Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Maisie forgot—or at least tried to—all that had transpired between herself and Finn, devoting her attention to catching Renee’s precious dog.
She looked around them but couldn’t figure out where the growling had come from.
“Say something,” she whispered to Finn.
“What?” he asked in only a slightly hushed tone.
“Say something.”
“What are you wantin’ me to say?” he asked, completely befuddled.
That had done the trick. A second later, Trifle’s growling picked up again.
“Ah ha!” Maisie said in another excited whisper.
Swiftly, she moved to the end of the hallway, rounding the corner slowly so only her eyes could peer down the other side. Sure enough, Trifle stood at the end of a blocked-off corridor, cowering in the corner, every inch of her slight body trembling.
Maisie pulled back around, her mind racing to figure out how to keep her from bolting again.
“Is it her?” Finn asked.
Maisie nodded, forcing her thoughts from straying again to her conversation with Finn. She wouldn’t feel stupid for her words. They’d needed to be said. And while they hadn’t exactly cleared up his actions, they’d certainly cleared up hers, and she was more than happy about that.
“Let’s get her, then,” he said, moving forward.
“Wait!” Maisie swiftly whispered. “You go down there, she might sprint.”
He gave her an unimpressed look. “You’re that sure she hates me?”
“Yes,” she stated.
He folded his arms across his chest, his dark blue, corded sweater causing his shoulders to spread wider than before. “I see. Perhaps we make a wee wager, then.”
Instantly, Maisie gave him a wary look. “What wager?”
“We both go down the corridor at the same time,” Finn explained. “Whoever catches the dog wins.”
“Wins what, exactly?”
“Braggin’ rights.”
“Boring,” she scoffed.
“All right, then, what?”
Maisie looked back down the corridor, Trifle still shivering in place. “How about we just get the dang dog and put Renee and Trifle both out of their misery?”
He blew out an unimpressed breath. “Are you always this altruistic?”
She smiled, despite herself. “Come on, she’s going to run away again.”
“Then I suggest you come up with a prize that suits us both,” he said, raising a commanding brow.
She pulled her hands to her hips. Despite Finn’s standoffishness today, she was already jumping head-on into enjoying this repartee again.
“Clock’s tickin’,” he said, tapping the watch on his wrist.
She had to be the most weak-willed woman on the face of the planet, falling for his charm and cheek all over again .
“Fine,” she breathed out. “If I promise to come up with something after, can we just go get the dog now?”
He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her proposal.
The two of them concocted a swift plan, then put it into play, appearing at the end of the hallway together.
Trifle barked, still quivering at the closed-off end.
“Hey, girl,” Maisie said softly as they drew slowly toward her.
The dog barked again, clearly becoming more agitated.
“It’s okay,” Maisie cooed. “Remember, it’s me, Maisie. The one who took you out to pee for an hour ?”
Finn let out a slight chuckle at her words, but Trifle barked again, her growling kicking up a notch. The dog faced them more fully, her bright red leash trailing out in front of her like a stretched-out snake.
“We should probably stop pushing her,” Maisie said.
Finn nodded, stopping alongside her.
To her surprise, he crouched low to the ground. “Here, Trifle,” he said softly, his voice raising a touch as he stretched out his fingers toward the dog.
Maisie was about to tease him for his overt efforts, warning him about the dog attacking him, when, to her complete and total shock, Trifle stopped growling, lowered her head to the ground, and drew a step toward them.
“What the…” she began.
“That’s a good girl,” Finn cooed.
Maisie crouched down next, hoping Trifle would change her mind and go to Maisie instead, but as the dog moved one wary puffy white paw in front of the next, it was clear that Trifle still headed for Finn.
“Trifle,” Maisie called in a last-ditch effort, but it was too late.
The dog reached Finn, sniffing at his outstretched fingers. Maisie stared at his soft smile, his thighs bulging in his hunkered down position until he stood, cradling Trifle in his arms. To add insult to injury, the dog took up licking Finn’s fingers, but, then, Maisie hardly noticed.
The look of triumph in Finn’s smile, his muscles shifting in his arm as he held the little puff ball, and the soft expression in his eyes was enough to make her lose her senses. She’d never been more attracted to him.
“All right, what’d you do?” she asked, trying to regain some semblance of control.
“Nothin’,” he said with a laugh.
She shook her head, not buying it.
