Chapter 28
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 in her 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.”
“You’ll need to talk to Kevin about repairs. Face-to-face might be the best way to convince him. Come back, even if it’s just for a few days.”
Megan was right. Tierney couldn’t make the changes she needed to while sitting here, and Kasia clearly didn’t want her around. “Okay, I’ll book my flight today.”
“Send me your travel plans, and I’ll pick you up from Logan.”
Tierney hung up and looked down at her phone, wondering at Megan’s reappearance in her life just when it was falling apart. She stood, pulled on her coat, and grabbed her camera bag. She needed to get a clear picture of the damage and take some photos for the insurance claim. Her dad would want to see them too, before he made any decisions.
When she reached the hotel, Joey was hard at work with a couple of other fishers and Jacky from the ferry was up a ladder, securing plastic sheeting over the holes in the roof. She was so grateful for the community spirit on the island, everyone stepping up to help when someone was in trouble. The wider world would feel a little colder now she was used to being a part of island life.
“Hey, Tierney.” Jacky was perfectly audible from the top of the ladder. “Looks likely you’re going to get that new roof after all.”
She waved up at him and forced a smile. Not if her dad wouldn’t part with the cash. She took some close-up photos of the roof and then braced herself to go inside and inspect the damage.
Downstairs wasn’t too bad. The ceilings and walls had some water damage, but mostly everything was intact. The upstairs was a different matter. The three sea-view rooms on the front of the house were damaged. The one closest to the gable end of the building where the window had imploded, had lost its ceiling and she looked up through the rafters at the gray sky. “Oh, God, this is such a mess.”
She sat down on the bed, which squelched under her weight, snapped off a few pictures as quickly as possible, and moved on. The next two rooms were nearly as bad, but as she got farther down the corridor, the damage was less. She knocked on Kasia’s door. When there was no answer, she creaked it open to check on the damage. These rooms at the opposite end of the building had escaped unscathed. That was something. She wandered back outside where Joey and the boys were finishing up. “Thank you all. I appreciate this.”
“No problem at all. You’re family.” Jacky folded his ladders, and the other men waved and left.
She was left standing with Joey. “Kasia’s not at the cottage. Is she at your house?”
Joey pulled off their hat and ruffled their sweat dampened hair. “The pain in her shoulder got too bad for her to bear, so she called me.”
A rushing sound filled Tierney’s ears. “And no one thought to wake me?”
“You were exhausted and traumatized, and you needed to sleep.” Joey scuffed the toe of their boot in the gravel. “And she insisted we didn’t disturb you. I took her across to the mainland, and Dr. Scott sent her straight to the hospital to have her shoulder checked out.”
“Is it bad? Should I go over there to be with her?” Tierney’s stomach turned at the thought of Kasia alone and in pain.
Joey put a hand on her shoulder. “Seán’s with her. I’d just give her some space for now. She’s heartbroken about the hotel and with the pain from her shoulder, she’s not really thinking straight.”
“Does she think it’s my fault?”
“Give her some time. She’ll come around when she’s feeling better. Dr. Scott thought she might have torn her rotator cuff.”
The nonanswer answered her question. “That sounds painful. How did she end up in the water, anyway?”
Joey checked the men were far enough away. “Tony Tyrell was drunk when we got to him. We were trying to secure a line to tow him back, but he kept getting in the way. Then he nearly went overboard, and Kasia pulled him back but fell in herself.”
“What an idiot. Do the Garda know? That’s an offense, right?”
“Oh, yeah, a hefty fine, or even prison. But Kasia insisted we kept it quiet. She’s worried about his family. He barely makes enough to feed them as it is. Mainly because he spends most of it in the pub.”
“She could’ve been killed.” Tierney didn’t often get angry, but she wanted to punch Tony Tyrell in his stupid drunken face.
“So how about we see what we can do to clean things up before she returns? She’ll have to rest that shoulder for a few weeks.”
She followed Joey inside, and they inspected the kitchen and dining room. The latter had been damaged by falling slates but was watertight. Joey switched on the kettle, and they sat at the table while Joey checked the weather forecast.
“I’m thinking about heading home, so I can talk to Dad in person.” She got up to make the tea and maybe to distance herself from Joey’s disapproval.
Joey lifted their head. “Now? While Kasia’s injured?”
“I don’t know if there’s a realistic possibility of getting this”—she waved at the unseen devastation above them—“fixed before the start of the summer, but if there’s any chance, I need to get my dad on board first. Speaking to him in person will be the most effective way.”
When she placed a mug in front of Joey, she asked, “You’ll look after her, won’t you?” Her heart ached at the idea of leaving Kasia when she was hurt, but she didn’t think her help would be welcome.
“Of course, but I’ve got a job. The storm damaged some of my creels, and I need to get out there.”
“I know. I’m so grateful for everything you do.” She sat down with her tea. “I was thinking of asking Kasia to move into the cottage while we get the repairs done. It would give her a rest from the hotel and time to heal.”
“Nice idea, but you know she’ll stay here and oversee everything.” Joey took a drink of tea, their brow furrowing. “You need to decide what this season is going to look like. Is it really possible to get the roof replaced and everything fixed in time?”
“Why am I even responsible for this place? There are too many decisions to make. Most of which are out of my hands, anyway. I was only meant to be here to get things up to scratch for the summer.”
When she dropped her mug to the table a little too forcefully, the brown liquid spilled over the edge and pooled on the wooden surface.
“I’m going to let Kasia down one way or another, aren’t I?”
Joey’s expression was serious. “Nothing’s written in stone, Tierney. You make your own decisions in life.”
“Not about the hotel. They’re my dad’s decisions to make.”
“Perhaps that needs to change. It’s not practical to run everything by him. You should be out there with Tom Kelly now, discussing when the work is going to be done and how much it will cost, instead of waiting another week till you’ve chatted it through with Kevin.”
“He’s not just going to hand over the hotel to me.”
“Why not? You’ll inherit it eventually, anyway.”
“He doesn’t work that way. Everything is a business transaction for him.” She got up to get a cloth. Kasia would be annoyed if she allowed the tea to stain the tabletop. “And I’m no longer his only heir, am I?”
“But he could choose to give it to you. Megan never had any interest in coming here. I can’t remember her visiting more than once or twice.”
Tierney laughed. “She said it was too windy.” She wiped the spilled tea. “She wants to talk. I need to go and see her, Joey. Do you think Kasia will understand?”
“I think she’s terrified of losing you, and life has taught her not to expect much from the people she loves. Are you going to come back?”
“Yes, of course. As soon as I’ve straightened things with Megan and got my dad to finance everything.”
Kasia’s angry voice echoed in her brain, asking when she’d finally do something other than taking her dad’s money. It was a good question, but she didn’t really know where to start.