Page 46 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

Damn, why had she said that? Why had she let him know he was getting to her? Because he was, that’s why. If she couldn’t use her car, she wouldn’t have anywhere to go, anywhere to sleep.

‘Oh, but I can. Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I don’t recall the prenup mentioning anything about me being legally obliged to pay for you to run a car.’

‘Lyle…’

‘And once my solicitor serves you with the divorce papers stating adultery as the cause of our marriage breakdown, well, I don’t think any judge will rule in your favour.’

She hit the steering wheel. ‘I was not having an affair. You know that. You know why our marriage broke down. You know it was your actions that caused it.’

‘It’s very rare for an adulterer to admit their misdemeanours. I do believe, however, it’s quite common for the one in the wrong to try to deflect the blame.’

‘You know?—’

Too late, the call had gone silent, music from the radio filling the car once again.

He couldn’t do that, could he? She’d served him the divorce papers. Could he really overwrite that by filing for one himself? And when was her insurance due? The payments came out once a month; she knew that, but when, what date? It was the end of the month; she was sure of it, which meant she had just under two weeks to secure a job and get her first wage.

She bit down on her bottom lip, the taste of blood filling her mouth. It felt impossible. Heck, it probably was impossible. Most places paid monthly, didn’t they?

As she turned down the lane leading to Wagging Tails, she took a deep breath. She had to act normally. She couldn’t let herself be riled by Lyle. That’s what he wanted.

After she’d drawn into a parking spot and turned the ignition off, she leaned her forehead on the steering wheel. Why did Lyle have to ring? All she could think about was him stalking her every move now. All this time she’d thought she’d been free of him and yet she hadn’t. He’d been there, spying on her, watching her every move through the bank statements.

Megan forced herself to sit back up and grab her bag from the passenger seat. She’d wanted to get here early so she’d be able to freshen up without drawing any attention to herself. If she continued to sit in the car and mope that wasn’t going to happen.

She got out, turned back to the car and reached in, pulling her mobile from the passenger seat.

‘Megan.’

She straightened, banging her head against the ceiling. ‘Jay? Hi.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ He grimaced. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I don’t think I’ll have any lasting damage.’ She forced a smile.

‘That’s a relief.’

‘Is everything okay?’ she asked as they walked towards Wagging Tails. She looked down at the bulging canvas bag in her hand and swapped it to the other side.

‘Yes, I just wanted to catch you to clear the air. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did when I realised that Lyle was your ex.’

‘Don’t be. I should have told you.’

‘No, it was none of my business and after the way I’d spoken about him, I can understand why you didn’t tell me. I should have apologised yesterday…’

‘Honestly, it’s no bother. Anyway, I can understand why it felt as though I was deceiving you, especially after what you’ve told me about your ex-wife. I wasn’t though, I just didn’t think it mattered and then after you’d made it clear what you thought of him, I guess I just didn’t know how to tell you.’

She pulled the reception door open. The area was empty, Cindy wasn’t even in her makeshift kennel, Flora must have taken her for a walk or something.

‘Well, I’m sorry for the way I reacted.’ They headed into the kitchen and Jay lifted up the kettle. ‘Coffee?’

‘Oh, what I wouldn’t do for a coffee!’

Megan smiled. Maybe things were getting better after all. Yes, hopefully, she and Jay could become friends again, could be comfortable in each other’s company once more. That’s all she could ask for right now. Besides, it was probably for the best now that Lyle was trying to steer the divorce in his favour by accusing her of having an affair.

She glanced behind her towards the reception area. She could really do with freshening up before everyone else got here, but now Jay had seen her in these clothes, she wasn’t really sure how she’d get away with changing without it raising questions. She could clean her teeth and put some deodorant on, though.

‘Everything all right?’

---