Chapter 30
“Tierney. It’s so good to have you home.”
Megan’s warm embrace was surprising. She’d never been one for physical affection. Tierney had always put that down to her tumultuous upbringing, but now she wondered if it might be a trait she’d inherited from their dad.
“Good to see you too.” She dropped her bag and returned the hug enthusiastically.
Megan stepped back and swooped up Tierney’s luggage. “Let’s get you home so you can recover from your journey.” She turned back. “Unless you want to go visit Kevin first?” The smile on her face suggested she knew what the answer would be.
“I think I need to rest up, thanks. He’s not expecting me, is he?” She didn’t want to piss him off before she tried to win him over.
“No, I was vague about when you were arriving.” She waited for Tierney to catch up before she continued walking. “He read your email about the damage. He’s not happy, Tierney. He thinks the hotel’s turning into a money pit.”
“D’you mind if we don’t talk about it right now? I’m too tired, and I’d rather hear about how you are.”
“Let’s get you home and fed. If you’re not ready for sleep after that, we can have a talk.”
“Sounds good.” She was relieved when they reached the car and was happy to chat about trivial matters for the journey. Megan talked mostly about the start of the baseball season. Tierney had never been interested in the sport. It seemed to move so slowly, and everything was too far away. She preferred her sports faster and would rather be a participant than a spectator, but she asked all the right questions and nodded enthusiastically at the right times.
Megan pulled into their drive, and Tierney looked fondly at the beautiful three-story house they’d bought together after college. There were a few things she loved about her home city; this house was one of them. It felt like it was truly hers, though buying it had only been possible with the generous deposit her dad had gifted them on graduation. But at least she’d invested it in the house, and not blown it on an expedition to Everest like she’d been tempted to do.
“I’ll order us burritos from that place you love, and you go get a shower.” Megan swung open the front door and waved her in.
The shower revived her a little, and she tucked into her favorite Mexican food with delight. “God, I’ve missed these.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Megan laughed. “You know you could make them, right?”
“It never occurred to me when I was over there.” She wiped sour cream from the corner of her mouth and caught herself wondering if Kasia liked burritos and if she’d ever get the chance to make them for her now. When she’d written to Kasia, she’d prayed she’d get in touch before Tierney left, but she’d heard nothing. She truly wasn’t sure where they stood now. If only she’d had the guts to tell her how she felt.
“Hey, where did you go? Your little face has gone all sad.”
Damn it. She’d been so determined not to think about Kasia or the mess she’d left behind on Inishderry. “Nothing, really. Tell me about how things are going with Al.”
“He’s amazing. I think I’ve found my person, Tierney.” She paused to swallow another mouthful. “Are you sure you want to hear about how loved up I am?”
“Of course, I do. I didn’t get to know Al before…” She stopped, not wanting to revisit the incident at the funeral. “But I’d like to meet him properly. Anyone who can break through that spiky shell and get to your soft interior has my admiration.” She nearly dropped her food when Megan elbowed her hard. “Hey, don’t mess with me while I’m eating.” She grinned and took another bite.
“We’re getting engaged.”
Tierney’s intake of breath sucked in some tortilla, and she coughed violently.
Megan thumped her on the back until she cleared her throat.
“I wasn’t trying to kill you.” She held out a glass of water.
“I’m pleased for you, really.” Tierney spluttered and took the water gratefully. “Thank you.” She drank slowly. “I really am stoked. It’s quick though, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I’m certain. When you know, you know.”
“Yup, that’s true.”
“What does that mean? You’ve met someone. And it’s serious. Nooooo!”
Tierney batted away her mock horror. “No, not anymore. Hey, tonight’s about you telling me your news. That story can wait.”
“While I appreciate your newfound commitment to not making it all about you, there is no freaking way you’re going to get away with that for long.” She headed for the refrigerator. “How about we make ourselves comfortable on the couch? I’ll open this wine”—she waved a bottle—“and I’ll tell you more about being in luuurve.”
Tierney chuckled while she cleared away the food packages. Getting things back to something like normal with Megan made her feel warm and safe. She hadn’t missed home much at all while she’d been in Inishderry, but she’d missed time with her best friend. And sister. How long would it take her to get used to that idea? It wasn’t unwelcome; it was just odd. As if the world had moved slightly off-kilter, and she just needed to find her place again.
