Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“Take it,” Da said, pushing the full envelope towards Finn.
But Finn refused. “Save it, Da. Wait to pay me back ’til you get this job. Then we can work it all out.”
They stood at the end of the hall upstairs, just outside of his parents’ room, but Da had been trying to give him the few hundred pounds since they’d left the kitchen.
“I’ve saved up a bit,” he’d said. “You’ve your own flat to pay for on top of everythin’ else. Take it.”
The offer was generous, not to mention tempting. It would certainly extend Finn’s flat for another month. But he knew as well as Da that his parents couldn’t afford to give anything back right now.
“I can’t take anymore from you until I return somethin’ ,” Da said, his voice low. “I’ve taken too much already.”
“ Borrowed , Da,” Finn corrected. “You’ve borrowed it.”
Honestly, Finn couldn’t care less if his father repaid him at all. But he knew Da had been adamant that any money he accepted from his son, they treated it as a loan and nothing more.
“I know you’re good for it,” Finn continued. “Let’s get you that job, then we’ll talk about this again. ”
“If you’re sure,” Da said, still hesitating as he withdrew the envelope and tucked it into his back pocket. “I’ve high hopes for this one. EJS seems to be a better fit than William’s Bankin’ ever did. I should know the end o’ next week.”
Finn nodded, hoping to appear as unbothered as possible. He didn’t want Da to know Finn was counting down the days to finding some relief.
Still, he must have seen something on Finn’s features, as Da looked away, his brow wrinkling with fold after fold. “I’m sorry ’bout all this, son,” he said, shame shrouding his eyes.
But Finn shook his head. He didn’t offer to help to make his father upset. “You know I’m happy to help after all you’ve done for me. No point in feelin’ badly ’bout it.”
Da nodded but hardly looked convinced, just as usual. Finn had attempted to assuage Da’s guilt before, but nothing helped. Finn didn’t blame him. He’d feel terrible if he had to borrow from his son.
“Have you told Ma yet?” Finn asked next.
Another wave of guilt washed over Da’s features. “She knows enough.”
Finn nodded, leaving it at that. He didn’t need to tell Da how important it was for Ma to know about this whole matter. The fact that she didn’t know Da was at risk for losing the house, were it not for Finn, was beyond him. But then, maybe Da was waiting for things to be settled before sharing more with her. Either way, it wasn’t his place to tell his parents how to carry on their relationship.
“We should probably get back down there,” Finn said. “Ma needs help with Gran.”
Da nodded with a light chuckle. “She’ll have me head, otherwise.”
Finn couldn’t help but agree. “Go on. I’ll just be a minute.”
Waiting until Da turned down the stairs, Finn leaned against the wall and scrubbed his hands across his face. He was so tired of this stress. Da needed to get this job .
Footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs, and Finn looked up in time to see Maisie rounding the corner, her eyes landing on him.
He straightened from the door frame, not having to fake the smile that came to his lips. She had a way of always lifting his heavy heart.
“Hi,” she said. She paused at the top of the stairs, staring at him from down the hallway. “Sorry, I just came up here to find the bathroom.”
She was as stunning as ever, even with Ma’s wee pinny round her middle. Had she heard his conversation with Da? Did that even matter to Finn? He was having trouble caring about anything other than the fact that she was in his house, cooking with his ma, speaking with his granny, and fitting in with the space like she’d been there all along.
“You’re in the right place.” He walked to the bathroom to his left and motioned toward it. “Here you are.”
She moved toward him, though she paused outside the door. “You okay?”
She had heard, then. They’d not said anything to give their troubles away, though, so there was no need to worry her further.
“Always,” he said with a wink.
She hardly appeared convinced, but when he caught how she cradled her right hand, a paper towel stained with red round her thumb, he frowned.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Her eyes dropped to her hand, and she made an attempt to hide it. “Oh, yeah.”
“Did you cut yourself?”
“No…I peeled myself.”
“Ah. Does that mean we’ll be eatin’ Maisie Stew tonight?”
She shuddered, pulling up a look of disgust. “Ew, no. I cleaned up and sanitized everything—all without your mom and grandma knowing, so I’d prefer to keep it that way. No point broadcasting my failure to them. ”
“I’ll keep it to meself, then. So long as you allow me the chance to look at it for you.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But it really is nothing.”
She held up her hands and removed the paper towel, blood instantly pooling from the skinned thumb before sliding down.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll help you dress it.”
Finn disappeared into the bathroom, and Maisie hesitated a minute before following him just a few steps to stand in the doorway.
The overall color of the bathroom was a resounding pink. Pink floral curtains, pink tile, pink wallpaper. There was even a pink doily on the back of the toilet to hold an extra toilet roll.
The whole space was charming, even for a bathroom, and Maisie was again reminded of how much care Niamh put into her home.
