Page 23 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

‘I have.’ Megan nodded slowly. She could feel the prickle of heat tracing across her cheeks. ‘I came here so I could volunteer at Wagging Tails.’

She looked across at the ocean, picking out a small ship on the horizon. Why had she said that? It was bound to raise more questions. Who would move hundreds of miles away to volunteer at a dogs’ home when there were likely a few hundred, if not more, between there and here?

‘You’ve lived here all your life?’

An awkward silence hung in the air before Jay shook his head ever so slightly. ‘No, I moved down here with my ex-wife when we found out she was expecting our daughter. We were in London and wanted to get out of the rat race and Leanne had family this way, over in Gweek, so it was the natural thing to do. When we were looking, we both fell in love with this area and so when a small cottage came up for sale in West Par we jumped at the chance.’

Megan nodded. He’d bought another place in West Par when they’d divorced then. Likely to be close to his daughter. She couldn’t think of anything worse than living in the same city, let alone the same tiny village as your ex. She shuddered. Even just the thought of running into Lyle in the shops or on the street made her feel sick.

‘You decided to stay around here when you divorced then?’

‘Leanne left to move in with Patrick, the bloke she had an affair with. They’re over in Trestow so it’s not far.’

‘Ah. Sorry to hear that.’

Jay shrugged. ‘It’s nice to be able to stay in the same cottage where Mia grew up. It meant she had some sort of stability even when we were going through the break-up.’ He shifted position on the sand and looked out to sea. ‘Although of course when she’s not there, all I’m left with are the memories of what was supposed to be our family home.’

Megan watched as he rubbed the palm of his hand across his face and looked across at her again. So he lived in his old marital home. She didn’t think she could. Everything would have changed and yet nothing. The same house full of the same memories and yet not with the same people.

‘Fancy a paddle?’

‘A paddle?’

‘Yes, in the sea.’ He chuckled as he nodded towards the water.

‘Umm, okay!’

‘Great.’

Megan slipped her trainers off while Jay stood up, holding his hand out towards her.

His grip was firm but gentle, and Megan let herself be pulled to standing before following him towards the water’s edge. She gingerly dipped her toes in, the water warm against her skin as she stepped forward, her feet sinking into the wet sand beneath the water. She grinned at Jay as he rolled the bottom of his jeans up and waded in up to his knees.

‘Ah, that’s lovely.’

‘I was half expecting it to be cold. I’m not even sure why, being as it’s so hot today.’ Megan laughed. ‘It’s probably just memories of holidaying on the coast as a kid and my dad enticing me into the water only for me to discover it was absolutely freezing! I think it put me off getting into any British oceans since then.’

‘Ah, you’ve not been to Cornwall in the summer before then?’ Jay raised his eyebrows.

‘Nope. I haven’t.’ She looked out across the ocean, the two cliffs on either side of them hugging the cove, the water a clear shade of blue. It really was picture postcard perfect here.

‘Do you go abroad a lot then?’

Megan scrunched up her nose. She had. She and Lyle had always gone on a lot of holidays, four, five or even six a year, flying off to warmer climates, but all of that had stopped when he’d moved from building management to starting up his own company, or companies should she say? It had felt as though he’d started one company after the other in the last five years, one a year probably. Of course, she now guessed the new companies were to cover up some immoral thing or another, but at the time she’d believed him when he’d said he was merely experimenting with different business images and structures.

‘I used to.’

‘You don’t like to talk much about yourself, do you?’

Megan looked out towards the horizon in the direction of the ship. It must have passed the opening to the cove now, leaving the waters still and empty.

‘Honestly? It’s not that I don’t like talking about myself, it’s just that I suppose everything about my adult life has included my ex, every holiday, everything really, and I guess I just don’t want to dwell on that. It’s in the past and I’m grateful it’s in the past. This is my time to look to the future now.’

Jay nodded.

‘Does that make sense?’ She reached down and, copying Jay, rolled her jeans up before inching further into the water, the warmth a welcome distraction to the thoughts whirring in her mind.

‘It does. It makes perfect sense.’ Jay smiled, the lines around his eyes reflecting the kindness in them. ‘In that case, where would you like to go on holiday? In the future. Anywhere you like?’

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