Page 23 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
“In which case, we need formal arrangements for the next few months, until I decide what course to take with the hotel. Does she have a contract?”
Tierney shook her head. “I don’t think so. She manages the books and pays herself the salary she agreed with Granny.”
“We need a contract in place with employees. I might not want it, but itisnow my business.” He sighed. “I should’ve sent Megan.”
Of course you should’ve. I can’t be trusted with anything. Her eyes stung, and the mug clunked heavily on the glass table as she jumped up. “I’ll speak with Kasia and formalize things.” She turned as she reached the door. “And can I advertise for a housekeeping assistant?”
“No. If you think it’s needed, you could go back there and oversee things for a few months. I imagine you know how to make a bed and do the laundry? And God knows, you spent enough time there over the years. You must know how it all works.”
Tierney made her escape and waved to her dad’s PA as she passed. Much as she really didn’t want to be banished to Inishderry for the winter, part of Tierney wished there was a little more truth in her dad’s statement. In reality, even as an adult, she’d spent her summers on Inishderry playing. The games had changed as she got older, and she’d spent the summers of her twenties bumming around with the surfers who ran the surf school and the lifeguards who came to avoid the Australian winters. She’d often convinced Joey to take time off work to entertain her. She’d had very little interest in how her granny ran the hotel. Now she wondered if she should have been more involved. Helped out, even. But it had been her vacation time, hadn’t it? She shoved open the door, eager to be away from the office.
“Ouch.” The door stopped suddenly as it collided with what she could only assume was a human body part.
She pushed it again more gingerly. “I’m sorry, I was?—”
“In your own world, as usual.”
Joy flooded through her as she recognized the voice, and she opened the door fully to see her godfather, Gabriel, rubbing his knee. He straightened and enveloped her in his arms.
“I’m so happy to see you. Dad didn’t mention you were here.”
“That’s not like Kevin and his love of small talk.” He hugged her close. “I’m pleased to see you too. I wasn’t sure if you’d be back in the old country still.”
“I just got back. Want to get a coffee?” More coffee was the answer to everything today.
“I’ve got a lunch appointment with your dad at twelve.” He pulled back and checked his watch. “You know what? He’ll cope with me being a little late.” He steered them to the elevator. “Tell me, how are things in Inishderry?”
Tierney had always wondered at the relationship between her dad and Gabriel Ryan. As charming and affable as her own father was abrupt and businesslike, Gabriel had been his best, and perhaps only, true friend since they’d met on their first day of school. Perhaps their shared history of leaving their tiny island and making it big on another continent had kept them close, but Gabriel had been a regular presence her whole life, despite living in Australia.
“Not so good. Dad won’t make any decisions about the hotel, and the manager’s there on her own trying to keep things going. I feel a little powerless.”
“He’s never going to find it easy to make a decision about that place. He’ll be torn between finally cutting all ties with the island and gloating about being chosen over his brothers to inherit the hotel. And you, the wider family, and that hotel manager, will all be caught up in the forty-year-old feud between them.”
Tierney appreciated Gabriel’s insight into the situation. “Are you here for long?”
“The usual flying visit. The US is a lucrative market for our wine. And it’s always good to catch up with Kevin.”
They perched at the counter of the small coffee stall in the foyer and ordered. Gabriel checked his watch again. “I’ll have to drink this and run, but I’m free for lunch tomorrow before I fly back, if that works for you?”
“That would be wonderful. I am free, as it happens.” Freer than she wanted to admit. Now she was back home, she felt adrift, more unsure than ever about what she wanted to do next.
“How’s the photography going?” He sipped his coffee.
“I love wildlife photography, but I’m not sure I can make a living from it.” She hadn’t said it out loud before, but that didn’t make it any less true.
“When did you ever need to make a living? Your dad makes enough money for both of you.”
There was nothing judgmental in his tone and yet, Tierney wondered if everyone thought she was just a freeloader who skipped from hobby to hobby and called them jobs. Maybe there was truth to it. “I want to be independent from Dad, but I’ve never found anything fulfilling that made enough money to go it alone.”
“Enough money to live the lifestyle you’re used to? That would take a real job.” He nodded and drank the last of his coffee in a quick gulp. “Are you ready for that?”
“Photographyisa real job.” She suddenly wondered if Gabriel could be her lifeline out of here. “Don’t you need a photographer? Grapes are kind of like wildlife. I’m pretty good at food and drink photography too.”
Gabriel laughed as he stood. “You’re welcome to come and stay anytime, but I draw the line at employing you. You need to find your calling and go with it.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Do you think you’ll head back to Inishderry to keep an eye on the hotel over the winter?”
“Dad wants me to, but I’ve got commitments here.” She tried to sound credible, but she wasn’t even convincing herself. Shehad a couple of leads for small jobs, but she’d probably end up doing work for her dad. Or worse, wedding shoots.
She and Gabriel said their farewells, and she promised to call about lunch the following day. She sipped her cooling coffee and tried to ignore the lethargy that pulled at her limbs. What was she going to do all winter? Megan was so busy with work, and now she’d met some guy called Al who she talked about all the time. Should she go back to Inishderry? She’d have a purpose there. But the thought of facing the situation with Kasia made her stomach clench. It was too complicated; that was part of the reason she’d left. Or run away, if she was being honest.
