Chapter 12

12

‘I think we're almost there.' Megan launched a shovelful of dirt towards the ever-increasing mound at the side and nodded towards the ground. ‘Surely it doesn't need to be much deeper than this?'

‘Nope, I think you're right.' Jay leaned on his shovel and grinned. ‘We should probably double-check with Percy once we've levelled this out. I've no clue about building or foundations at all.'

‘Nor me.' Megan glanced across at him. ‘Well, a little, but only what I picked up from visiting building sites.'

‘You used to work for a building company?'

‘No.'

Why had she mentioned building sites? It had just slipped out. Megan slid the metal of her shovel into the dirt again, pushing against the stones, slowing it.

‘My ex works in the building industry,' she explained, ‘and I did a little work for him. You know, accountancy-wise, so I've visited a few sites over the years.'

‘You know more than me then.'

‘What is it you do again? I mean, I know you're looking for work at the moment, but before that?' She should know this. She was sure he'd mentioned it on their date. Although had he? They'd been so busy chatting about growing up and everything and anything else, she couldn't quite remember if he'd explicitly said what line of work he was in.

‘Well, I was working in marketing but I'm looking to change things up a little. I've been applying for conservation jobs.' Jay smiled shyly. ‘Not that there's many around so I'll probably end up going back to marketing, but I have some redundancy pay I'm surviving off at the moment.'

‘It makes sense you carrying on applying for your dream job, then.' Megan looked across at him. ‘It must feel good choosing something you want to do and working towards it.'

‘Yes, it does. I feel excited about finding a job and working again.'

Megan planted her foot on the shovel and leaned back, wriggling it in an attempt to dislodge it from the mud. She must have forced it in too deep. With her feet on either side, she pushed it forward and then back again, pushing her right foot back down on the metal. As the dirt shifted beneath her, the shovel fell back and she watched as a large lump of mud flew through the air towards Jay, hitting him square on the chin.

‘Oops.'

Jay rubbed the back of his hand across his chin, smearing mud over his skin, and chuckled.

‘Sorry!'

‘Hey, don't be.' Grinning, he leaned down and took a handful of loose soil before throwing it at her.

Squealing, she jumped out of the way as the mud flew past her. ‘Ha ha, you missed.'

Megan reached down and grabbed a clump of soil from the pile to her right, and launched it at him, watching as the dirt, drier than that from the ground where they had drenched it, dispersed in the air, leaving a cloud of fine dust to settle in Jay's hair.

Taking her lead, Jay grabbed a handful from the pile and propelled it towards her where a dusty trail landed across her cheek.

Megan clutched her stomach as she laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. Definitely not with Lyle, that was for sure. If she'd accidentally covered him in dirt, he'd have sulked for days rather than turn the mishap into a mudslinging event.

Straightening her back, she looked across at Jay and pointed to her cheek. ‘You've got a bit…'

Jay walked towards her, grinning. ‘Is this just a trick to get me to come closer? Are you going to rub mud in my hair or something? Because I think I probably have enough in there already.'

‘Ha ha, nope.' Reaching out, she gently ran her finger down his cheek, wiping away the dirt. As she focused on wiping his cheek, she felt his finger across her own, his touch soft and gentle. Pausing, she looked into his eyes as he cupped her cheek.

‘May I?' His voice was barely above a whisper.

Nodding, she leaned in towards him, and their lips met in a sweet kiss. Megan closed her eyes. Jay's hand was still against her skin as she stepped back and smiled.

‘You still have a trail of mud down your cheek,' she said.

Jay grinned back at her, the fine laughter lines creasing around his eyes. ‘And so do you.'

Reaching out again, he used the edge of his T-shirt to wipe her clean before kissing her once more.

Looking over Jay's shoulder, Megan stepped back.

‘Percy is coming over now, so I guess we'll find out how much more needs to be dug.'

Jay glanced behind him before picking up his shovel again.

On reaching them, Percy shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand and surveyed their work before whistling under his breath. ‘You've done a fine job. After levelling it, I think it'll be time for Susan to pour the concrete.'

‘It's been tough work but satisfying.' Jay stuck his shovel upright in the ground and put his hands in his pockets.

