Page 12 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

Pulling the chair out next to Megan, Flora sat down.

‘I’ll catch you later.’ Alex closed the dishwasher door and left as Percy turned his attention to wiping flapjack crumbs from the kitchen counter.

‘Jay didn’t mean anything by what he said about Lyle.’ Flora smiled kindly. ‘He doesn’t know you were his partner.’

‘He doesn’t?’ Megan gripped her mug, the ceramic cold against her hands, the coffee having cooled a long time before.

‘Well, not unless you told him yourself. None of us has mentioned anything to him. Or anyone else, for that matter.’

‘You haven’t?’

‘Of course not. Your business is your business, not ours.’ Sally paused, pen in hand.

Megan looked from Flora to Sally and back again. Why wouldn’t they have said anything? She’d have deserved everyone knowing.

‘Thank you.’

‘No problem,’ Sally said. ‘We’re really grateful to you for volunteering.’

‘Especially for doing the books!’ Flora chuckled. ‘Seriously though, we are grateful. It must have taken a lot for you to have come back here, not knowing how we’d react.’

‘I take my hat off to you, I do. You’ve got guts coming back after what Lyle did.’ Percy sat back down at the table.

Megan nodded. ‘I did worry you’d all turn me away.’

‘Well, as long as you know that you’re welcome here. We all know what you and Andy did to save Wagging Tails.’ Flora patted her hand. ‘And we’re here for you. You must be going through a tough time after splitting up with him.’

‘Yes.’ Percy looked at her and frowned. ‘He might have been an awful man and I for one think you’re better off without him, but a relationship has still ended.’

‘And we all know how tough that can be.’ Sally looked across at her. ‘So if you need to talk or vent, then we’re all here for you.’

‘Absolutely.’ Flora laid the palms of her hands on the table and pushed herself to standing. ‘But don’t worry about what Jay said. He wasn’t aiming it at you at all.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’ Megan breathed a sigh of relief.

The last couple of days here at Wagging Tails had been a breath of fresh air. Quite literally. She’d been so used to spending time on her own, whilst she’d been living with Lyle and since she’d moved out, that suddenly being surrounded by people was both strange and comforting at the same time. And Flora was right, everyone had made her feel welcome. Maybe she herself was the one who was struggling to forgive the fact she hadn’t realised what Lyle had been up to earlier and how corrupt he was.

‘Right, I’m off to take Angus to see Mack at the vet’s and to hopefully be given a full bill of health.’ Flora tucked her chair in.

‘I’ll go and make a start of clearing that patch for the kennels.’ Percy followed Flora out.

‘I don’t suppose you fancy a walk down to the beach, do you?’ Sally closed her folder. ‘I need to take Ocean and Splash out to see how they are with other dogs when they’re together.’

‘Are they the two who came in with Angus?’

‘That’s right. They’re super lovely and get on so well together.’

‘I’d love to come then.’ Megan pushed her cold coffee away and stood up. She hadn’t actually been down to the beach yet even though she’d been staying in Trestow for the last few weeks.

Megan looked towards the sea as they walked down the cobbled lane leading to the cove. The sun was beaming down on the blue water, which reflected the sun’s rays, as a handful of people walked along the water’s edge.

‘So far, so good.’

‘They’ve been brilliant, haven’t they? So calm even when we met that puppy being walked back there.’ Sally stooped down to fuss Ocean.

‘Do you think they’ll be rehomed together?’ Megan glanced down as Splash, a small Yorkshire terrier, paused as the cobbles gave way to the sand.

‘Possibly not. It’s so difficult to find people wanting to adopt a pair of dogs. Still, it’s good to check to see how they walk together as it might come in handy to know if the potential adopters already have a dog.’ Sally looked down at Ocean, a West Highland. ‘You never know though, someone might come forward for the both of them. It would be nice for them to stay together.’

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