Page 62 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
When Tierney reached the boat, she spoke with Jacky, then disappeared inside the passenger cabin. Kasia leaned on the window and saw Joey staring up in her direction. She turnedaway and pulled on her boots one-handed. She needed to talk to Joey. Anything to hear a voice other than the one in her own head telling her she’d messed everything up.
As she opened the front door, Joey was pulling up in the car park.
They followed her into the kitchen. “How’s the shoulder?”
She awkwardly filled the kettle. “What did Tierney say?”
“Sit down and let me make the tea.” Joey took Peggy’s favorite teapot from her hand. “She said she’d left you a letter explaining where she was going.”
“I don’t want to sit down. I need to keep busy and stop going over everything that’s happened.” She paced the kitchen until Joey took her gently by her good arm and led her to the table where she’d had breakfast with Tierney on the mornings when they had guests. She rested her head on the rough wooden surface until Joey returned with two mugs. “I really messed it up with Tierney. I should start looking for a job.”
“She seems to be determined to make things work. She promised she won’t be gone for long.”
“All the more reason for me to start looking.”
“Why? You’ve got a job. And you love it here.”
Kasia sipped her tea. “I don’t want to be here when, or if, Tierney comes back. We had something wonderful, but it was always temporary. And now that it’s over—” Her voice cracked, and she coughed to cover it. “I think it’s just best that I leave.”
Joey covered Kasia’s hand. “Why don’t you get some rest and not make any hasty decisions? You’ve got an income and somewhere to live. That’s enough for now.”
“And what am I supposed to do? I thrive on being busy, but I’ve been told to rest for a couple of weeks. I can’t just sit here mulling things over, Joey.”
“You haven’t played your flute in ages.” Joey’s gaze dropped to her sling. “Oh, yeah, sorry.”
She sighed. “I can’t bear to hang around staring at the holes in the roof.” She hated the self-pitying tone of her voice and shook herself. “Is there anything I could do to help you?”
Joey raised their eyebrow and nodded. “You know how you’re good at business plans? I need a refrigerated van if I want to start selling to bigger restaurants farther afield, but the bank has refused me a loan because I don’t have any real plans in place.”
Poor Joey had done so much to help her. But Kasia had always been so busy, she’d never had time to helpthem. This was the perfect time to pay back her generous friend.
“Of course, I can help with that. You should’ve said—No, I should’ve asked you how things were going. I’ve been so wrapped up in all of this I haven’t been the friend you deserve.” Not to mention engrossing herself in a new project would help take her mind off the shit show of her own life for a while. “Are you going out on the boat today?”
Joey nodded.
“Why don’t you take me back to your place, show me your figures and what you’ve done so far, and I’ll get started while you’re at work.”
“Really? You want to get stuck straight in? It’s only eight a.m.”
“Oh, good point. I’m starving. Shall I make us breakfast first?” She pushed herself up from the table and rummaged through the refrigerator. There was plenty of food since she’d shopped for two. The thought made her pause and lean her head against the wall. She took a long breath to settle her emotions before she continued her food preparations. She had two choices: wait and hope Tierney could convince her dad to invest, or cut and run.
“How about a bacon sandwich?” she asked.
“Sounds perfect.” Joey turned from the table. “You okay? You sound a bit shaky.”
“I will be. The last couple of days have been a lot. Let’s eat, then make some plans to build your empire.”
“Empire, ha. All I can say is my family have been doing the same thing for generations, and we’ve never quite starved. But I’ve probably seen more changes in the industry than the three generations before me. I can’t keep going like this.”
Kasia understood Joey’s comment better when she pored through the spreadsheets they kept on the oldest laptop she’d ever seen. She made a note to add updated technology to the business plan. Joey’s profit margins were low. They kept fastidious records of income and outgoings, as well as the volume and quality of their catch. But the effort and cost of personally delivering to customers ate into the profits. The small oyster farm they’d started a few years ago to help them through the lean winter months had potential, but to grow the business, they needed to have a system to get their product to market.
She wished she could talk it through with Tierney. Her years at business school had taught her more than she seemed to be aware of, and she would undoubtedly be able to add value. They’d worked so well together on the plans for the hotel.
Slamming the laptop shut, she stood. “I need to stop obsessing about Tierney. It hasn’t even been a day since she left.” The door handle rattled and Kasia jumped. Joey tramped in, wearing waders and carrying a second pair.
They grinned. “Were you just talking to yourself?”
“Not about anything useful. What are you up to?”
