Page 59 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
She turned and followed Tierney into the house, unable to agree. Nothing about this situation was manageable.
Tierney was waiting for her in the kitchen. “I’ll talk to my dad today. If we pay a generous price, I’m sure we’ll find a contractor who’ll do the work urgently. We can get a new roof in no time.” Her eyes were wide and shining in a face still smeared with dust and tears.
“And it’s just a roof that’s needed, is it? The rooms are untouched?”
“We’ll get them fixed up. I’ll convince Dad to invest properly.”
Kasia let her anger surface. “Do you think one day you might finally come up with an idea that doesn’t involve running to Daddy for money? Will you ever grow up, Tierney?”
Tierney backed up until she bumped the cabinets behind her. Her eyes got even wider, if that was possible, and her mouth dropped open.
“What? None of this is my fault, Kasia. Why are you lashing out at me?” Her voice shook, belying the defensiveness in her words.
Kasia laughed, but it came out more like a snarl. “Of course, it's not your responsibility. Nothing ever is, is it? You think you're so different from your dad? Looks to me like you’re a chip off the old block.”
Tierney gripped the worktop behind her. Kasia saw her knuckles turn white. Then Tierney stood taller. “There are plenty of hotels in the world, Kasia. But for some reason, only the Waterside will do for you. So you’re stuck with the fucked-up Walshes and their stupid family feud. And useless Tierney is the only one who eventriedto make it work.”
Tears were falling again, but Tierney’s voice was steady. “I’m sorry I disappointed you, but no one was ever going to reach your standards, were they?”
The words hurt, but Kasia was too far gone to stop now. “I don’t think you really understand the meaning of the word try. You’ve never needed to, have you? It’s all been handed to you on a plate. Why don’t you go home to Daddy? You were never in it for the long haul, anyway.”
She didn’t have to add that last part, but Tierney was the only thing left to lose. Her dreams of the hotel and her life onInishderry were in tatters. If Tierney just got on and left, there’d be nothing more to fear.
“I’m sorry you haven’t had the same opportunities I have, but you can’t keep blaming me for the family I was born into.” Tierney rubbed her face. “We’re both too tired to do this. I’m going to bed.” She turned for the door. “Help yourself to anything you need.”
Left standing in the kitchen, Kasia’s outrage drained away, leaving her exhausted, in pain, and, once again, alone. She dragged herself to the spare room and wondered if this was how she was meant to live. If she was alone, no one could let her down.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Tierney stared into the mirror.The scratches on her face had scabbed over, and her eyes were puffy from all the crying she’d done in bed. She’d eventually slept, then woken mid-morning to find she was alone in the house. She’d forced down some toast and gone back to bed. Physically, she was feeling much better. Emotionally, she felt stomped on.
Last night’s exchange played on a loop in her head. Kasia’s attack had been unfair, hadn’t it? It wasn’t Tierney’s fault she’d been born into a position of privilege. And she had tried with her dad. But the chip on his shoulder about his childhood was preventing him from making good business decisions. She remembered Kasia’s accusation that she was trying to shift the blame. Was that what she was doing? Did she not take responsibility for anything? And was that why she was a fully grown adult relying on a father she no longer respected for everything she had and did? She dropped her head into her hands.
Kasia had said she loved her, and now she despised her.
The sound of her phone ringing from the bedroom shook her out of her thoughts. She ran to get it. Could it be Kasia calling to apologize? Unlikely, but she wondered where she’d gone inher hurry to escape. The name that showed on the display was unexpected.
“Hey, Megan,” she muttered. She’d waited a long time for this call, but she just didn’t have the energy right now.
“Hey, buddy. I heard about the storm. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. No, not really. I’m safe, but the Waterside got badly damaged.”
“Shit, are you sure you’re okay?”
There was real concern in Megan’s voice. Maybe she cared after all. “Just a few cuts. It was scary though.”
“What about Kasia? Is she safe?”
“She was out on the lifeboat with Joey, but she’s safe now too.”Safe without me.
“Ah, shit, Tierney. That must’ve been terrifying to deal with on your own. Hearing about the storm hitting Inishderry made me realize how important you are in my life, and I feel terrible about how I’ve treated you. We need to talk. Come home, and I’ll take care of you.”
The offer was tempting, but Tierney hadn’t thought about what to do next. “We need to talk about a lot of things. I miss you, Megan.”
“Come home. I’ll send Al away, so we’ve got the place to ourselves. And I’ll tell Kevin I need a few days off.”
Megan must really want to put things right if she was prepared to take time off work. “I’d like that, but I have responsibilities here.”
