“Patience,” Maisy whispered, looking to Patrick. Her brother’s excitement and pleasure with every aspect of this visit matched her own. She couldn’t find fault with his enthusiasm.
Chase’s car and driver waited outside. Maisy had assumed the departure area for the cruise would be close by. Once inside the car, they drove past several of the commercial dinner cruise vessels. Maisy wasn’t sure how far they went before the car pulled up to a docking area. Chase helped her out of the car and Patrick followed. In front of them was a boat. Only this was no small sailing vessel. It was a luxurious watercraft that looked like a yacht, or at least that’s what she assumed.
Maisy froze and looked at Chase, hardly knowing what to say. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this yours?”
He grinned, apparently amused by her surprise. “Just another one of my toys,” he said, taking her by the elbow.
Once aboard, the captain greeted them, and a server appeared with two flutes of champagne and a nonalcoholic beverage for her brother. Fairly soon after, they were under way.
Patrick was invited to join the captain and help steer the boat. He disappeared, leaving Maisy and Chase alone on the deck. They stood together, holding their drinks. Chase’s arm was around her waist. The evening was lovely; dusk settled around them, and the night sky was beginning to make an appearance.
Maisy rested her head against Chase’s shoulder, taking in thepeace of the moment. This boat, if she could even call it that, was a huge reminder of the differences between their two lives. Chase was accustomed to luxury. He had no clue what it meant to struggle financially. If ever she needed a reminder, it was now. She felt the need to point this out, but couldn’t make herself do anything to spoil this perfectly wonderful evening.
“How was your visit with Laura?” he asked.
“Oh Chase, you can’t imagine how much you’ve helped my friend. The difference is night and day. Bella still has a bit of an attitude, but as Laura reminded me her daughter is a teenager and to expect anything less would be unrealistic.”
“Good.”
“You’ve completely turned her life around. I’ve never seen Laura so relaxed and happy. The stress is gone and she’s doing so well in all her classes. I can’t thank you enough for all you did.”
As with everything, when it came to Chase, their dinner was far and above anything she could have anticipated. They were treated to a Dungeness crab cocktail, followed by a Caesar salad, prime rib, and Baked Alaska. Maisy thought Patrick would fall off his chair when the server brought out the flaming cake.
“You did that for Patrick, didn’t you?” Maisy asked Chase.
“Guilty.”
He reached for her hand. “I love having you with me.”
“I love being here.” This wasn’t reality, though. By Tuesday she’d be back at the jewelry store. The thought depressed her. Chase and her online classes were what helped her get through the day. At this point, her classes were prerequisite ones, which meant when the time came, her work schedule would need to beadjusted so she could be in the classroom. That was, if the family could afford for her to attend when the budget was already tight. Any extra income from her mother’s substitute teaching would dry up. The question hung over Maisy’s head like an unstable layer of bricks.
Once she was back in Seattle, she would be sure to find Sean fussing over their monthly household bills and the mortgage payment, which was due the following week. Maisy felt almost guilty to be living the life of luxury while her family struggled back home.
“Why the frown?” Chase asked.
“Sorry.” She didn’t realize he could read her so easily. “It’s nothing.”
“Maisy?”
She shook her head.
“Tell me,” he insisted.
She gestured with her hand. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with all this when my family is barely keeping their heads above water.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No,” she stated emphatically. “Please don’t even suggest it.”
Now it was Chase who frowned. “You mean to say you would rather struggle than let me help?”
She hesitated and then said, in a way she hoped sounded confident, “We’ll make it work; we always seem to find a way.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“That you would even offer blesses me, Chase. But you need to know my family would never be comfortable accepting anything monetary from you. Please understand. I appreciate the offer, more than you know, but please don’t.”
It took a long time before he responded. “I’ll do my best.”
