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That was his cue.

“I’ll leave you ladies to it,” he said briefly. “Mrs. Parker. Maisie.”

Maisie’s eyes found his, and a moment passed between them that spoke more than words could. Feelings of disappointment shared by both. Of sorrow from Maisie. And at least in Finn’s regard, a deep regret of not being able to get to know this one-of-a-kind woman better.

He tipped his head to her in departure, and she gave a solemn smile before he turned around and walked away, all the while dwelling on the notion that this tour had changed within minutes from being the best to significantly less.

And it was all because he feared he wouldn’t be seeing Maisie King again.

CHAPTER TEN

Maisie tried to keep her focus on Daphne, but a ringing reverberated in her ears, making it difficult to pay attention to anything but Finn’s figure growing smaller and smaller as he left the beach behind.

“Are you okay, hon?” Daphne asked, still wincing as Maisie had yet to respond.

Maisie cleared her throat. “Yeah, I just…You’re sure?”

Turmoil stretched across Daphne’s features. “Yes. Briggs said there’s nothing else to do but come back. Mr. Johnson is just not convinced that I’m taking it seriously. He thinks I’ve just been playing around in Europe for the last few months.” She rolled her eyes. “Briggs says that if I drop everything and make a good show of leaving this ‘vacation,’ Johnson will be more convinced that I’m all in. He’ll see that I have every intention of being hands-on with the entire project.”

Maisie only heard about half of what Daphne was saying, but she got the gist of it—they had to leave.

“I’m so sorry, hon,” Daphne said. “I wouldn’t do this unless I thought it was absolutely necessary. I know how much you were looking forward to being here. I was, too.”

Maisie nodded, pulling on a tight smile. “I know. I get it.”

And she did. Neither of them could throw away years of work to stay. What that meant for the menu, Maisie could only guess. Would Daphne just forgo the Northern Irish aspect altogether?

The hollowness in her chest expanded, giving way for disappointment to fill the empty chasm within her. She looked back out across the beach, Finn nowhere in sight.

She just couldn’t believe it. All those years of longing to come here. All the months she’d spent planning, researching, and preparing. All the locations she’d wanted to see—gone in the blink of an eye, or rather, in a phone call.

She’d had disappointed dreams before this one—relationships falling through, marriage nowhere on the horizon, a lonely life and future ahead of her. And she’d have plenty more disappointments in the future. Even still, tears pooled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She swiftly blinked them away and faced the steps down from the bridge, not wanting Daphne to see her emotion. It wasn’t her aunt’s fault. It was just…one of those things.

“Well, I guess we should get back and pack, then,” Maisie said, taking a step away, ready to rip off the bandage.

But Daphne’s hand caught her softly in her grasp.

Maisie turned to look at her, and a sad smile touched her aunt’s lips. “You misunderstood me,” she said. “Or rather, I misspoke.”

“What do you mean?” Maisie asked.

“I have to go back to Boston,” Daphne clarified.

Maisie said nothing. Her thoughts zipped around her mind, preventing any complete sentence from forming.

“And you,” Daphne said with a soft look, “are gonna stay here.”

Finally, Maisie scoffed. As if she’d stay here alone. “Yeah, nice try. Come on. Let’s go.”

“No, Maisie,” Daphne said, shaking her head and remaining on the bridge. “I’m serious.”

Maisie’s lips parted as she struggled to find a response. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to stay here alone while you’re being forced to work on our dream by yourself.”

“Yes, you are.” Daphne reached forward, holding her gloved hands to Maisie’s cheeks. “Besides, you’ll be working, too. But this way, you’ll be able to have the best time eating all the foods, seeing all the sights, and exploring all of Northern Ireland. Just like you had planned. Just…sans a crazy, business-centric aunt.”

Maisie looked away, overcome with guilt. Flickers of the day flashed through her mind, moments of the fun she’d had on her own. She cringed as she recalled how nice it had been without her aunt’s business-centric actions tainting her slower-paced day.

“I’m not dumb, Maisie,” Daphne continued with a knowing look. “I’m not the best person in the world to travel with. Honestly, you’ll probably have more fun without me, and I’m totally okay with that. I want you to.”