She leaned toward Trifle, patting her atop the head. “Never took you for a turncoat, miserable dog. And this is all after I stood out in the rain for you.”
Finn laughed, though he remained silent about his tactics.
“Seriously, what’d you do?” Maisie asked.
He stared at Maisie, his eyes shimmering with delight as he held up his fingers, the tips of them covered in a bit of brown food.
“Fifteens,” he said. “I had some leftover from yesterday. Figured the dog might enjoy it.”
Maisie’s mouth dropped open. “I knew it, you little cheater.”
He chuckled, flicking the crumbs on the ground. “Cheatin’? Or resourceful?”
“ Cheating ,” she stated. “When Renee finds out you’ve fed her dog that much sugar, she’s going to be livid.”
“Naw, she’ll only be grateful that I saved her precious pup.”
“You,” Maisie sniffed.
“Ach, no one likes a sore loser.”
“And what about cheaters?”
She reached up to pat Trifle’s back, still perturbed with the dog’s weak-willed character. At the same time, Finn reached to pet the dog, as well, and their fingers made contact. To her surprise, neither of them drew away.
Attraction sparked between them, their eyes locking into place, and Maisie watched as the humor in Finn’s brown eyes shifted to a palpable warmth.
What unraveled her, however, was when those eyes dropped to her lips. Her breathing stuttered to a halt, and her heart skipped beat after beat as she held her breath.
And the only thought that formed in her mind was how she couldn’t blame Trifle for being a turncoat—when Maisie, herself, had clearly forgiven Finn for his distant behavior that morning.
“I’ve got a prize idea,” she said softly, his small finger still resting against hers atop Trifle’s back. “The winner…the winner chooses where we go on a date this Saturday.”
Oh, heavens. What had she done? She’d obviously lost her mind.
But to her utter delight, Finn’s expression brightened. His lips parted, as if he’d been about to tell her what a great idea she’d had, then suddenly, his features shifted to utter regret.
“Oh,” he said, “I don’t know…”
Maisie cringed. She’d fallen for it again. Whatever had made him stop speaking with her in the first place was clearly still an issue. His gazing at her lips had just thrown her off, turned her into the fool again. She had to be quick to save face.
She forced out a small laugh. “I’m totally kidding,” she said. “Winner gets his choice of ice cream. Loser buys.” She gave Trifle another pat on her head—careful to avoid Finn’s hands altogether this time. “Come on, little pup. Let’s go set Renee’s mind at ease.”
“Maisie…” Finn began.
But she shook her head, motioning down the hallway. “Come on. Let’s go before Trifle realizes you tricked her.”
She gave what she hoped was an easy smile, then led the way forward, praying with every last bit of energy and hope she had that Finn wouldn’t talk to her and tell her what she feared he would.
“The flirtin’s alright, but I’m not interested in anythin’ more, like.”
She blinked away the image of the pity in his eyes, of the words she didn’t want to hear spoken aloud, and nearly ran to the entrance .
By the time they reached Pearl, Joyce, and Renee, Maisie was nearly breathless.
“Oh, Trifle!” Renee said as they approached. “Oh, my darling!” She took her from Finn’s arms. “How can I ever repay the both of you?”
Finn motioned to Maisie. “Maisie’s the one who found her,” he said, trying to give her credit.
But Maisie wasn’t having it. “No, Finn did it all. Somehow, he’s convinced Trifle to like him.”
“I can see that,” Renee said, “letting you hold her and everything.” She rested her cheek against the dog’s puffy brow, then kissed her multiple times.
All the while Trifle merely yawned with boredom.
Renee was typically quite reserved and quiet, but clearly, the relief she felt pulled out a bolder side of her, as she reached toward Finn next, squeezing his cheek in her fingers. “Oh, I could just kiss you, too.”
Finn chuckled.
“He’s far too old for you, Renee,” Joyce joked. “You know you like the younger ones.”
The women giggled like schoolgirls instead of the eighty-somethings they were.
“Ach, you’re just a bunch of flatterers,” Finn said. “But as much as I love the attention, I don’t want to be fired—and I certainly don’t want you lot kicked off the bus. I have to follow the rules, and those rules include not kissin’—or datin’—any of the passengers aboard Bob.” His eyes locked onto Maisie’s. “No matter how badly I might want to.”
Maisie tried to look away, but the depth and gravity in Finn’s dark gaze held onto her, conveying exactly what he was feeling.
He was talking about her.