Page 22 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
Joey stood and took the empty bottle from her hand. “Kasia, you go above and beyond anything they should expect of you. Take some time off, recharge your batteries, and then think about what you want.” Joey pulled her to her feet. “Come on, a good night’s sleep will do you the world of good, and tomorrow you can write that email.”
She stood on the deck and looked out over the sea for a little longer. Joey was right; she needed some sleep. But did she also need a fresh start? Somewhere new, where she hadn’t slept with her employer’s daughter? She had to see what her choices were and get a taste of life back in the big city. As she followed Joey indoors, she hoped upon hope she wasn’t leaving the island for good.
ELEVEN
“Hey, Dad.”Tierney tried to keep the weariness out of her voice as she sat at attention in her father’s office. Two nights of disturbed sleep were taking their toll, but she’d been unable to avoid the inevitable any longer.
“Good morning, Tierney. I’m glad you could finally make it.” He lowered himself into his high-backed leather chair.
Tierney felt like a child sitting opposite him. She’d hoped Megan would be here, but she’d called off, citing work pressures.
“Are you present, Tierney?”
Shit, she’d drifted off before they’d even started. She sat up. “Yep. All present and correct.”
Her dad’s raised eyebrows cooled her smile, and she focused on the conversation. If she could share the important parts first, she might be able to convince him she’d done everything he’d asked of her. “As I said on the call, Kasia is keeping things afloat. I sent over the accounts, and you can see she’s doing a good job. She’s worked her ass off all summer, running the place with minimal help. She’s doing everything she can to maximize the profits.”
“What profits? I’ve seen the books.”
“She’s broken even.”
“And that’s the most we should hope for?”
Tierney was surprised by her enthusiasm to support Kasia, but there was so much they should appreciate. “She was employed in front of house, and to do all the things Granny couldn’t. Since Granny’s been gone, Kasia’s kept things going, and she’s even managed to improve the star ratings on travel websites. I don’t think we should underestimate that. She shouldn’t have the motivation of a business owner, but she’s worked as if it’s her own.”
Her dad folded his hands on the desk. “It’s called hard work, Tierney. It’s what people do when they want to get on in life.”
She ignored the personal jab. “ButwillKasia get on? What have we got to offer her? At the minimum, we should increase her salary to reflect the added work, and try to get her some help.”
“And did Desmond and Anto offer any suggestions with that?” His mouth twisted as if he already knew the answer.
“They don’t want to assist in any way or let family members help out. We need to advertise for staff.” There was no point sugarcoating the truth, but Tierney’s stomach twisted, knowing she couldn’t give her dad more positive news. His knuckles showed white against the red of his clenched fists. He rarely expressed much emotion, but she knew the signs. “I think they’ve all got so much going on it’s just not feasible for them to be able to help.”
“Bullshit,” he hissed. “They must be so happy, anticipating my failure. What was Mammy thinking?”
“You could just sign it over to them, Dad. Wash your hands of it.” Then perhaps there was a chance of a future. For the hotel, and for Kasia.
“And they’d love that too, wouldn’t they?”
She ran her hand over her face. “Why don’t you invest in it, then? Give it a complete makeover. You can afford it and with the right changes, the Waterside could be great once again."
She was taking Kasia’s word for that, but the suggestions she’d made for the longer term sounded like good business sense. Visitors’ expectations had changed over the years, and the Waterside needed to reflect that.
“I haven’t decided if I want to keep it yet.”
Tierney sensed the uncharacteristic hesitance in his voice. “You could go back to Inishderry and see for yourself. It’s been a long time.”
He watched her for a moment, blinking slowly. Then he straightened his shoulders, stood, and walked to the coffee pot. “Coffee?”
“Yeah, why not?” She sipped the strong, hot liquid slowly, wondering what would come next.
“So how did you leave things with this Kasia?”
She almost spat her coffee back into the mug and reached for a serviette, coughing. Her dad didnotwant to hear the answer to that question. “What do you mean?”
“Does she plan to stay indefinitely? Do we have her for the winter, anyway?” He shook his head. “Did you manage to sortanythingout when you were there, Tierney?”
“You didn’t ask me to. You wanted my opinion on whether we should continue to employ her, and I’ve told you she’s very good at her job.”
