Page 19 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
Tierney swung open the door to escape and handed over more than twice the cost of the journey. “Of course, he does. I’ll say hi to him for you.” She hit the ground with a jolt that made her head spin. To Brian’s credit, she’d forgotten the extent of her hangover for a short moment. She turned toward the door to the tourism office and straightened her shoulders, bracing for the conversation she didn’t want to have.
Inside, it was cool and dimly lit, and she was glad of the respite from the bright sun. The woman sitting at the information desk was unfamiliar.
“Hi, I’m here to see?—”
“You’re Tierney.” The woman smiled. “Anthony is expecting you.” She waved her toward the door markedPrivate.
She stepped slowly up the narrow staircase. No need to rush. She’d need all her energy to look sober and interested. She swung open the door into a sunlit room and had to blink to get her bearings.
“Tierney, stop standing there like a startled owl, and come and sit down.” Her uncle’s voice boomed from behind the desk opposite the long window.
She approached for a hug or a handshake. She wasn’t sure what to expect. He made no attempt at either, so she dropped onto the chair opposite. “Hi, Uncle Anto. How are you? Is Uncle Desmond here?”
“He was here at nine when we were expecting you, but he’s gone to play golf.” He folded his arms.
Damn. Her dad had told her to make sure to speak to them both. Anthony might be the local brother, but Desmond’s tentacles of power stretched to the island. It was his money that had rescued Inishderry’s only surviving bar that Aoife’s husband, Seán, now successfully ran. He would know someone who could help out.
“I’m so sorry. I missed the ferry.”
He looked at his watch. “Two ferries, apparently.”
“Ah, yeah, I woke up a bit under the weather. Perhaps I picked something up on my travels.” She smiled with what she hoped was conviction, but she knew better.
“You were still in the bar when we left last night.”
Asshole. If they’d agreed to talk last night, she wouldn’t have had to haul herself over here at all. “I was catching up with Kasia. She’s doing an amazing job at the hotel.”
Going through the accounts and the running of the hotel yesterday had been tedious, but Tierney knew enough about business to recognize Kasia had been keeping costs low and maximizing every opportunity to bring in income.
“Is she now?” He leaned back in his seat and watched her until she squirmed. “What do you want, Tierney?”
“Kasia is doing great, but she needs some help outside of the main season. Dad and I wondered if you could help find someone.”
“That sounds like a Kevin problem to me.”
Damn. She’d known this would be their approach. “But it’s the family hotel. You must know someone who could do a few hours. What about Uncle Des?”
“Neither of us wants anything to do with the Waterside. Our mammy made her decision when she left the hotel to Kevin. He can do with it what he will. We’ve got our own futures to think about.” He stood. “He couldn’t even be bothered to come here himself. Do you know what a fucking insult that is?”
She stayed seated, refusing to be intimidated, but also because any sudden movements were dangerous in her current state. “He sent me. His daughter. Do you not like doing business with women, Uncle Anto?”Oh, good work. Wind him up a bit more, why don’t I?
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not that you’re a woman, Tierney. It’s that you don’t have a business bone in your body, and the only reason he sent you is because you have nothing better to do. Otherwise, he’d likely have sent an email.”
The truth of that stung. “I’m his heir, and I’ll inherit the hotel one day. This ismybusiness.”
Anthony’s laughter bounced around the room. “You’ve got your work cut out for you then. Business is dropping off, and the hotel is in desperate need of investment. I doubt your daddy’s going to come over and sort it out himself.”
Tierney had known all along this would be the stance of the older Walsh brothers, but she felt the need to end on a defiant note. “We’ll make it work without your help.”
“And are you going to roll your sleeves up and get on with it, then? You wouldn’t need extra staff if you got involved.”
Tierney froze. She loved the Waterside and truly wanted it to survive, but not at the cost of her freedom.
He laughed again. “I didn’t think so. Now run off back to America and enjoy your life.”
She jumped to her feet, and the room swayed. “I can’t believe you’d be happy to watch Granny’s business go down the can.”
“The Waterside has got you and super businessman Kevin to save it, so I’m sure everything will work out just fine. You just said you’ll make it work, so get on with it.”
