Page 7 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
Aoife scuffed the toe of her safety boot on the worn metal floor. She didn’t look up. “Dad and Uncle Desmond have consulted with a solicitor and apparently, there’s no likelihood of them contesting the will successfully. So, it’s official and public; Granny left the hotel to Kevin.”
“Kevin?” Kasia felt the floor move beneath her, but not with the gentle swell of the harbor. This made everything so much more uncertain. “Why would she do that? Kevin’s not been here for years.”
“You tell us. You spent more time with her than any of us these last few years.”
Kasia dropped onto a wooden bench as Christy started to maneuver out of the harbor. This changed everything. She’d been hoping for some stability and commitment to the work that the hotel needed over the winter. The two sons who had close links with the island might have provided that. But Kevin Walsh was unlikely to be the driving force required. Kevin’s daughter, Tierney, had spent her summers there every year when she’d been young. Joey had told her they’d been close friends, andTierney had continued to be a regular summer visitor to the family cottage until shortly before Kasia arrived. But Kevin was notorious for not showing his face in Inishderry for nearly thirty years.
Kasia played with the zipper on her waterproof. It was awkward talking to Peggy’s family about something so intimate. “She rarely talked about Kevin. Whenever she did, she got sad, and I changed the subject. I think they’d argued. I don’t know what about.”
“Do you think he knew he’d inherit the hotel?” Aoife asked.
“I doubt it. I can’t remember last time he called. It would be for birthdays or at Christmas, nothing more. Peggy would try to call him, but she always got his gatekeeping PA who would promise to pass on a message. They hadn’t talked properly in years.”
“Then what was Granny thinking? If she wanted the hotel to be cared for, why would she leave it to the estranged son who’s made it clear he doesn’t care?”
“To give him a reason to come home?” She was too uncomfortable with the conversation to stick it out any longer, so she stood and walked to the door. “I really don’t know, Aoife. Thank you for sharing the news, but I don’t have any answers for you. I worked for your granny, but she didn’t share every personal thought with me.”
She’d been pestering the twins for news for months, but now that they finally had something to tell her, she felt interrogated. She knew the older Walsh brothers would be behind the inquisition. They were probably incandescent with rage at the thought of their youngest brother inheriting the most high-profile Walsh family asset. She wondered how long they’d been keeping this to themselves, trying to find a loophole while she limped on alone, trying to make the hotel work.
“Kasia, one more thing,” Aoife said.
Hand on the door latch, she turned. How much worse could this get?
“Tierney’s on her way. To check on the Waterside.” Aoife rubbed her hands together. “I’m sorry. I’d have given you more notice if I could.”
“Thank you.” She swung open the door and a blast of cold wind slammed into her. But that did nothing to corral her scattered thoughts. It wasn’t entirely true to say Peggy hadn’t confided in her. The winters were long on the island, and they’d spent endless hours talking about their families. She knew more about the Walshes than they would ever know, and Peggy had understood her better than anyone else in the world, even Joey. The sense of emptiness hit her once more, but she put aside her thoughts as she navigated the slick metal steps, which were even more treacherous now they were out at sea. She should have stayed put in the wheelhouse, but she needed some air.
Did Aoife and Christy and the other grandchildren miss Peggy like she did? Did they feel as though there was a deep hole in their life that nothing could fill? Her heel slipped, and she caught her weight on her arms as she gripped both rails.Focus, you idiot.
Jacky appeared at the bottom step and held out a steadying hand. “That’s a brave descent in a wind when you’re not used to it,” he shouted above the gale. “The conversation must’ve been something.”
His laugh rang out. Jacky was always loud, whether you met him out walking, or in the pub. Even when he thought he was whispering in the back of the church during Mass. A lifetime of fighting to be heard over wind and engine noise had left him permanently turned up to eleven.
“We finished our chat, and you know how I love to be on deck.” She wasn’t sure why she was justifying herself. He really wouldn’t care either way.
“You’d better make the most of sitting up top then. Winter’s on its way.” He rubbed his arms dramatically and cackled.
Winters with Peggy had been something to look forward to: rest and quiet times. Peggy had taught her to knit, and they’d played music together, with Peggy playing the accordion and singing all the old songs she loved, while Kasia accompanied her on the flute, learning the tunes as she went.
She settled on a bench up front with her back to the mainland so she could watch the distinctive shape of Inishderry grow on the horizon. She didn’t know what worried her more. A long, harsh winter alone with her memories, or the news that her services were no longer needed at the hotel now that the long-absent Kevin Walsh was her employer. No other jobs were likely to come up on the island. The Waterside was the only hotel, so she would have no choice but to leave. That would hurt far more than a winter of solitude. As she watched the island grow larger, tears pricked her eyes. She’d need to be strong. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to leave somewhere she thought of as home and start again. And maybe it wouldn’t be the last.
FOUR
Tierney’s stomachflipped as the boat turned in a practiced arc to pull away from the quay. This moment had always sparked an unequaled sense of excitement, signaling the start of a visit to her family home. In more recent years, it had been tempered by other influences, including her uncles’ disapproval of her dad, and the situation she’d gotten into with her oldest friend. Now on top of all of that, for the first time, her beloved granny wouldn’t be there to welcome her home.
She’d barely made it to the boat in time, dropping breathlessly into a seat in the cabin. Immediately Mrs. O’Hara and Mrs. Dwyer, two of Granny’s peers, had descended on her. They told her about their trip to the mainland and all the scuttlebutt they had about people they expected Tierney to know, but she had no idea who they were talking about. She’d smiled and laughed loudly in a way that seemed to appease them. Eventually, she managed to escape to the upper deck.
She was disappointed to find she wasn’t alone on the deck in the wind and rain. A woman was seated by the railings facing the island, wrapped in a thick coat. She didn’t turn as Tierney approached, so she sat toward the back, facing the retreating mainland until they got closer to the harbor. Then herdesperation for her first glimpse of the stunning, oval-shaped natural harbor outweighed her desire for solitude, and she ran to the railing. All the emotions flooded back. Her love of the island, all the wonderful memories she had, but most of all, the crushing loss of knowing her granny would never be here to greet her again.
Tears welled up, and she let out a sob.I’m sorry I didn’t make it back to see you off, Granny.She’d been in South America when she got the shocking news, and that, coupled with the Irish culture of holding funerals quickly after a death, had made it impossible for her to get here in time. But that didn’t stop the feeling she’d let Granny down. Her dad’s decision not to attend, even though he could have, had added to her anguish. But now she was back, and all the feelings were so intense she could barely move.
She gripped the rail and sobbed, ignoring the snot that threatened to drip down her hoodie.
A quiet cough made her turn. The woman held out a tissue. Bundled in a thick waterproof coat, she stood more than a head taller than Tierney and had lean, stern features that suggested she lived a very healthy lifestyle but didn’t have much fun. She was hot in an intimidating kind of way.
“In the interest of hygiene, please take this.” Her expression was almost blank, but there was a softness in her hazel eyes.
Tierney relaxed her death grip on the railing and took the tissue. She tried to make her nose-blowing as subtle as possible while the woman watched her. She needed to get her shit together. Maybe talking to this woman would take her mind off her granny. “Thanks. Sorry I ruined your view of the island.”
