Page 20 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
He waved dismissively toward the door, and she ran down the stairs in search of somewhere to throw up in peace. She’d blown the task her dad had given her, even if it had been doomed to failure.
She locked herself in a bathroom at the foot of the stairs. The nausea had passed, but she sat with her head in her hands and sobbed. Now, she had to go back to the island and report to Kasia that she couldn’t get her some help.
She dragged herself out of the bathroom and went in search of Joey. She prayed last night’s incident would never get back to her dad. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to come back to Inishderry. Granny was gone, and everyone apart from Joey hated her. Maybe she should just leave now.
TEN
“Thank you so much.You’ve been a wonderful host.”
Kasia smiled her most sincere smile. “It’s been great to have you. We hope to see you again soon.”
She closed the door firmly behind her guests and resisted the urge to slide down and collapse to the floor. Some guests were harder work than others. The Connolly family had been in a completely different league. Their family gathering to celebrate Mrs. Connolly’s seventy-fifth birthday had been much more work than Kasia was expecting. She’d been pleased to let out eight rooms midweek at this time of the year, but the extended family had barely left the hotel. They made it clear they had no interest in exploring the island. They had chosen it based on price as a venue to eat and drink, and catch up with their dispersed family members. Cooking breakfast and a full dinner, preparing a buffet lunch and staffing the small hotel bar until the early hours had brought in plenty of income for the hotel, but it wasn’t a job for one person. Kasia was exhausted to her bones. It hadn’t been helped by having the worst hangover she could remember on the first day.
Her thoughts returned to Tierney. She’d really messed up. That’s what happened when she let control get away from her.
But it was so good.She pushed away the thought. Tierney had turned up the morning after the Connolly family had arrived and shuffled around the kitchen, muttering, until Kasia had told her to leave her in peace. It had felt like she’d kicked a puppy when she caught the look in Tierney’s shining eyes. But she didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with what had gone on between themandmanage the demands of the Connollys.
Eventually, she’d sent Joey a desperate text asking them to do a run for supplies. They’d turned up later in the day armed with everything she needed for the rest of the week. The hotel booking form clearly asked for lunch and dinner to be requested in advance, but what was she going to do?
“Thank you. I can never make this up to you.” She’d hugged Joey close. “But I will ensure you’re paid for your time and fuel. Just let me get this over with.” She’d nodded toward the raucous noise from the dining room.
“Are you okay? It seems like a lot.”
Joey’s concern wasn’t what she needed right now. She put on her best poker face and nodded.
“I’m gonna tell Tierney how much you’ve got on. She should come and help.”
She grasped Joey’s arm. “Donottell Tierney anything. I need some space from her right now.”
Joey squeezed her hand. “I know what happened. It’s okay, Kasia. Tierney won’t make things difficult.”
“She’s sure as hell not doing anything to make them easier. Let me get on with it and I’ll speak with Tierney when this bunch have left.”
Joey shrugged. “Okay. Call me if it gets too much.” A peck on the cheek accompanied the hug this time. “I’m not far away, and I’ll help if you need it.”
“I know. And I love you for that.” That had been her last conversation with anyone not called Connolly for three whole days.
She rubbed her face and pushed herself off the door. She still had eight rooms to strip and laundry to get done. She was glad there were only two guests this coming weekend. So far, anyway. She dropped a quick text to Joey.They’re finally gone. I need a long sleep and then I should clear the air with Tierney. Have you seen her?
She left her phone while she attended to the housekeeping and set the washing machine going. The breakfast dishes could wait until later. She checked her phone on the way upstairs.
Sorry, Tierney left. I didn’t want to bother you. She was so pissed off with Anto and Des, she just wanted to get away.
Kasia groaned. Yes, she’d known about the bad blood between the brothers, but she’d hoped Tierney would be able to give her some answers about the future. Instead, she’d taken off when things got hard, leaving the hotel and Kasia as if they meant nothing. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the prickle that threatened to turn to tears. Letting loose her emotions wouldn’t help.
Thanks, Joey. Shall we meet up later for food? I can’t cook another meal.
I’ll pick you up from the harbor at seven. Bring your swimsuit. We’ll go back to my house, and I’ll cook.
What would she do without Joey? But this was no life. Without any job security, she was killing herself for nothing.
When all the chores were done, she sat down at her laptop and checked bookings. At the moment, there was nothing after the weekend until the pre-Christmas build up in December.
She slammed shut the laptop and let out a long breath. What was she doing, busting a gut for no one except the ghostof Peggy? She made a decision and reopened her laptop with a purpose.
“Does anyone know yet?”
Kasia looked at Joey and shook her head. “No. I canceled all availability between now and March. There are bookings over Christmas, but I can’t do much about that. I need a break, and there’s no one to ask, so they can all go fuck themselves.”
