Page 28 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

Megan laughed, a wave of relief flooding through her. He did feel the same then. He had felt a connection.

‘I did tell you after our meal.’

‘I know you did.’ Looking down, a slight blush crept up his neck. ‘Like I said, I’ve always been rubbish at dating. In fact, that’s not true. I haven’t been rubbish because until I asked you out, I haven’t been on a date since I met Mia’s mum.’

Megan stared at him before shaking her head and looking away. He’d said he’d been divorced for two years, hadn’t he? And he hadn’t been on a date since? ‘You haven’t? How come?’ After opening the door to Rex’s kennel, Megan carefully lowered one of the bowls and quickly fussed him behind the ears before turning to the next one.

‘I don’t know. I suppose I just didn’t feel ready. Besides, and I know this is going to sound self-pitying, and I can assure you it’s not meant to, but my confidence with romance and relationships has well and truly been shattered since finding out about Leanne’s affair.’

Megan sighed. ‘I can understand that. It’s difficult once you’ve been hurt to be able to trust again.’

‘Exactly.’ Jay passed Ralph his bowl of kibble. ‘And I think it’s the deceit too that has really had an effect on me. How do I trust someone else when I lived with Leanne whilst she was seeing someone behind my back?’

‘I know what you mean by not being able to trust.’ Megan opened the door to Angus’s kennel and laughed as he bounded across the small enclosure towards his food faster than Megan had ever seen him move before. ‘I didn’t know you could move so fast, Angus!’

Jay glanced at her. ‘I thought you said your ex didn’t cheat?’

Closing the door quietly, Megan frowned. ‘No, he didn’t. He was busy with work. I don’t think he’d have had the time to. The lies, though, I know about them. Even now, I’m not really sure what was real and what wasn’t with him.’

‘Sorry to hear that.’ Jay paused outside Splash and Ocean’s kennel. ‘I suppose at least we both understand.’

‘Exactly. We have to focus on the positives.’ Megan smiled.

‘Most definitely.’ Grinning, Jay looked down as Splash pawed at the kennel door, his bowl already empty. ‘That’s it, all gone, Splash.’

‘Aw, look at his face though. Anyone would think we’d starved him.’ Megan laughed as she rummaged in her pocket for a treat.

‘Ha ha, you’re the same as me. Fill up with treats as soon as you walk through the door.’ Jay patted his bulging pockets.

Megan looked around when she heard Flora walking into the corridor. Her face looked worried. ‘Everything okay?’

‘No, I’ve just had a call from the racetrack outside Trestow. They’ve asked us to take some of their dogs.’ Flora began to walk up and down the corridor, peering into each kennel.

‘How many?’ Jay asked as he collected the empty bowls.

‘Thirty.’ Flora sighed.

‘Thirty?’ Megan’s mouth dropped open.

‘Yes. Thirty.’ Flora shook her head, a flash of anger crossing her face. ‘They do this. Every so often we’ll get a call asking us to take some of their dogs, sometimes less, sometimes more. Of course, I can’t just turn around and accept them all. We simply don’t have the space. Plus, greyhounds are so difficult to find homes for, and I have to think about how many other dogs we can have and rehome in the time it would take to rehome one greyhound.’

‘Why do they get rid of so many at the same time?’ Jay asked.

‘They retire them.’ Flora shook her head. ‘If they’d only learn and let them go in stages, but I suppose it’s to do with the racing season or something. As much as I’d love to, we just don’t have the capacity to take them all. Hopefully we can squeeze in one or two though.’

‘What will happen to the rest? Do they ask anyone else to take them in?’ Megan chewed down on her bottom lip. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

‘Fortunately, Trestow racetrack won’t just ask us, they’ll ring around all the local rescue centres and the national greyhound ones too and try to find rehoming spaces, but of course with so many needing a safe space at a time…’ Flora pinched the bridge of her nose. ‘Not every racetrack will even bother to try.’

Megan blinked against the tears forming behind her eyes. She’d always had a soft spot for greyhounds. Of course, Lyle would never have agreed to open their home to a pet, not that he had been there much himself over the past few years.

‘We’ll be able to take two, I think.’ Flora nodded. ‘That’s if they can share a kennel. Sonny is going to his new home tomorrow so they can have his kennel.’

‘That’s good then.’ Jay held the door to the reception area open for them.

‘Yes, it is. We seem to be on a good roll with rehoming at the moment.’ Flora smiled a sad smile. ‘There’s always more needing our help though and I hate to let dogs down.’

‘I’m sure you’re not letting anyone down, Flora, love.’ Percy walked into the reception area from the front entrance, the bell tinkling above the door.

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