Page 26 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
“I hope this won’t drag on.” Her dad arranged his expensive wool coat as he sat opposite her. “I do need to get back.”
“Meg said she wanted to talk to us. I’m sure it won’t take long.” A thought occurred to her. “Hey, Dad, she’s been through a lot. If she wants some time away from the business, you won’t fire her, will you? Please let her have some space.”
Her dad continued to fumble with his coat and didn’t look up. “I know how to look after my employees, Tierney. If I did need HR advice, you wouldn’t be my first point of call.”
Wow. “She’s my best friend, Dad. More like my sister, really. I’m entitled to have some concern for her well-being.”
Her dad’s glance flicked to her and away again. “She can have all the time she needs.”
“Thank you.” The small sense of victory was testament to the lack of credibility she held in her father’s eyes. She wanted to feel the warmth of achievement more, instead of this numbness of just wandering through life. She made a decision about the idea scratching away at the back of her mind over the last few days. “Dad, after I’ve had some time with Meg, I’ll go back to Inishderry for a while. I’ll work on a business plan with Kasia and get some estimates of how much the work will be to upgrade the place. I’ll stay until the hotel has a clear future.”
Her dad looked her over. “If you’re serious, and you won’t change your mind the moment you get offered something more exciting, that would be useful.”
“I mean it. I’m in.” If she was honest with herself, she missed Inishderry, the close-knit community and her easy friendship with Joey. If she notched the honesty up another peg, she also wanted to spend more time with Kasia. Her enthusiasm to make the Waterside a success had been more infectious than Tierney had realized at the time.
This was the perfect opportunity to work together and get to know each other, if she hadn’t blown it already. Calling Kasia to give her the good news about her return would be a good way to start, and they could talk things through when she was back. She smiled to herself at the thought of returning.
They pulled up at the restaurant behind Megan and Al’s car and followed them inside. They were ushered to a curtained area at the rear, and staff rushed over with glasses of wine and orange juice. Tierney was on her second white wine before she realized her dad and Megan had opted for soft drinks. Her dad’s eyes moved to her nearly empty glass, and his disapproval passed through her like a cold breeze. She downed the dregs and looked around. The few people from the care home were eating snacks and chatting. Other than that, it was just Megan and Al, Tierney, and her dad: a sad turnout for any funeral. Tierney had given up trying to talk about memories of Megan’s mom and picked up another glass to numb the unease sloshing about in her stomach.
After a while, Megan sounded a fork against her glass, and the quiet conversation ceased. “I want to thank you all for coming.” She smiled at the residents. “My mom found herself in a facility earlier than most people would want to, but the blessing was that she had such a wonderful home. She was truly happy in her last few years with the friends she made and the people who looked after her. So, thank you. From Mom, and from me.” She lifted her glass to them, and they raised their drinks.
Megan turned. “And thank yous wouldn’t be complete without recognizing my boss, Kevin, for financing my mom’s place at Saint Anthony’s. A truly generous gesture to an employee’s family.” Megan raised her glass to Kevin, her expression unreadable.
Tierney blinked, her mind doing somersaults. Not for the first time in recent days, she felt something happening she didn’t understand. “Dad? Is that true?” Her voice rang out in the suddenly silent room.
Her dad’s face was impassive as he stared at Megan, ignoring Tierney as usual. Why would he not have talked about it? He liked to boast about his philanthropic deeds, but he’d never mentioned taking care of Megan’s mom.
The carers from St. Anthony’s picked up on the awkward vibe and quickly wheeled their charges toward the exit.
“Thank you for the food. It was a wonderful service,” a kind-looking woman in a blue uniform said with a practiced smile.
Tierney couldn’t catch anyone’s eye. Al was staring at Megan, Megan was looking at the table, and her dad seemed to be staring at nothing at all. But Tierney couldn’t think of a single thing to say to break the icy atmosphere, so she reached for another glass.
“Yeah,Dad. Thank you.” Megan’s voice was low, but her words crashed like thunder across the room.
Tierney’s world tipped sideways, and it became hard to breathe. Suddenly everything was so obvious. How had she missed it all? She looked from Megan to her dad, staring at each other with identical eyes. How could she have never seen it?
“I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.” He turned slightly so Tierney was in his eye-line. “Both of you.”
Tierney opened her mouth and closed it, not trusting herself to speak. Time slowed to a crawl.
Finally, Megan slowly shook her head. “That’s all you have to say?” She pulled her coat from the back of a chair. “I need some time away. We’re going to Al’s parents’ cabin. I’ll be in touch when I’m ready.”
Her dad nodded. “Yes, of course. I’ll be ready to talk when you are.” He moved toward the door. “Let’s go, Tierney.”
“I’ll stay, thanks. I’ll catch a flight back tomorrow.” She raised her eyebrow at Megan, who shrugged.
Her dad barely turned as he left. “I’ll see you at home.”
The iciness in the room remained after he left. Tierney shuddered and turned to Megan. “No wonder I never stood a chance. You were right there in front of me. His perfect child.” It may not have been the best line to open with.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Megan stood, looking down at her. “Are you truly such a spoiled little brat that you can stand here as I bury my mother and find out that my father has lied to me my whole life and make this aboutyou?”
Tierney had never seen Megan so angry. Her face had gone pale, making her red eyes stand out even more. She wasn’t sure she deserved to be the focus of the fury, though. “He lied to me also, Meg. I can’t believe neither of us ever figured it out.”
“Ishouldn’t have had to. I’ve lived with him since I was thirteen years old. Why didn’t he just come clean then?” She gripped Tierney by the elbows. “If my mom hadn’t told me before she died, against his wishes, would I ever have found out the truth about who I am?”
“I don’t know.” Tierney tried to round up some of the thoughts racing wildly around her brain. “He destroyed my relationship with my mom with his moral superiority. If it was all based on a lie, he dug himself pretty deep.” She pulled herself free of Megan’s tightening grip and took her hands in hers. “He fucked us both over with his bullshit, Meg. We’re in this together.”
