Page 64 of Changing Tides
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to travel at the moment. Can you bring him here to Dublin? He could stay a couple ofnights here for his birthday, and you could visit your mum. Have you seen her this summer?”
She didn’t bother to reply.
“You’ll have to face her sooner or later.”
“Thank you for your newfound concern for my relationship with my mother.” Marianne stopped herself. “Fine, I’ll try and book off two consecutive days, but you’ll need to fit into my schedule. It’s peak season, we’ve just won an award, and we’re fully booked every day. It’s going to take all my negotiating skills to get away.”
“You don’t have any negotiating skills, Marianne. You just bulldoze your way to what you want.”
“Do you want to do this or not?” Her patience was wearing thin, Denny’s best interests or not.
Silence filled the line for a few seconds.
“Let me know if you can get over for Denny’s birthday, and I’ll fix it with my mum.”
“Surely she’s keen to see her grandson, too?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course.”
“Right. I’ll be in touch when I’ve arranged something.” She hung up without a proper goodbye. She hoped she could build a civil relationship with Amira, but for now things were too painful, too raw.
She wasn’t working until later in the evening, but she’d rather speak to Kasia in person, and it was a good reason to take Denny down to the beach. She got him strapped into his little buggy and took the walk to the hotel with long strides.
As she walked past Aoife Walsh’s stone-fronted house she had a thought and pushed Denny up the driveway.
Seán, yawning, answered the door.
“Ah, sorry, Seán, I hope I didn’t disturb you. I was wondering if the girls and Ruane fancied a walk down to the harbor.”
Seán rubbed his face and smiled. “The girls are at a birthday party on the mainland, but Ruane didn’t want to go, and now he’s hyper because he thinks he’s missing out. I’d love a nap this afternoon before I start work, but he’s being all of the high maintenance.”
As if sensing he was being discussed, Ruane appeared from behind Seán’s legs. “Hello, Mawianne, hello, Denny.”
Denny giggled and reached out to his older friend. Ruane was five, but with two big sisters to do everything for him, he was still quite a baby.
“Boats,” said Denny.
“Denny’s asking you to come down to the harbor with us, Ruane. Would you like that?”
“Yay!” Ruane ran back inside presumably to get dressed, and Seán threw Marianne a grateful look and followed him.
It felt good to be able to do something in return for all the times Aoife helped her out by taking Denny overnight or ferrying him between the childminder and home. She liked Aoife. They were a similar age, but Aoife somehow managed to juggle a demanding business and not just one child, but three. But Aoife had Seán; she wasn’t trying to do everything alone. Marianne had never imagined a future where she’d be parenting alone.
Denny shuffled around in the buggy and turned his little head up toward her. “Denny walk?”
She leaned down to release him and her heart filled with love. Whatever had happened to get her to this point, she wouldn’t change a thing.
“Be good, Ruane, or Marianne won’t ask you again.” Seán crammed a cap onto his red curls and Ruane took Denny’s hand and led him down the road.
“See you later, Seán. Enjoy your break.” She took off at a jog to keep up with the boys’ little legs as they raced down the hill toward the harbor.
The small beach next to the hotel’s dock was the safest place for the kids to play, so she steered them that way. Tierney sat on a wall staring out over the still waters of the harbor, cradling a coffee mug in her hands. She turned at the chattering of the boys, and her face lit up.
“Hey, Ruane, Denny. What are you up to?”
Her cousin ran up for a kiss, and Denny stood shyly by. Marianne wheeled the buggy up close. “I apologize for us destroying your tranquility. Denny wanted to see boats.”
Tierney chuckled. “For a change. Do you want a coffee?” She held up her mug.
