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Finn once again leaned closer to Maisie to explain. Did he need to? No. But he wanted to help her feel welcome, as if she were “in” on their stories. That, and he really liked the smell of that strawberry scent in her hair.
“Graham and Pyper have hated each other since they were kids,” he explained. “I tell you, though, I think he’s secretly in love with her.”
Graham pulled on a look of disgust. “Never.”
Cedric moved to take another turn at the dartboard. “You just need someone else, Graham. Someone to help you forget how much you hate Pyper. That’s what I do. A palate cleanser of sorts.”
“Easy for you to say,” Graham returned. “You’ve got a million girls always after you.”
Cedric raised his arms to the side of him, motioning around. “I don’t right now.”
“They’re all back in England,” Finn said. “No one cares about Habergham over here.” He leaned near Maisie again. “Ced plays for a football team for England. He’s rich and famous.”
“Oh, please,” Cedric said with a bashful look, then he flashed a smile at Maisie. “But it’s true.”
She laughed again, and Finn’s heart took a little stumble at the sight of her gorgeous grin once more.
After another round with Maisie and Winnie both losing, the girls went to the toilets, leaving the men alone to finish up another go.
But it wasn’t two seconds that the girls were gone before the lads rounded on Finn.
“So…” Cedric began, motioning toward where Maisie had just left from.
“So, what?” Finn asked, playing dumb.
“You know what,” Matthew said. “Out with it.”
Finn was going to play it off more, but decided he’d rather give his friends the answers now than when Maisie returned.
He looked at her blonde hair disappearing through the crowds, then replied. “I don’t know, lads. But whatever this is between us, I’m goin’ to enjoy it while it lasts.”
That seemed to satisfy his mates enough for them to continue with their game, which was fine by Finn. He didn’t need to define anything. At least not to them.
Because he’d already made a conscious decision that evening. Once the tour was over, he was going to ensure Maisie King had a place in his life for good.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Maisie waited with Winnie for their turn to use the bathroom, a few girls standing in line ahead of the single room.
“Are you having a good time?” Winnie asked with a friendly smile.
“For sure,” Maisie responded. “Much better than spending the night alone in my hotel.”
“I’m so glad you chose to stay,” Winnie said as they shifted forward and another woman left the restroom. “I love hanging out with those boys, but for the longest time, it was just the four of them. Now it’s the four of them and me. Sometimes, I feel like a total tagalong. Not that they make me feel that way, of course.”
Maisie could understand perfectly. “It must be hard not to feel like an imposter when they’re so close. You don’t hear of many groups of guys staying friends for so long.”
“Yeah, they really are lucky.”
Laughter sounded across the bar, and they both looked to see Finn and Matthew nudging each other near the dartboard, clearly fighting over something one or the other of them had done.
Maisie and Winnie both smiled.
“How did you and Matthew meet?” Maisie asked, motioning toward the men.
“Oh,” Winnie said, blowing out a breath. They shifted forward once more in the line. “That would probably take, like, a four-hundred-page book or something to explain.” She laughed at her own joke. “I was hired as a consultant by his dad to help get their estate more profitable. But through a series of unexpected events, I’ve now started working with Matthew to run his Renaissance festival. He’s one of the knights who jousts.”
“Wow, that sounds great.”
