For weeks she’d been heavy on his mind. He’d resisted, reminding himself it would come to no good. He had accepted that any connection between them would be futile and decided to leave matters as they were. He’d do as she asked and pay her kindness forward.
Then he’d found the card and learned Maisy had attended his mother’s celebration of life. It stunned him, knowing she’d been there and he hadn’t. Complicating his feelings was the discovery that his mother had friends and sobriety. A good life, which heknew nothing about. Maisy’s card and the others were the painful reminder of all he’d lost.
He had no one to blame but himself.
Maisy had confused him on their first meeting and even more so now. Really, what kind of person went out of their way to be helpful and not expect something in return? It had knocked him off balance that she wanted nothing more from him than to pay her kindness forward.
Out of curiosity, he’d asked his assistant to do a search on Maisy. Tristen had discovered Maisy was everything he’d hoped and feared: Her entire family were active members of their church and involved in work with the homeless. From a background check, he’d discovered she lived with her family and struggled financially, due to a failing business. It appeared that the death of her father had contributed to their money troubles. Digging even deeper, he learned Maisy had dropped out of the nursing program at Seattle University. That couldn’t have been an easy decision, and he suspected she agreed to forgo her education in order to help her family.
He didn’t understand someone like Maisy and couldn’t grasp why he continued wasting time thinking about her. Likely, it had to do with her request that he pay it forward. He’d thought about satisfying her challenge with the donation to the country club. Even at the time, as he wrote the check, he knew this wasn’t what Maisy intended.
His gaze went back to the phone. Earlier, he’d mulled over an idea, one that would help her friend Laura. First thing in the morning, he planned to put it in motion. His shoulders relaxed, and he couldn’t help imagining Maisy’s reaction once she’d heard what he did.
There it was. Again. He was thinking about Maisy and feeling this sense of excitement and anticipation.
It made no sense. They lived in completely different worlds. Sure, she was pretty, but not strikingly beautiful. Some might find her attractive, he supposed, with her auburn hair and disarming green eyes. Those eyes. They’d seemed to laser straight through him as clearly as sunshine. Her oval-shaped face was expressive. The woman would never make a good poker player. She was average height, around five-six, if that. She was normal in every way. Nothing exceptional stood out about her, other than her caring heart. That was what drew him to her, he realized. Her generosity and kindness, the way she considered others. No wonder she wanted to become a nurse. If he were ever hospitalized, he’d want someone just like her looking after him.
Chase feared the call to Maisy had opened Pandora’s box. One conversation and he found he was hungry for more. Even as disciplined as he was, Chase was unsure he would be able to stop himself from reaching out to her again.
—
The day had been especially rewarding for Maisy. A submariner from the base at Bangor in north Kitsap County had come seeking an engagement ring, one her uncle, Fred, had designed. The Navy man had saved for months, wanting to purchase a diamond large enough to convince the woman he loved to marry him.
“If she loves you, she won’t care how big the stone is,” Maisy assured him. She noticed how nervous he was. She’d spent well over an hour showing him engagement rings within his price range, but he always came back to the one her uncle had created.
“We’ve talked about getting married,” he’d said, as he held Uncle Fred’s ring in his hand.
“What makes you think she won’t jump at the chance to be your wife?”
He glanced up at Maisy and held her look. “I got orders today and will be at sea for the next six months. That’s a long time to wait…I don’t know if she’ll be willing, you know?”
Seeing the love in the young sailor’s eyes mingled with hope, it was all Maisy could do not to reassure him. She knew nothing of this woman he loved. With all her heart, Maisy hoped his young woman would appreciate the sacrifice this man had made to offer her an engagement ring.
In the end he chose Uncle Fred’s design, the diamond surrounded with rubies. Since he wasn’t sure of her ring size, Maisy assured him if the ring didn’t fit that the charge for sizing was included in the price.
Although tired, Maisy was on an emotional high after selling the ring. It was her only sale of the day.
When she arrived home, she found that her mother was out of the house for choir practice at the church. Sean wasn’t home, and Maisy suspected he was at the local pub with Katie. Patrick was at the park, playing baseball with his friends. She sat down for an easy dinner, a premixed salad with chicken, corn, and black beans, since she hadn’t had time for lunch.
She was about to take the first bite when her phone rang. She recognized the number from the call she’d gotten from Chase a few nights earlier.
“Hello.”
“Maisy, it’s Chase Furst,” he said, as if speaking to a client. For whatever reason, he sounded upset.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No, no, it’s nothing,” he said, softening his words.
Maisy had been shocked to hear from him after all this time and was even more surprised he’d called again.
“I want to apologize for the other night,” he said, sounding much calmer now. “I lashed out at you when I was upset with myself.”
“No apology is necessary. Seeing my name on that card must have come as a shock.”
“It was,” he agreed, “along with all the other cards. I had no idea Michelle had made a new life for herself.”
“I’m happy you learned the truth.”
