Page 22 of Harbor Lights

“So, is that the work for Uncle Des finished then?” Christy clearly was going to make the most of the opportunity of having her captive.

“The work he paid me to do originally, yes. But we’ve agreed if he buys the materials, I’ll do some more work to make the place habitable in return for staying there.”

Christy laughed. “So, free labor, yeah?”

“He hasn’t manipulated me into it. I know what I’m doing.” The words flew out.

“Whoa, cuz.” Christy held up his free hand. “I wasn’t suggesting you didn’t. It’s just very Uncle Des behavior. Dad always says he’s got short arms and deep pockets.”

Shiv let her shoulders drop. Why did she care what people thought anyway?

They carried on in awkward silence for a few minutes until Shiv gave in. “Where do you live?”

He smiled across at her. He was a cute guy. His mop of red curls stuck out from under a beanie, and there was a sparkle in his blue eyes. “Just up here. I’ll show you.”

Shiv sat back and relaxed for a couple of minutes.

“Next house here, on the left.” Christy indicated a small, neatly painted bungalow.

Shiv looked to the right where the fields swept down to the shore. “Nice view.”

“Yeah, I love it. Will you come round for dinner soon?” His hopeful smile made it difficult for Shiv to refuse.

“That’d be cool, yeah.”

“So, you’re planning to hang around?”

Why is everyone so interested in my business?“I haven’t decided.”

“Okay, it’s just that you said you were staying in the cabin longer, and I thought that meant you wanted to remain on the island.”

“For a while, I guess. Over winter.” Why did he care?

“That’s grand. We all knew that Uncle Des had a daughter who ran away, but we never knew about you. It’ll be cool to get to know you.”

“Why? You didn’t know I existed, and it made no difference to your life.” She didn’t mean to be so confrontational. It just slipped out.

“Uh, you’re our cousin. Family matters.”

“It didn’t matter to Desmond when he threw my mom out and never replied to any of her letters for more than thirty years.”

“Well, we’re not Uncle Des. Aoife and I—and Tierney—want to make up for all that lost time. Is that so bad?”

Shiv took in a long breath. “No, it’s good, I guess. But I’ve never had any family except my mom, so you’ll have to give me time to get used to it.”

“Sure.” Christy pulled up as the road ran out into a rough field. Nearby, a small white cottage sat by a stony beach. “But we’re here for you whenever you need us.”

Shiv was relieved to escape the unexpectedly emotional conversation. She got out and took in Joey’s cottage. What an idyllic location.

Close by was a second cottage, even smaller than the first. Joey emerged, clad in paint-splattered white overalls.

“Hey, Shiv, thanks for coming.” They approached and folded her in a hug she couldn’t have escaped from if she tried. She instinctively stiffened, but Joey didn’t let up and she gradually relaxed into it. It was kind of reassuring. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone other than her mom had hugged her.

“Hi,” she said as she finally extracted herself.

“Shiiiiiv!” Little Denny came running from a red wooden boat that sat in the garden. He barreled into her, and she squatted down to speak to him.

“Hey, Denny, is that your boat?”

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