Finn maneuvered around the bathroom, opening the small, rectangular mirror to reveal a cabinet filled with bottles, lotions, and toothbrushes.
“Alright,” he mused, pulling out a bandage and a couple tubes of ointment and disinfectant.
“So what was your plan comin’ up here?” he asked, laying out the items across the pink counter. “Were you plannin’ on comin’ up here and rummagin’ through me ma’s cupboard?”
Maisie paused. The thought had crossed her mind, though she didn’t care to admit it. “I was just hoping to have a second to stop the blood without anyone seeing it.”
“Ma wouldn’t have judged you for the mistake,” he said, facing her. “No one would.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m just trying to make a good impression. ”
His gaze softened as he looked down at her, then he held out his hand toward her. “Give us your hand, then.”
Maisie did as she was told, and Finn unfolded the paper towel to reveal her thumb once again. Another drop trailed down her skin, but he caught it just in time, propping her fingers on his free hand.
His gentle touch sent her mind into a frenzy, her senses spiraling and pleasant chills running up her arm. Fortunately, he seemed more focused dressing her wound than on the reaction he’d caused within her.
“I can do this, you know,” she said, motioning to her cut.
“I know,” he said. “But I’ve been friends with Matthew for so long, his knightly behavior’s rubbin’ off on me.”
He dabbed softly at the wound with a cold cloth, the bleeding lessening after a few minutes before he cleaned it with disinfectant. She twitched at the sharp pain it caused.
“Sorry,” he said with a wince.
As if she even cared that it hurt. She would endure a lot more pain if she could enjoy this kind of attention from him again.
He focused on her injury, and she took the opportunity to observe his features, the way his smile lines splayed away from his eyes like sunbeams. But those sunbeams weren’t as deep or bright as usual.
Her mind strayed to the tail-end of the conversation she’d overheard between him and his father—Mr. O’Meara apologizing for something she hadn’t heard.
She had known she shouldn’t be listening in, so she’d retreated down the stairs, only to hear Mr. O’Meara following her. After a split-second decision, she turned back around to head up the stairs, grateful when Mr. O’Meara merely greeted her with a silent nod before she’d made the rest of the way up.
She hoped Finn hadn’t thought that she’d been eavesdropping. But all she wanted to do was ask him about his feelings because she’d never seen him look so burdened.
He placed the ointment on her wound next, then wrapped a small piece of gauze around her thumb, his fingers long and capable.
“You’re unnervin’ me with that stare o’ yours,” he said, breaking through her thoughts.
So he’d noticed. “I’m just thinking.”
“’Bout what exactly?”
“You.”
He peered up at her, his eyebrows high. “Are you now?”
She nodded, and he wrapped the gauze around her thumb once more. A simple band-aid would have sufficed, but at least a larger bandage would ensure more cleanliness as she cooked.
“What about me?” he asked next.
Maisie hesitated, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “About how troubled you looked when I first came up the stairs.”
He didn’t respond for a minute, his eyes remaining on the dressing. “I guess I was troubled. I’m just wonderin’ if the food is gonna be any good.”
He gave her a cheeky look, then peered back down at the thumb.
Obviously, he wasn’t in the mood to open up. That was fine by her. She still had things she kept close to her heart, too.
“Alright,” he said, finishing up as he wound another layer of gauze around her thumb. He paused, his hands still holding hers as he looked across the counter, then opened the mirror cabinet.
“What?” she asked as he continued his search.
“I can’t find the scissors,” he said.
He pulled his lips to the side, staring at the gauze, then shrugged, lifting her hand to his mouth.
He brought the end of the gauze to his teeth, biting into the material to cut off the end. His chin brushed against her hand, and his eyes found hers as he completed the motion.
If Maisie hadn’t been able to breathe before, she was moments away from passing out right there on his mother’s pink bathroom floor. The motion had been innocent, but the look in his eyes was anything but, and her head spun .
“There,” he said, his voice taking on a husky tone. He lowered her hand though still held it between his. “How was that for knightly behavior?”
“Very…knightly,” she said, unable to think of any other response.
With their eyes still sealed together, silence settled around them, and the space between them hummed. A voice of warning whispered to Maisie, something about being smart and careful, but when Finn stroked the back of her knuckles with his thumb, the warning grew faint before disappearing altogether.
It was just as well. There wasn’t room for anything but Finn in that moment.
She watched him closely, his eyes caressing her features as he took a step towards her. His free hand lifted, and she drew in a deep breath, anticipating the feel of his touch once until finally, he brushed the back of his fingers softly down her cheek.
Maisie was gone at the motion. Her eyes fluttered to a close, and he drew nearer.
All thoughts fled but one. All desires fled but one.
She needed Finn to kiss her.