They curled up on the couch, and Megan pulled a blanket over both their knees. “I’ve missed this. I’m sorry I pushed you away.” She squeezed Tierney’s hand. “I just felt so dumb that I’d never realized what was going on, and I lashed out at the wrong person. I’d held Kevin in such high regard for so long, and he was so dismissive about the lie he’d been living. He walked away. And you were there, being you, and I took all my anger out on you. I’m so sorry, Tierney.” She leaned her head on Tierney’s shoulder.
“But why did you leave me dangling for so long? I didn’t know if you were ever going to speak to me again. It really hurt.”
“The longer it went, the harder it got to get in touch and apologize. Every text and silly photo you sent just made me feel even more guilty. I was an idiot, and I’m truly sorry you had to nearly get killed by a storm to make me realize how much I care about you.”
“Well, we’re here now, aren’t we?” Tierney pulled her in closer. “How are things with Dad? Are you going to call him Dad?”
“I think that ship has sailed. He’ll always be Kevin to me. But things are better, thanks to some counseling. He’s hard work, Tierney. I don’t think he’ll ever be truly emotionally available to either of us.”
“I know. I tried to have it out with him, but he brushed everything off. Going back to Inishderry felt like the best thing to do.”
“And how did that go? Before the storm, I mean.”
She pushed her foot against Megan’s knee. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re so obvious. Tell me all about Al. Quickly, before my sleep deprivation catches up with me, and I fall asleep on your shoulder.” She dodged the poke to her arm. “Come on, I really want to hear about everything.”
She lasted another hour before she staggered up to her bedroom, but they’d gone a long way to closing the chasm that had opened up in their relationship. Now she just needed to deal with her dad.
“Let me stop you right there. I’m going to sell the hotel.”
“What?”
Tierney’s brain back-pedaled. She’d walked into this meeting five minutes ago with the confidence she could turn everything around. How had it gone downhill so quickly?
“But, Dad, we’ve written a really viable business plan. The damage to the hotel is a setback, but let’s use it as a chance to reset. To get all the real changes made and relaunch next year as a high-end group retreat center with a restaurant that takes advantage of the location. You’ve seen the figures; you’ll get your investment back in a few years. Then it’ll just keep making you money.” She hated reducing the value of the hotel and all it stood for into monetary terms, but she knew her audience.
“I’ve read all the reports and seen the figures. You have done a thorough job.”
She couldn’t remember the last time he’d complimented her about anything. Surely, that was a good sign.
“But I already have a portfolio littered with better investments, and they’re all closer to home where I can keep an eye on them. It’s not worth the trouble.”
“But I can look after it. I’ve promised you I’ll stay on top of it and oversee the work. I’ll put in all the effort. I just need your financial commitment.”
He leaned across his desk. “One day you’ll benefit from all the wise decisions I’ve made over the years. This one included. And when that day comes, you can spend my money in any way you see fit.” He prodded his finger against the polished oak surface. “But until then, I’ll decide where to spend my money, Tierney.”
Damn. If she couldn’t appeal to his business brain, she only had his heart to try. “And the fact it was your childhood home means nothing? That Granny passed it into your care? Of all the members of your family she could have left it to, she clearly thought you’d be the one to care for it.”
He leaned back in his chair and laughed. “It means a lot, but not in the way you seem to think. My childhood was spent avoiding my bullying older brothers and dreaming up ways to escape. Why would I cherish the place where I was left to fend for myself?”
She was sick of this narrative being thrust at her every time the hotel or Inishderry was mentioned. “Uncle Gabriel’s retelling of that story is a little different. He says the two of you ran away from chores at every opportunity to make up jugs of orange squash to sell to the tourists on the beach. You pissed your brothers off because they had to do your share of the work. Isn’t it time you pulled your weight now?” Fuck, where did that come from?
Her dad raised his eyebrows. “I’ll decide where my priorities are. As I said, when you get your payout, you can choose to throw it all away on sentimental dreams if you wish. You were never a realist.”
There it was. The reason he wasn’t prepared to invest any further was because he didn’t trust her judgment. Was he right? She’d never really made a success of anything.
“Who will buy it?” That was the only question she could think of. It might make a difference for Kasia, or perhaps give her some hope.
“It’ll be a steal in its present state. Someone will snap it up for the location. It would make a beautiful private holiday residence.”
“For some fat cat like you who’ll fly in from his mansion in Dublin or London. What benefit will that be to the island?”
“That isn’t my concern. And as far as benefiting the island goes, half of the households on that island, and the mainland, are supported by money sent back from my employees or company pensions.”
It was pointless trying to explain to him money wasn’t the answer to everything. The island needed enterprises that supported each other and provided employment so people didn’t need to go to America to earn money.
