Page 61 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
“I know. I’m so grateful for everything you do.” She sat down with her tea. “I was thinking of asking Kasia to move into thecottage while we get the repairs done. It would give her a rest from the hotel and time to heal.”
“Nice idea, but you know she’ll stay here and oversee everything.” Joey took a drink of tea, their brow furrowing. “Youneed to decide what this season is going to look like. Is it really possible to get the roof replaced and everything fixed in time?”
“Why am I even responsible for this place? There are too many decisions to make. Most of which are out of my hands, anyway. I was only meant to be here to get things up to scratch for the summer.”
When she dropped her mug to the table a little too forcefully, the brown liquid spilled over the edge and pooled on the wooden surface.
“I’m going to let Kasia down one way or another, aren’t I?”
Joey’s expression was serious. “Nothing’s written in stone, Tierney. You make your own decisions in life.”
“Not about the hotel. They’re my dad’s decisions to make.”
“Perhaps that needs to change. It’s not practical to run everything by him. You should be out there with Tom Kelly now, discussing when the work is going to be done and how much it will cost, instead of waiting another week till you’ve chatted it through with Kevin.”
“He’s not just going to hand over the hotel to me.”
“Why not? You’ll inherit it eventually, anyway.”
“He doesn’t work that way. Everything is a business transaction for him.” She got up to get a cloth. Kasia would be annoyed if she allowed the tea to stain the tabletop. “And I’m no longer his only heir, am I?”
“But he could choose to give it to you. Megan never had any interest in coming here. I can’t remember her visiting more than once or twice.”
Tierney laughed. “She said it was too windy.” She wiped the spilled tea. “She wants to talk. I need to go and see her, Joey. Do you think Kasia will understand?”
“I think she’s terrified of losing you, and life has taught her not to expect much from the people she loves.Areyou going to come back?”
“Yes, of course. As soon as I’ve straightened things with Megan and got my dad to finance everything.”
Kasia’s angry voice echoed in her brain, asking when she’d finally do something other than taking her dad’s money. It was a good question, but she didn’t really know where to start.
TWENTY-NINE
Dawn was tryingto break through the gloomy sky over the harbor. Kasia’s mood matched the darkness of the clouds. Even with the powerful painkillers she’d been given, sitting upright in Peggy’s old leather wingback chair was the only way she could get any sleep, and the most she had managed was a fitful doze. The doctor at the hospital had said it should heal quickly if she rested, but the last thing she needed now was to be inactive.
Finding the handwritten letter from Tierney had hurt more than she could have imagined. The careful, curly script had been so different from the occasional scrawled notes Tierney usually left around the hotel; she must have taken some time to write it. Kasia pulled it out now from where she’d slid it carefully down the side of the chair. The creases in the paper were sharp where she’d run her finger along them over and over.
Dear Kasia,
Joey’s probably told you already, but I’m heading back to Boston for a while. I’m so sorry to leave you when you’re hurting, but I’m hoping this is the best way to resolve the Waterside’s future. I can negotiate with my dad face-to-faceand as soon as I have the funds I need, I can get the repairs moving from there. I’ll be back as soon as everything is sorted.
I’ve left the hotel account with funds and if you need anything else, just let me know. And please stay at the cottage. It’s more comfortable than the hotel at the moment, and you need to rest.
I’m sorry I’ve let you down, Kasia. I’m going to make this work. Please believe me.
All my love
Tierney
P.S. I’ll be at the cottage until tomorrow morning if you want to talk before I leave.
She’d chosen notto take Tierney up on the offer, and now she was watching people hurry down the slope to the ferry. She recognized Joey’s red truck when it pulled up on the quay. Standing and stretching carefully, she watched Joey haul Tierney’s backpack from the rear. The other door opened and Tierney got out.
Kasia’s breath caught. She’d told Tierney to go home, so why was she torturing herself by watching it happen?
She looked back down at the sheet of paper in her hand, now a little crumpled as her fingers clenched around it. Tierney said she was coming back and she’d fix everything, but Tierney had also said she’d fixed the roof and look what happened.
Tierney shouldered her pack and stepped up the gangplank. When she stopped for a moment, she turned. Kasia stepped back a little from the window, even though the room was in darkness, and Tierney wouldn’t be able to see her.
