Page 37 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
She nodded in approval as she blatantly looked Tierney over. Kasia was wearing a smart green shirt with skinny jeans. Tierney did her best not to check her out in return. Even Joey had given up on the knitwear for Christmas and wore a cheerful red and black plaid shirt.
“Do you like it?” They waved at themself. “It’s an early Christmas present from Kasia.”
“Very nice.”
Tierney cursed herself. She’d been organized enough to think of buying gifts for Kasia and Joey, but she’d been so taken up with her own worries in the last few days, they remainedforgotten in a drawer. “I’m sorry, I just realized I forgot your presents in the rush to get back here.”
Kasia pulled open the door and ushered them outside. “That’s okay. You’ll be coming for dinner tomorrow, won’t you?”
Tierney hadn’t even thought that Kasia would need to cook for their visitors on Christmas Day. She deserved a better boss. “Absolutely. Do you need me to help in the kitchen?”
Kasia threaded her arms through Joey’s and Tierney’s and led them down the drive toward the road. “I can manage, but if you want to serve the guests, that would be helpful. Be here after breakfast, and we’ll get the guests sorted, then we’ll have our own little party upstairs. How does that sound?”
It was so far from the Christmas Day Tierney had envisioned just a few hours ago that she wanted to kiss Kasia. More than usual. Still a bad idea, she reminded herself.
“Sounds great to me,” Joey said. “My dad has gone to stay with my brother in Spain this year, so it’d be a quiet one for me at home.”
“Thank you for the invite.” Tierney squeezed Kasia’s arm and hoped it showed her appreciation. “I’m sorry for how I spoke to you, Kasia. I was in a bad place. You can always ask me about my life.”
Kasia smiled. “Let’s go to church, then we’ll get a few drinks in the bar and have some fun. Tomorrow, you can tell us what’s going on at home.”
When they got there after church, the bar was crowded, but Seán found them a small corner table. Tierney sat with her back to the wall and watched the mix of locals, people who’d returned for Christmas, and holiday visitors, all enjoying their Christmas Eve. She tensed when her uncles and other members of the Walsh clan turned up around eleven. The people occupying their table moved immediately, and Desmond and Anthony nodded to them as if they were doing their duty.
“That’s my evening ruined.”
Kasia followed her gaze. “Why’s that? You’re going to make the hotel work and prove them wrong, Tierney. They should be worried about bumping intoyou.”
Kasia’s belief that not only was she committed to the hotel, but also that she would be successful in restoring it to its former glory filled Tierney with warmth, and she basked in it for a while as they all laughed and chatted. What would it be like to be in a relationship with someone who believed in her? To have someone who really cared. She’d never find out if she went through life doing nothing worth believing in.
As Tierney approached the bar just before midnight, Christy waved her over. She gritted her teeth and approached the table. “Hey there. Happy Christmas to you all.”
Christy shoved their second cousin, Eamonn, farther up the bench so she could sit down. He gave her a hug. “Happy Christmas, Tierney.”
Desmond didn’t bother to crack a smile. “Tierney Walsh, long time, no see.”
“Hi, Uncle Des. Sorry I missed you back in October. I’m around plenty now. Big plans at the hotel, you know?” She plastered on a confident smile, channeling Kasia’s confidence.
“Bigplans, is it? Perhaps you should focus on replacing that roof first.”
“It’s on the list.” She picked up her glass. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us in the new year, but for now I’m going to focus on enjoying the holidays. Happy Christmas.” She touched glasses with her cousins and, less enthusiastically, with her uncles.
“So, when’s your dad going to show his face back home, Tierney?” Anthony was red-cheeked and already looked more than a few pints in.
She was past being made to feel guilty about a man she no longer had any respect for. “Why don’tyouask him, Uncle Anto? He’syourbrother. Perhaps the three of you could arrange a family reunion in Granny’s memory. Make things right, and stop leaving the rest of us to tiptoe around you.”
Anthony’s mouth dropped open, and Desmond appeared just as speechless. When they both looked over her shoulder, she felt a firm hand on her arm.
“Tierney, I came to help you carry the drinks.”
She hoped Kasia could see the gratitude in her eyes.
“Anthony, Desmond, do you mind if I steal Tierney away?”
Anto scowled and shook his head.
“I think we’re all caught up.” Tierney stood and smiled at them all. “Have a lovely Christmas. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
Kasia pulled her through the crowd to the bar, where they squeezed in side by side.
