Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Maisie tapped her foot on the sidewalk, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Bob—and much more truthfully, of Finn. She’d been worried since Saturday night to find out if he still kept his job.
She’d wanted to message him countless times, but after Mrs. Waterstone’s threats, Maisie wouldn’t do anything more to jeopardize his standing with the company.
As she waited with the other passengers, her eyes drifted toward Mrs. Waterstone, who stood next to her scrolling husband, her eyes fixed on the pavement. She’d avoided Maisie’s gaze the entire morning. It was just as well. Maisie wanted to avoid her, too. She’d done her best not to allow her anger to fester toward the woman, but seeing her there that morning just reopened the wound.
Who knew, maybe Mrs. Waterstone hadn’t said anything. Maybe Finn was just running late, and all was well.
And yet, as more minutes passed by, words scattered around the group concerning the tardiness of the bus. Joyce, Pearl, and Renee approached her at one point, asking if Maisie knew when Finn would be there, but she merely shook her head in response.
As the women wandered away, Maisie pulled up her phone, hoping to receive an explanatory text from Finn, but as she scrolled through her messages, her eyes landed on the text thread with her aunt instead.
She frowned. Daphne hadn’t messaged her back since Friday when Maisie had admitted she’d liked Finn. She could understand Daphne’s fears of being left alone, but more than anything, her aunt’s lack of support hurt. Especially now when Maisie needed it most.
Fortunately, Maisie had been able to chat with her parents the day before, sharing all about her newfound relationship with Finn and how she might’ve ruined it before it began.
Dad had been cautiously quiet while Mom consoled Maisie, then they’d both offered her words of encouragement while asking her to keep them updated.
Maisie would forever be grateful for them always being there for her, but she couldn’t deny that Daphne’s absence hurt.
“There he is,” a voice from behind said, drawing Maisie back to the present.
Relief filled her as Bob rounded the busy streets of Belfast, driving toward them in all its burnt orange glory. He was coming. Did that mean Mrs. Waterstone hadn’t tattled after all? Or had the company taken Finn’s side? Either way, Maisie wanted to smile triumphantly at the woman.
Instead, she behaved like the responsible adult she was and stayed away, standing in the middle of the group as they neared the edge of the pavement where Bob slowly pulled to a stop. Maisie tried to see Finn through the glass, but the reflecting windows made it impossible until he opened the doors and peered down at them.
Only, it wasn’t Finn at all.
Her smile froze on her lips, and her heart dropped.
The man smiled mutely from inside, his blond mane thinning with two large scoops of hair taken out of the front of his balding head .
“Mornin’, guys,” he greeted, stifling a yawn. “Welcome aboard.”
Pearl, Joyce, and Renee, who were first in line, hesitated.
“I don’t bite,” the man said. His eyes dropped to the dog in Renee’s arms. “I trust he doesn’t either?”
Renee looked absolutely horrified at the very notion. “ She does not.”
The driver hardly looked convinced.
“Where’s Finn?” Joyce asked at once.
“He’s had some things come up, unfortunately,” he stated briefly. “I’m Thomas. I’ll be takin’ over the rest of the tour.”
Maisie stared, swallowing hard. Finn wasn’t coming back?
“If you’ll board now,” he continued, “there are others awaitin’.”
Renee turned to Maisie, her voice soft. “Did you know about this?”
Pearl was next. “What happened to Finn?”
Maisie shook her head, her gut churning. “I’ll tell you about it later,” she whispered, not wanting to spread what had occurred, fearing it might make matters worse.
Their eyes widened with intrigue and worry, though they boarded the bus all the same. Maisie, however, looked behind her at Mrs. Waterstone, whose small eyes stared up at Thomas before dropping to Maisie’s.
Maisie knew she should just board the bus, as well, but the injustice of the situation was just too much. Wading through the rest of the group as they filed onto the bus, she came face-to-face with Mrs. Waterstone.
“This was you, wasn’t it?” she asked, tossing her head toward Thomas.
Mr. Waterstone, for once, looked up from his phone, but Maisie stared solely at his wife.
Mrs. Waterstone raised a bony shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say you two did this to yourselves. ”
“What’s going on?” Mr. Waterstone asked.
“Nothing,” Mrs. Waterstone stated.
Maisie shook her head. “Finn needs this job, you know. For more than just him. Why hurt him when your problem is clearly with me?”
A flicker of uncertainty flashed in her eyes, though she looked past Maisie toward the bus. “I suggest you board, Miss King, before I report you, too.”
“Report her for what?” Mr. Waterstone asked, apparently finding something more entertaining than whatever was on his phone.
But she didn’t care about the man, nor Mrs. Waterstone. She cared about Finn.
Disgust filled her then, a feeling she wasn’t used to. What made her heart ache, however, was that the disgust wasn’t just for Mrs. Waterstone. It was for herself . Mrs. Waterstone had a point. Maisie and Finn had chosen to pursue a relationship, knowing very well it was breaking the rules. And now, Finn had—what, been suspended, or lost his job entirely? What would become of him and his family? Of their home?
As her berating continued, Maisie withdrew from Mrs. Waterstone. “I hope you have a better trip now,” she said simply, then she climbed into the bus herself.
In a depressive state, she went about the motions of setting up her station, disappointment crushing her when she sat down and saw Thomas’s balding head instead of Finn’s flat cap and twinkling eyes in the mirror.
Unable to help herself any longer, she pulled out her phone and sent him a WhatsApp message, praying it wouldn’t make matters worse.
Maisie
Are you okay?
She waited a minute, but no response came. Her heart twisted. The bus pulled away from the curb. Thomas began speaking of the plan for today, Marble Arch Caves in Enniskillen. Maisie tried to listen, but the mood around the bus, her own mood, couldn’t be picked up.
A quarter of an hour later, her phone buzzed, and she hurriedly opened it to read Finn’s message.
Finn
I’m so sorry I couldn’t message until now. I’ve been told not to contact you at all, but you have a right to know. I’ve been suspended. Don’t know when or if I’ll be back. I’m hoping this just works itself out, but I’ll be honest, I’m not sure it will.
I know you’ll be blaming yourself now, but please don’t. This was because of me. I don’t regret a single second I spent with you.
Tell Pearl, Renee, and Joyce hello from me. And give Trifle a pat. I know she’ll accept it coming from you.
I’ll keep you updated. Until then, enjoy the rest of the trip as much as you can. I’d hate for this to ruin what you’ve waited to see for years. xx
Maisie stared at the final x’s on the screen, blinking away the tears pooling in her eyes.
He was still wanting her to have a good time. He was still thinking of her and the others on the bus, despite his world crashing down around him. But that was typical Finn, wasn’t it? Always thinking of others, always trying to make everyone laugh.
She lowered her phone and rested against the seat, lolling her head to the side to stare out the window as Belfast’s buildings faded into green fields. All the while, her thoughts refused to leave Finn.
If only she could help him. If only she could convince the company to listen to them and not Mrs. Waterstone .
The thought rooted in her heart, and she lifted her head from the seat as an idea formulated in her mind.
Maybe she could help after all.