Page 47 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
Tierney stepped into the room. “Sorry, it seemed a shame to wake you, but Aoife and the kids have just arrived. Joey’s been here for a while.”
“Thank you. Give me a minute, and I’ll be down.”
“You wouldn’t want to miss this meal. It smells amazing.” Tierney flashed her another grin and left.
Kasia splashed water on her face, struggling to escape the tendrils of the odd dream.Serves me right for sleeping in the daytime.She wasn’t in the mood to socialize, but she didn’t have much choice. She shook herself before she headed downstairs and was quickly re-energized by the smell of food and the soundof lively conversation. The hotel had been dark and silent for weeks. It was good to hear life again.
“Hey, Kasia.” Joey, wearing their Christmas gift shirt, noticed her first and was with her in two long strides.
She hugged them tightly, then pulled away to see Aoife and her three children.
“Hi, Gracie. Hi, Ruane. Hi, Saoirse.” They all waved from their positions around a game on the floor. She gave Aoife a quick hug. “Is Seán working?”
“Yeah, just me and the kids, as always.” She nodded at her offspring. “If I’d bought that game, they wouldn’t have bothered opening it. But because wonderful cousin Tierney gave it to them, they think it’s the best thing ever.”
“Make the most of it.” Tierney breezed in, holding a large dish between oven mitts. “Sit yourselves down. This is best eaten hot.”
Kasia turned to see the table had been laid for dinner. Bowls of bread and salad were already in place. “Can I do anything?” She was lost without a job to do.
“Yeah, sure. Help me with the wine.”
Following Tierney into the kitchen, she was immediately drawn into a tight embrace. Hands slid into her hair and pulled her head down for a kiss. Kasia melted into the sensations of Tierney’s mouth on hers, but she resisted the urge to deepen it. She pulled away. “What was that for?”
Tierney’s smile was shy. “I missed you. I’m not used to being left in the kitchen unsupervised.”
“You made it very clear I was to leave you alone.” Being missed made her feel warm inside. She gave her a quick kiss on her upturned nose. “Now, let’s open this wine and get our food before the gang eats it all.”
Exclamations of delight came from the dining room. They emerged with wine and soft drinks to find Aoife serving the foodup on everyone’s plates. The girls were already stuffing their mouths full.
“This is so good. Like mac ’n’ cheese but even better,” Saoirse mumbled, barely audible around the mouthful of food.
“If anyone doesn’t want theirs, I’ll have it.” Gracie stopped eating long enough to pour glasses of Club Orange for herself and her brother and sister.
“No one’s leaving anything.” Joey speared some meat and chewed on it. “I’ll bring you all the shellfish you want if you make me food like this with it.”
“Deal.” Tierney grinned at everyone enjoying their food. Despite pretending she wasn’t trying to impress anyone, her pleasure at succeeding with the meal was obvious. Kasia wondered how often she felt that sense of satisfaction.
Afterward, when Joey and Tierney insisted on cleaning up in the kitchen, Kasia played along with the children. When Tierney returned, she made up more and more absurd rules for the board game, until all three kids were rolling around on the floor laughing.
Aoife eventually stood up. “Right, kids, we’d better get moving. Thanks for calming them down before their bedtime, Tierney.” She rolled her eyes at her cousin, but Tierney just laughed and stuck out her tongue.
Kasia let Aoife and her family out through the front door and waved them off on their short walk home. When she returned to the lounge, Tierney was pouring whiskey into Kasia’s beloved crystal tumblers.
She stretched out on the recently vacated couch and plumped some cushions behind her head. “I don’t know why I feel so tired. I’ve done nothing.”
“You were painting all day.” Tierney passed a glass to Joey then pushed her way onto the couch. Tierney swung her legs up and handed a glass to Kasia. “You’re just not used to lettingsomeone cook for you. I’ll have to make it a more regular thing.” She clinked glasses, then sipped her whiskey.
“If everything you cook tastes as good as that, be my guest.” Kasia enjoyed the heat of the whiskey in her throat.
Tierney shuffled until she was in the crook of Kasia’s arm and turned to smile at her. “If I’m honest, that was a bit of a fluke. I’ve eaten it in restaurants loads of times, but I’ve never made it before. I googled some recipes, and it turned out surprisingly well.”
“Maybe that’s your hidden talent.” Joey stroked a purring Fergus on their lap. “Spontaneous culinary masterpieces.”
“Or like I said, I got lucky.”
Kasia pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head. “Just take the praise. We can test your cooking winning streak another time.”
Tierney placed her glass on the floor and snuggled in close to Kasia’s chest. Kasia wrapped her arms around her and breathed out slowly. This was perfect; she could lie like this forever.
