They tied up the boat and jumped onto the quay to help Tierney disembark.
“Hell, you’re doing it, too.” Tierney jumped up agilely onto the stone surface. “I can still walk okay.”
Joey shrugged and rested a hand under Tierney’s elbow. “The stones are damp, and Frank just unloaded his ewes. I’m not going back to tell Kasia you slipped on sheep shit and are in the university hospital. I’d be joining you immediately.”
Tierney laughed. “Do you trust me to drive to the surgery, or am I not capable of that, either?”
Joey shrugged. “You can if you want. I don’t have any instructions about preventing you from driving.”
Tierney waited for them to fully secure Queen Maedbh, then took their arm to walk to the hotel’s van. “You’ve worried me about falling in sheep shit now.”
“Hey, Tierney.” They both turned at Doc Scott’s immediately recognizable voice. She was striding across the quay in their direction.
“I saw you crossing as I drove down from the house. I’m heading for the medical center. Do you want me to take you to your appointment?”
“Thanks, Doc, that would be great. It would save Joey from having to go to town.”
Joey rubbed their neck. “I kept the afternoon free to go with you.” They shook off the disappointment. “But it makes sense if Doc’s going anyway. Just don’t tell Kasia I deserted you.”
Doc grinned. “I’m sure I reach even Kasia’s high standards for a suitable escort.”
Tierney turned to give Joey a peck on the cheek before Doc led her to an ancient Land Rover parked nearby.
“Let me know when to pick you up.”
“You could have a chat with Shane O’Dwyer about selling your catch to his distributor.” Doc threw the comment over her shoulder as she opened the door and helped Tierney up the high step.
It was typical of Doc’s meddling nature that she had an ulterior motive for helping out. Joey wished they’d never mentioned to her about their loss of income from Batiya. They waved them off and turned to scan the harbor. But Doc was right. They needed to find another outlet for their catch, and hopefully one with a longer season than the Waterside.
Shane’s fishing boat, Lady Kathleen, was moored along the stone quay, but there was no sign of anyone on board. Joey knew where to find the fishers when they weren’t at sea. They strolled over the road to Tina’s café, nodding to the owner standing at her small counter.
“Tea is it, Joey?”
“Please, Tina. I’ll be in the back.” They ducked through an archway that opened out into a simply furnished room. A group of men sat together, most cradling mugs in their rough hands. Weatherproof kit was strewn across unoccupied chairs.
“Joey!” Shane’s bellow silenced the hum of chatter, and the other men turned to see their visitor. “It’s not like you to come and hang out with us.”
Tina entered and placed a mug on Shane’s table. “That’s because Joey’s always busy working, not like you bunch of slackers.”
The men let out a few grumbled objections, but Tina laughed them off as she left. Joey dropped onto the chair opposite Shane. “I came to see you.”
He scratched at his reddish beard. “You finally changed your mind about the wholesaler?”
Joey took a long drink of the hot tea while they thought about their answer. “I’m considering it. Will you email me their latest prices?”
“I will, but you won’t like them. You won’t be getting what you’re used to with your fancy restaurants.”
“Those prices are market value. It’s your distributor who’s undercutting.”
Shane shrugged and pulled out his phone. “There’s a cost to convenience. Now you’ve lost your celebrity customer, what other choice do you have? Drive your catch across the country to sell in Dublin? You’ll spend all your profits on fuel.”
“It’s not so simple for me. You don’t sell live catch. My lobsters could be in tanks for weeks before they get to their destination. The quality isn’t the same. Not to mention, it’s inhumane.”
Shane’s bark of laughter wasn’t kind. “We pull things out of the sea for people to eat, Joey. Don’t kid yourself.”
“I can still have standards.” They drained their mug and stood. “I’ll think about it.” They didn’t want to go down this route, but they were starting to believe they had little choice.
Shane nodded. “I’ve sent you their details.” The phone in Joey’s pocket buzzed. “Take a look. If you catch more lobsters, you could make up the loss.”