“Speaking of employees, what about Kasia? I promised her we’d pay her to stay and oversee the repairs until the hotel can reopen.”
He frowned. “And why did you do that? You didn’t have my authority to do so.”
“Because it was the right thing to do. And because we need her to stay.” I need her to stay.
“We don’t need a hotel manager if we don’t have a hotel.”
“But, Dad…” She was prepared to beg, but she wasn’t sure what to say to change his mind.
“My mind is made up. Your manager will get two months’ notice at full pay, and she can stay in the hotel until it’s sold if she wishes. I think that’s more than fair.”
Tierney left her father’s office without another word. She found Megan at her desk glued to her laptop screen.
She looked up and closed the laptop with a snap. “It didn’t go well, then?”
“You can tell just by looking at me?”
“Sorry, but yes. You look miserable.” She squeezed Tierney’s hand.
Tierney dropped into a chair, feeling as though all the air had been drained out of her. “Dad’s going to sell the Waterside. I totally failed. As always.”
“Why do you think that about yourself? You’ve never failed at anything.”
“What about Dad’s graduation challenge? When you doubled your money, and I barely broke even?”
“Tierney, you built a worthwhile project with social value. I followed the remit and maximized profits. Being better at making money doesn’t make me a better person. Quite the opposite some might say.”
Tierney shook her head. She wasn’t going to believe Megan envied her lack of interest in financial success.
“Maybe you were just looking for the right project. You seem pretty interested in money right now.” Megan leaned back in her chair, her hands folded.
“To keep the hotel running, not to line my pockets with.”
“But that’s what I’ve always told you. If you have some money put aside, it’s there when you need it.”
“I didn’t listen, though, and now I’ve got nothing to bargain with. Dad’s always had power over me because I’m financially reliant on him. And now, when I really want something to work out, and for the right reasons, I’ve got no power at all.”
Megan glanced past her and then leaned a little closer. “Yup. But there’s something I wanted to talk about that might help you. I would’ve mentioned it last night, but you were whacked.”
“You might as well get it out there. This day can’t get any worse.”
“Since I’ve been back in town, I’ve been living at the house with Al.”
“That’s cool. There’s plenty of room.”
“I know, but it’s your house too, and I kind of felt guilty we were living there while you were away.”
“There’s no need. I feel bad when it’s empty, and there are people with nowhere to sleep. And it isn’t as though I’ve been around.”
“Well, I love our house, and so does Al. But I know you love it too. You chose it to begin with when I wasn’t so sure.” Megan stared at her intently.
“And?” Tierney wondered if this was going in the direction she wanted it to.
“So we’re gonna need somewhere to live now that we’re engaged, and I was wondering if there was any chance you would want to sell us your half of the house?”
Her last few words came out in a rush, and Tierney was surprised that Megan was nervous about asking.
“No pressure. I understand if you don’t, but I’d gotten the impression you might be staying in Inishderry for longer, and maybe you could do with the money. In fact, maybe you could find a way to invest it…”
A side of Tierney grieved the end of her life in the house with Megan, but that was over now, anyway. Having some funds could change everything.
“House prices are at a record high. Have you had it valued?”
“Obviously.” Megan rolled her eyes. “It’s not an ideal time to be buying, but Al and I need to start our lives together, so either way, we’ll be buying in this financial climate. How about I give you a figure, and you can take some time to think about it?”
Tierney’s mind was spinning. She’d never thought of the house as an investment; it was just a nice place to live by the sea. But it turned out she’d used her deposit wisely. For once, she’d be able to say she had some money of her own. “How much do you think Dad will want for the hotel?”
Megan’s roar of laughter was so loud, she leaned back in her chair and pushed the door closed.
“I thought you might ask that, but I didn’t expect it to be your first question. You could just go and ask him?”
Tierney shook her head emphatically. She needed to know how much money she had to bargain with before she confronted him.
Megan nodded. “If his mind is made up, he’ll work quickly so you need to be quicker. Get someone in there to value it now before he has a figure set in his head. If you want any help, let me know.” She took Tierney’s hand. “You’ve never believed in yourself, buddy. But now is the time. I believe in you, and I know better than anyone what you’re capable of. If you want this, go for it.”
Tierney jumped up with a new sense of purpose. Heart swelling with Megan’s words, she didn’t know how realistic it was to think she could rescue the hotel single-handedly, but she was sure as hell going to try. Would Kasia want her back if she could prove herself? There was only one way to find out.