Page 40 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
Joey didn’t know Megan well, as she’d rarely visited the island. But they knew how important that relationship was to Tierney, and they must have noticed she’d stopped mentioning Megan in conversation. She couldn’t; it was just too upsetting.
“You could say that.” The only way to get this out in the open was to just say it. “Before Megan’s mom died, she told her that my dad was Megan’s birth father.”
She rubbed her forehead and focused on the arm of the couch.
“Dad has come clean, but said he kept it quiet for Megan’s sake. He’s an asshole.” She looked up after a few seconds of silence to find Joey and Kasia were both staring at her.
“So Megan is your sister?” Joey blinked a few times.
“Yeah, but she kind of blames me as well as Dad. I’m not really sure why. She won’t talk to me.” Tierney picked at a loose thread on the arm of the couch.
“Tierney, that’s a massive thing to carry around with you and not say anything to me.” Joey gestured toward Kasia. “To us. We’re your friends.”
The last thing Tierney had wanted was to upset any more of the people she depended on in life. Her eyes burned with the urge to cry. “I didn’t want…”
Clearing her throat didn’t help. A big lump of self-pity reared up inside. “I didn’t want you to know how fucked up my life was.” It came out as a sob. “My dad is a dick, I haven’t talked to my mom in months, I have a sister who thinks I’m a selfish asshole, I never finish what I start, I can’t get my career offthe ground, and everyone thinks I’m a waste of space.” She hiccupped as she cried.
Joey crossed the space between them on the couch and wrapped her in strong arms. It didn’t help with the sobs.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. This is your dad’s mess.”
“I made it worse.” She pulled back a little and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “With Megan. And now she won’t speak to me.”
“She perhaps just needs some time,” Kasia said softly.
“It’s Christmas.” Tierney turned to her. “We usually spend Christmas Day together. This year, she won’t pick up my calls." She sniffed. “It hurts.” She leaned back into Joey’s shoulder, so she didn’t need to look at anyone.
“Did you talk to your dad?” Kasia asked.
“I tried. He says he did everything for the right reasons and refuses to take any responsibility for not telling Megan or me the truth. I don’t know if Megan will ever be able to forgive him. I need to be there to help her work through it, but she doesn’t want me.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Joey squeezed her tight.
“Or if you just need to talk.” Kasia leaned forward in her chair. “I know how it feels to have a complicated relationship with family. I’m here any time you want to off-load, okay?”
Tierney nodded over Joey’s shoulder. “Thanks. I think it’s best if I keep busy until Megan’s ready to talk.”
She pulled away from Joey and found a tissue to blow her nose. Kasia must think she spent all her time crying.
“But ithashelped to share the whole shit show with you both. Thanks for listening.” Strangely enough, and despite her hysterical outburst, she did feel a little better. “Now, can we get back to our party? Is there any of that Christmas cake left, Kasia? It’s the best I’ve ever had.” A look passed between them, but she hoped they’d let her change the subject.
Kasia pushed herself up out of the chair. “Sure, I saved you both a piece.”
Tierney took herself back up the hill to the cottage a few hours later. The evening had been filled with easy conversation and laughter. She’d always known Joey was good company, but when Kasia was relaxed, she was a delight to spend time with. Her company was a little too addictive, if Tierney was honest. She felt a rush of anticipation at them spending a lot of time together in the next couple of months. But where would it lead? And would it all be for nothing if her dad decided to sell up? The thought made her feel a little sick.
TWENTY
Kasia’s laptopscreen lit up with the call she’d been expecting from her brother. As she was about to pick up, Tierney wandered into the room.
“Kasia, do you know where—oh, sorry, I’ll leave you to it.”
When Tierney closed the door behind her, Kasia connected the call. She’d prefer to chat with Tierney about whatever she’d managed to misplace, but she’d promised Stef she’d catch up with her family on Swieto Trzech Króli, Three Kings Day, the traditional last day of Christmas celebrations. It was also the end of Christmas on the island. Today they had to finish the laundry from their Christmas visitors, take down the Christmas decorations, and lock up the hotel for the two-month break. Tierney had really pulled her weight over the rest of the holiday season. It was an impressive transformation, but Kasia wondered how much of it was driven by her need to distract herself from the situation back in Boston.
“Kasia, are you there?”
Her brother’s voice woke her from her reflection, and she remembered what she was doing. “Hi, Stef. Happy Three Kings Day.”
“Katerina…”