‘Indeed. At least we'll get it all prepared in time for installation day.' Percy stroked his beard. ‘I'd have liked to have finished it off myself, but I don't think Flora would approve somehow.'

‘We're happy finishing it off, aren't we?' Megan glanced at Jay as a warm glow swept across her face.

‘Absolutely. We've got this far.'

‘Good, good. Thank you, both of you. Come on in and take a break now, though. The sun's at its peak and I've just stuck the kettle on.'

‘I wouldn't say no to a cuppa.'

Jay hung back, waiting for Megan to prop her shovel up against the mound of soil before joining her and Percy as they made their way across the courtyard.

As they reached the door, Megan took a moment to look back across at the foundations they'd been digging. She traced her forefinger over her lips. Jay had kissed her! Yesterday evening he hadn't made any move whatsoever. She'd all but given up on any idea that he might be interested in her romantically. Even after their chat earlier in the kennels she hadn't been overly convinced, but now… now she could begin to feel the excitement of a new relationship.

‘After you.' Percy let Jay and Megan step through before himself. ‘Of course, with the weather being what it is, we'll have to be extra careful when mixing…'

The bell tinkled above the door as Percy shut it and Megan smiled at Flora, who was perching on the stool behind the counter.

‘Oh, Megan, can I have a quick word, lovely?' Flora's voice was quiet as Jay and Percy continued to speak.

‘Yes, of course.' Coming to stand in front of the counter, Megan frowned. Flora looked worried. Her eyes flitted towards the window and back towards Megan, deep lines etched across her forehead. ‘Is everything okay?'

‘Is that who I think it is?' Flora pointed her pen out of the window.

Following Flora's gaze, Megan froze. She could feel her heart beating faster, could hear it drumming in her ears.

‘Lovely?' Flora placed her hand on Megan's forearm.

Glancing down at Flora's hand before steadying herself and taking a deep breath, Megan took a step towards the window, and looked out towards the gate across the lane, where the familiar BMW was parked and with it, the figure of a man standing there, watching.

‘Yes, that's him.'

‘What do you think he wants?'

‘I… I don't know.' What could Lyle want? Why would he have travelled all this way to see her? He hadn't messaged or rung since he'd received the divorce papers, so what could have made him drive down here? Unless that was it, the divorce papers, unless he hadn't wanted to text or call but to speak face to face. But how had he known where to find her? West Par should have been the last place he'd expect her to be. ‘He must have got the divorce papers. I'll go and talk to him.'

‘Are you sure that's a good idea?'

Megan turned back to Flora. She could see the concern etched across her face and it took her a moment to realise she was nervous of Lyle. Another insight to the man he had become.

‘I'll go and speak to him. Tell him to leave.'

Flora rolled her shoulders back, determination replacing the nerves. ‘No, lovely. I'll go and tell him you don't want to speak to him.'

Megan smiled. It felt good to have someone who actually cared about her. Since moving away from her hometown and living with Lyle, she'd never had friends who would have gone out of their way to grab her a loaf of bread, let alone face her ex for her. She just couldn't imagine anyone from the social circle she and Lyle had shared would have cared enough to make any such effort.

‘Thank you, but I'll go. He won't leave until I speak to him, anyway.'

‘Well, I'll come with you then.' Flora walked towards the door as Megan's phone pinged to life.

Megan shook her head and held it up, the screen showing Lyle's message:

Need to speak to you. Lyle.

‘I won't be long.'

‘Right, well, give me a hand signal or something if you need me to come over.'

Nodding, Megan pulled the door open and stepped back into the humidity of the afternoon sun before closing it firmly behind her.

As she made her way across the courtyard towards Lyle, she could feel his eyes boring into her. This wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation, but one she needed to have nonetheless.

When she was within a few steps of him, she stood still, leaving the gate between them. Lyle looked as though he'd aged about ten years since she'd last seen him, the day she'd walked out. His eyes were dull and dark grey circles clung to his skin underneath them.

‘Hi,' she said.

‘Megan.' Lyle nodded, pushing himself away from his car and straightening his back.

