Page 50 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
Not a problem. I’ll see you when I see you.She dropped her phone and slowly stirred the soup.
The phone buzzed against the worktop.Hell, I’d put lunch with you over work any day. I’ll be there in ten.
She tried to suppress a wide smile. How did Tierney have the power to bring her such joy? No one had ever done that before. She knew deep down the answer was she’d never fallen for anyone the way she had with Tierney. To acknowledge that, even to herself, would be admitting she was headed toward some serious heartbreak.
By the time she heard the front door open, she’d set the small wooden kitchen table with cutlery, and had a pot of tea waiting. Tierney breezed in, looking more cheerful than Kasia had seen her for a while.
“Thanks. When you mentioned food, I realized I was starving. It smells like my favorite.” She sat and looked up with happy anticipation.
Kasia slid a large bowl in front of Tierney. “It is, indeed.”
Tierney looked down at the soup with glee. Crumbled blue cheese slowly melted in the center of the bowl and sank below the surface. When Kasia settled opposite, Tierney picked up her spoon.
They were quiet for the next few minutes. Kasia enjoyed the view of Tierney so focused on her lunch, eating with such delight.
Tierney caught Kasia’s gaze while she was mopping up the last of her soup with a piece of bread. “Thank you. That is the best soup I’ve ever eaten. Do you make it for the guests?”
“Occasionally. There’s a budget for the meals, and it doesn’t often stretch to small dairy artisanal blue cheese.”
“We could do local food nights, though. And charge a premium.”
It was a relief to hear that Tierney had rediscovered some of her enthusiasm. Kasia wiped her mouth and sat back. “We could do many things with enough resource and good marketing. But realistically, those changes won’t happen until we revisit the whole model of the hotel.”
“And you think we should be trying to make those changes sooner than later.”
Kasia sighed. “I think another season of trying to cram as many customers into the hotel as we can means another year where we don’t have time to think about how we could do things differently.”
If she had a chance to talk about this, she had to take it, even if it caused Tierney to retreat.
Tierney leaned back and twitched her nose. “I agree, but I can’t seem to get my dad to agree to anything more thanthe renovations we’re doing. I’m sorry.” She stood. “You made lunch, I’ll clear up.” Her wink was more like her old self.
Kasia didn’t want to move on without understanding what had happened to push Tierney away. “Did I do something to upset you?”
Tierney looked up from her task and scrunched her face. “What? When?”
“The other night in the Emerald. Am I too much with my dreams for the hotel?” When Tierney said nothing, Kasia went on. “You’ve been a little…off lately. Since that night.” She felt vulnerable asking, but she needed to know where she stood.
Tierney quickly crossed the space and wrapped her arms around her. “Of course not. I love your passion.” She paused and looked away before catching Kasia’s eye once more. “But I don’t know if I can give you what you need.”
Kasia wondered if they were still talking about developing the hotel. She tilted Tierney’s head toward her. “All I ask is that you try, and that you’re honest with me.”
Tierney blinked and nodded, and Kasia kissed her. Outbuilding conversions and en suite bathrooms could wait a while. The need to reconnect with Tierney was much more urgent.
“So,when is this storm supposed to hit?” Tierney clambered around a pile of lobster creels.
Kasia had decided they had been on the receiving end of so many favors from Joey it was payback time. She and Tierney were in their oldest clothes helping sort through a mountain of the traps Joey used to catch lobsters.
“Anything that looks past its best, add to that pile there.” Joey indicated some broken creels at the side of the quay. “The storm’s forecast to arrive Sunday morning, but sometimes they speed up as they cross the Atlantic, so it’s not precise.”
“Will Queen Maedbh be okay?” Tierney looked up from the trap she was inspecting.
“I’ll moor her up tight in the east harbor. It’s sheltered there. She should be fine.”
They didn’t look as confident as they sounded. Joey always had an ear to the weather, so if they were worried, it must be bad. A ripple of fear ran through Kasia. “Tierney, we should have replaced the roof. There’s no point having smart new bedrooms if they’re open to the sky.”
Tierney didn’t look up from her inspection work. “I told you, Dad authorized basic repairs only. I managed to get the renovations through, but a bill for an entire roof would’ve raised all the alarms.”
It was too late to do anything now, anyway, so maybe Kasia should be focusing on a more immediate fear. “We’re both on call for the lifeboat from Friday night.”
