Page 6 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
She meant it. Although she’d been pleased at the time to be able to ensure Peggy’s last wishes were respected, she could only assume it had worsened the bad feeling between her heirs.
“Why was it not with a lawyer?” Melissa took one last draw and carefully stubbed out the remaining cigarette on a windowsill covered with burn marks. She liked to claim thathaving half and saving it for later cut down her smoking, but she’d be back at the window in a few minutes for the rest.
“Peggy didn’t trust lawyers. Or banks. Alongside the will, I found a pile of cash in the drawer where she kept the utility bills.”
She waited until the window was shut, then pushed back the blanket, stretched her legs and stood. She’d need to hurry to get the shopping done before the afternoon ferry, but Melissa had given her an unexpected, though very pleasant, start to the morning, so it was worth it.
“I thought they might put it aside for maintenance to the hotel, but it went into an account to be managed by the executors. Whoever they might be.”
“Did you not read it? Not even a peek?” Melissa smirked as she pulled off the jacket and stood naked in front of her.
“No, of course I didn’t. It’s not my place to…” Kasia’s gaze disobeyed her mind and slipped down to enjoy the view, remembering how Melissa’s body had felt under her hands last night, and again just a short while ago.
No… She couldn’t be distracted from getting back to the mountain of work. She took in a sharp breath, grabbed her sweater from the chair beside the bed, and took her time pulling it on. If she couldn’t see Melissa’s hard nipples, she couldn’t be tempted. Melissa gave a resigned laugh as she fussed with her underwear and jeans, her face still half-covered by her sweater. When she turned back, Melissa was mercifully wrapped in a towel.
“I’m jumping in the shower. You sure you won’t join me?”
“As much as I’d love to, I can’t. I need to get the shopping done, and the loose roof tiles won’t fix themselves. Until someone decides they’re in charge, it’s on me to get it done.”
Joey would give her a hard time about taking on maintenance jobs that weren’t in her remit. Then they’d give inand help her get the work done. The hotel was rundown enough without letting things get worse. She couldn’t bear to think what Peggy would make of the neglect.
Melissa covered a fake yawn. “If you’d rather play handywoman than fuck me in the shower, knock yourself out.”
She turned away, but Kasia grasped her shoulder. “I really mean that I’d prefer to stay. You know what you do to me.” Even the touch of Melissa’s warm skin was arousing her once more.
When Melissa leaned in, Kasia stepped back quickly, catching the peck on her cheek instead of getting into another hot kiss. “Thank you for last night.”
Melissa raised her eyebrows, a smirk on her lips.
Kasia grinned. “And for this morning. All of it. Can we do it again soon?”
“You know I’m available whenever you want me. I’m a sucker for blonds with attitude.” Melissa turned to the bathroom. “Let yourself out. And call me next time you’re back on the mainland.”
She pulled the door closed, leaving Kasia with a sense of unease. They’d only gotten together a couple of times, but she could already see Melissa was more eager. Kasia had made it very clear from the beginning that it was sex, nothing more. Pretty great sex, but there wasn’t a lot of emotion there. Except guilt, it turned out. She grabbed the rest of her things and headed out, closing the door quietly behind her.
Kasia pulledher collar up high and her wool hat down low as she stood on the quay, watching the ferry get closer. Visitors’ cars weren’t allowed on the island, so the boat was a small vessel with indoor seating favored by the locals and seats on top whereyou could get soaked by waves and blown away by the wind. The tourists loved it, and so did Kasia. The rough caress of the elements made her feel wild and free, not sentiments she often felt in her daily life.
As the boat pulled up alongside the quay, Kasia was surprised to see both Aoife and Christy, Peggy’s twin grandchildren who ran the ferry service, in the wheelhouse. Kasia caught the line thrown by a crew member and expertly tied it to the cleat on the dock. As soon as the boat was secure, the gangway dropped and Jacky jumped down onto the quay beside her, grinning. He helped the handful of disembarking passengers down the ramp and turned to her.
“You want a hand with those?” He nodded at the stack of blue crates she’d dropped off before parking the van.
At peak holiday times, she’d have a dozen or more, a whole van full. But she was still grateful to have some help with the four she’d loaded up. “Thanks, Jacky.”
She stepped up the gangway quickly, dropped her bags onto the deck, and turned to take the first one from him. They loaded in a couple of minutes, long before the other passengers ambled along the stone quay to get onboard.
“How are ya, Margaret? Bridie?” He helped the older women up the slope and down the steps onto the boat.
Kasia nodded her greeting as they made their way into the enclosed cabin. She’d definitely opt for the outside seating, or she’d be pulled into every bit of gossip they’d gleaned from their regular Monday morning trip to the mainland.
“Aoife said to go on up and join them in the wheelhouse. She wants to talk to you.” Jacky tipped his head at the other passengers in a way that added “in private” to the end of the sentence.
She squeezed past him and headed toward the steps that led to the wheelhouse. The painted metal of the handrails was slickwith salt as she pulled herself up. At the top, Aoife appeared, wearing not quite the welcoming smile Kasia had been hoping for. Her stomach flipped. Did they have bad news about the future of the hotel?
“C’mon up, Kasia. We just wanted a quick chat.”
She grabbed Aoife’s arm and hauled herself into the cabin, suddenly aware of how windy the conditions were when silence descended with the closing of the door. “Is it about the will?”
Christy turned his head of short red curls and then quickly looked ahead again. They were still docked, so she doubted he needed to be quite so vigilant. Both Aoife and Christy were always friendly, but it seemed as though they’d been avoiding her since Peggy’s funeral. She assumed this chat would be about the hotel. Finally, she’d get some answers.
