperate would that look?
“Are you inviting yourself on my solo bike ride around the island?” she asked with a narrowed gaze.
Finn’s eyes danced. “Aye, I am. I was goin’ on a spin anyway, so I thought we might as well go together.”
Eamon barked out a laugh behind them. “ You , go on a bicycle ride? Go on a bicycle ride, he says. I’ve not seen you do that once in the last three years.”
Finn stared hard at the man. “What are you on about, Eamon? I’m always wantin’ to ride.” He looked at Maisie with a little chuckle, motioning to Eamon with his thumb as he gave a little scoff. “This guy.”
Eamon propped his hands on his hips, clearly not catching on. “You’ve told me loads of times how much you hate ridin’.”
Finn gave him a deadened look. “Saints above, Eamon,” he said with a sigh, “will you help your boyo out here? I’m tryin’ to play this cool, like.”
But Eamon was still not having it, which made it all the more entertaining to watch. “Well you’re actin’ as thick as champ, you are. Just ask the bleedin’ woman if you can go with her.”
Finn shook his head with a look of defeat. “Ever the romantic, Eamon,” he mumbled, then he looked at Maisie with a grin that told her he wasn’t put out in the slightest. “Would you mind if I joined you on your ride round Rathlin this afternoon, Miss King?” He looked back at Eamon as if Maisie couldn’t see or hear them. “Better?”
“Hardly,” Eamon grumbled, then he shoved a helmet toward Finn before turning to ready another bike.
Finn faced Maisie again, tucking his helmet between his side and forearm. “So, how about it, then?”
Maisie was obviously eager to welcome him along, but then, she’d just promised Dad she wouldn’t go anywhere alone with anyone. Finn seemed more than trustworthy, though, and there were dozens of people already riding or walking on the same road they would ride on. She’d be perfectly fine. She was sure of it.
“I’d be happy to have your company,” she replied.
“’Course you would. Anyone’d be chuffed to have me for company.”
Eamon handed Finn’s bike over, sharing a few instructions and advice before ushering them along as another group moved forward to rent bikes of their own.
Finn slipped his flat cap into his backpack as they moved to the side of the road, securing his helmet atop his head with the bike propped up beside him. “Ready?”
“Almost,” Maisie said, tucking her phone in her raincoat pocket before focusing her attention on her light green, calf-length dress.
Finn watched her for a minute, eying her up and down, as if only just now noticing what she wore. “How do you reckon you’ll be ridin’ in that, then?”
“How do you think?” she asked.
She swept up the fabric in one motion, pulling the folds up to her hips to reveal the pink joggers she wore beneath. She smiled cleverly at Finn, but he didn’t see, having swung his gaze to the sky and shifted his body away from her with unease.
Obviously, he’d thought she wasn’t wearing any pants underneath her dress and had instinctively given her privacy.
Her chest warmed as if she’d just swallowed a spoonful of hot soup. She definitely didn’t need to worry about being alone with this guy.
“Sorry,” she said, giving a little laugh to play off the incident, though she was mortified at her unintentionally brazen behavior. “I thought you would’ve known I’d come prepared for this freezing weather.”
Finn slowly faced her again, his shoulders visibly relaxing.
“Joggers,” she said, sticking out her leg to emphasize that she was, indeed, clothed. “A girl’s best friend.”
She then proceeded to tie up her long skirts with a hair tie in an oh-so-fashionable knot above her tailbone just beneath her raincoat.
“It looks ridiculous, I know,” she said, noting him staring at the knot. “But it does the job.”
His eyes lingered. “If anyone could pull off a wee bunny’s tail, it’s you.” After another moment, he tore his gaze away, as if only then just realizing where he was staring. “I have to ask, though. Why bother wearin’ the dress if you’re already wearin’ trousers?”
Maisie shrugged, placing on her own helmet next. “I’ve just always been a dress kind of girl. I like the way they look on me, I guess.”
He eyed her up and down. “You’ll hear no complaints comin’ from me.”
A swooping sensation occurred in her stomach as he winked. Daphne would be freaking out right now if she was here, worrying about Finn whisking Maisie away in a whirlwind romance that ended in marriage and resulted in Daphne being alone forever.
But that was ridiculous. Completely unrealistic. Just because he winked and complimented her didn’t mean they were going to end up together. Still, Maisie couldn’t deny how much she was enjoying his attention.
The two of them climbed onto their bikes and set off down the smooth road, sailing past walkers and nodding to other bicyclists as they went on their way.
It had been years since Maisie had ridden, but just like the age-old expression, she picked it back up instantly. She and Finn settled into a nice, easy pace, riding single-file until the road widened, and Finn caught up to peddle alongside her.
She watched him sidelong for a minute, his shoulders accentuated as he leaned forward to grip the handlebars. His legs were long and lean, though his thighs stretched his pants with each press of his pedals.
“So you wear them trousers often, then?” he asked, motioning to her own legs.
Had he been watching her, too?
“Only when it’s freezing,” she replied. “Do you have joggers here?”
“Aye. ’Course we do. Though I couldn’t say if women love ’em more than men.”
“Your mom never told you?” she teased. “Or your girlfriend?”
Had she slipped that in seamlessly enough? It had sounded pretty matter-of-fact, but his knowing gaze made her think otherwise.
It wasn’t her fault she needed to know if he was actually single or not. Yesterday on the bus wasn’t confirmation enough for her.
“I try me best to listen to me ma when she talks, but if she’s ever told me ’bout her trousers, I can’t say I was payin’ attention.” Then he looked at her squarely. “And I don’t have a girlfriend, so I can’t answer in that regard either.”
A lightness flooded Maisie’s limbs, and she straightened on the bicycle seat. That was clear enough for her.
“Anyway,” he continued, watching the road again, “me ma’s too busy lookin’ after a household of her own to be banterin’ ’ bout clothes. Not to mention the time she spends spoilin’ her grandfish.”
Grandfish . He was just too delightful. “She doesn’t have any other real grandkids to spoil?”
He stared at her with a look of offense. “Excuse me, but me fish are just as real as real grandchildren, thank you very much.” He paused. “But no, she hasn’t any real grandchildren. I’m her only child, like, so she’ll have a while to wait to have me future children carry on the O’Meara name.”
“Heeey,” she said with a broad smile, pointing at herself, “I’m an only child, too.”
“Are you now?”
“Yup. I always wanted siblings, though. I only ever got pigs and cows.”
He gave her a quizzical look.
“I grew up on a rural ranch,” she explained. “Livestock were my only friends. Until they were turned into meals.”
He laughed out loud, and her heart jumped in delight.
“What about you?” she asked. “Did you ever want siblings?”
“Ach, naw. I’d hate to share the attention.”
She laughed. “Why does that not surprise me?”
Their eyes met, and in that moment, Maisie was overcome with relief that she’d taken Mom and Dad’s advice.
Living this trip with no regrets was already proving to be the best decision she’d ever made.