Page 56 of Harbor Lights
But she didn’t say any of that. How could she?
“And now you’ve got the youth club. You’re gonna make a difference for a whole generation of lonely, isolated kids.”
She reached out and tugged Con’s elbow, turning her around. Her eyes were shining. “And like you said, it’s just a few days.”
Con stood straight and took a deep breath. “You’re right. A few days. Then we can get back to normal.”
Whatever normal was, Shiv surely didn’t know. She looked over at her laptop where she should have been planning to expose evil men. But even that felt hollow now, somehow. As if she was just playing at life.
* * *
“Happy Christmas, Siobhán!”The woman calling to her looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t put a name to her.
She waved back at the woman walking up the lane with her husband and four children. “Happy holidays!”
The children all waved and echoed their mother’s greeting. Everyone she’d passed on her way down the hill had been full of Christmas excitement. Far more people than usual were out walking, and she guessed they were making the most of the sunny, mild morning before the strong winds and rain that had been forecast for the next few days.
Shiv was surprised to feel quite excited. Her backpack was filled with gifts for her hosts, and she was looking forward to a day with her favorite island people. Well, most of them.
She entered the gates of the Waterside hotel where Tierney, Seán, and a group of kids—ranging from three-year-old Denny to a young man in his late teens—were playing with a round ball. Saoirse was the first to spot her and she turned with the ball in one hand and hit it with the open palm of her other hand. She aimed well and Shiv caught it easily. It was a strange shape in her hands, but seeing the expectation on the faces of the children, she hoisted it to her chin and passed it like a football.
Seán caught it as the children cracked up laughing. “What was that?” He was laughing, too.
Tierney snatched the ball from him and booted it down the lawn. The children ran after it, still laughing. Little Denny followed behind on his short legs, but Saoirse turned and took his hand as they chased the ball before it reached the water’s edge.
“Ignore this bunch of ignoramuses. They have no idea what football is.” Tierney elbowed Seán, then pulled Shiv in for a hug. “Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, or whatever term you use.”
Shiv didn’t know what term to use. She’d long thought of Christmas Day simply as an opportunity to work while the enemy was off guard. Her last one had been spent behind bars, and before that she’d been alone in her RV in the middle of the desert.
“Happy Christmas.” She shrugged herself out of her gloomy thought and turned to hug Seán.
He kissed her on the cheek. “Happy Christmas. You two go on in. I’ll keep an eye on these hooligans. Whose idea was it to buy Saoirse a new football?”
“Yours!” Tierney chuckled as she led Shiv indoors.
The wall of noise made Shiv hesitate for a moment, then she clenched her jaw and walked in.
Joey stood with a tall man who bore a close resemblance to them, and a short, dark-haired woman. They were chatting with Aoife, who held Tierney and Kasia’s baby, Pegeen. Behind them, Gracie slouched on a couch, scrolling on her phone.
Pegeen noticed Tierney first and waved her little arms. Shiv added her gifts to the pile beneath the towering tree in the stairwell.
“Tierney.” Kasia emerged from the dining room looking as businesslike as ever. “Can you come and talk to your uncles? They’ve insisted on sitting at the table already, and I don’t have time to entertain them.”
“Is Granddad here?” Shiv hadn’t considered he would spend his vacation in his childhood home. Her enthusiasm for her new family had its limits.
Kasia frowned. “Yes, he arrived last night. And your uncle Jim, and his youngest, Martin.”
“Oh, right. He didn’t say.”
Tierney hoisted Pegeen in one arm and took Shiv’s sleeve. “Right, you two can help me with the small talk.” She led Shiv into the dining room as Pegeen giggled and babbled away. Shiv wished she could feel so carefree about seeing the senior Walsh brothers.
The dining room had been rearranged so the tables made one long line against the window. At one end sat her grandfather, his face redder than usual, probably from drinking most of the bottle of sherry set in front of him. Alongside him sat his brother Anto, and across the table was Jim, her mom’s brother. He stood to greet her. “Happy Christmas, Siobhán.”
“And to you, Jim. I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“We come every Christmas. But Maggie’s had to stay home this year, so it’s just me and Martin. I’ll introduce you later.”
Shiv slid into a chair beside him. “Happy holidays, Granddad.” She smiled as warmly as she could muster, and he nodded back before returning to his conversation with his brother. At least she’d tried.