‘What are you doing here?'

‘I had a feeling you might ask that.' Turning, Lyle opened his car door, took something from the door pocket and held up an envelope. ‘I received this yesterday.'

It was the divorce papers. ‘You knew they were coming.'

‘Umm, I suspected they might. I had hoped they wouldn't. I had hoped you'd have seen sense before speaking to a solicitor.'

‘Seen sense?' Megan clasped her hands in front of her and rubbed at the callous on her thumb, likely caused by the amount of digging she'd been doing these last few days. ‘This isn't some silly argument, Lyle. You knew I was leaving. You wanted this too.'

‘Wanted this?'

‘Yes, after all that happened here—' she waved her hand behind her encompassing Wagging Tails ‘—you said the same to me. You said you wanted a divorce.'

‘What you did, going behind my back with Andy to jeopardise my career, was unforgivable, yes, but I never once said I didn't want our marriage to work.'

She narrowed her eyes.

‘How could our marriage survive that? You've changed. You're not the man I married.' She shook her head, remembering the day she'd walked out. ‘Besides, you made it clear you wouldn't change. You even said you didn't regret what you tried to do to this place. Sally could have been really hurt after falling down that hole you dug in the field.'

‘The field was mine. Still is until I can sell it. She shouldn't have been trespassing.'

‘She was rescuing a dog who had got through the fence that you sabotaged.' She curled her hands into fists. She could feel the anger coursing through her body. How could he still not see that it had been him in the wrong?

Lyle glanced down at his feet before looking up at her. ‘Not my problem.'

‘But…' It was no use. Megan was literally wasting her breath. She shook her head. ‘Why are you here?'

‘Ha, now that's the funny part.' Lyle shifted position, standing up straighter, his feet as wide as his hips. ‘After receiving this beauty…' He waved the envelope in the air. ‘I decided to come down to give you the chance to come home. To forget the bad blood and lost money between us, to give you a second chance.'

Megan held his gaze. Had he really thought that they could forget everything that had happened? That she could forget who he had become? The money-grabbing developer who wasn't afraid to use underhand tactics, paying off councils and trying to intimidate charity owners to leave their land, their rescue centres, as he had tried to do with Wagging Tails?

She opened her mouth to answer; the words fighting their way out.

But he held up his hand, palm forward. ‘Although, you see, things have now changed.'

‘I…'

He met her gaze again, locking her eyes with his, his stare intense, dark. ‘It's been interesting standing here, waiting for you. And I've realised something.'

Megan blinked, suddenly needing to know his answer to the question that had been at the forefront of her mind since seeing him here. ‘How did you know where I was?'

Lyle shook his head slowly. ‘That's not the way it works. You see, I'm the one with the question, not you.'

What was he talking about?

‘What question?'

Crossing his arms, the envelope held against his forearm, he tapped his fingers against his chin.

‘I thought, stupidly, naively, that the reason you wanted a divorce was because you thought you were better than me. Because, although you were seemingly happy to live in the house that I bought, to spend the money that I earned, you've now decided you've reached a moral high ground and that you no longer want the luxuries that I can afford to give you.'

Megan stood her ground. ‘I found out what you've been up to, how you've managed to get planning permission for these developments. You'd never have bribed people a few years ago, you'd never have threatened people, tried to coerce them out of their home.' She held out her arms. ‘I don't know you any more.'

‘I'm still the person I've always been.'

‘No, no, you're not.' She shook her head. ‘You've changed.'

‘I can assure you I haven't. The only person in our marriage who has changed is you.'

‘Me?'

‘That's right. You.'

Megan paused, taking a deep breath in. She had so much to say, so much to get off her chest, so much she'd been bottling up inside.

‘You might have been doing all this before, making corrupt business deals or whatever but I didn't know about it then. I believed your business was solid, was ethical. So yes, I'm walking away from you now rather than before, but that's because I've only recently discovered how you've been acting, how you've been running your business.'

‘No,' Lyle said, rolling up his sleeves and taking a step towards her, a step closer to the gate. ‘That's not why you've filed for divorce. You've filed for divorce because of him .'

He pointed behind her.