Marcus walked towards the side of Rowan furthest away from Atlas, just in case he spooked him. He noticed Rowan’s appreciative glance. Marcus took his own sandwich bag from the paper carrier bag, before handing the carrier to Rowan.
Rowan took it gratefully. ‘Thanks, what do I owe you?’
‘Just another chance to befriend Atlas. I can see he really does need his claws trimming. If I can slowly build a rapport with him, then hopefully, he’ll trust me enough to groom him.’
Marcus watched Rowan closely. The hint of appreciation didn’t go unnoticed. Rowan took one of the sausages from the bag, holding it against his lips to check the temperature, before breaking it in half and feeding one half to Atlas. Marcus decided to dig deeper, to find out why Atlas was the way he was, because it was obvious Rowan cared deeply for his pet.
‘What brings you to Seagull Bay? Are you holidaying here?’
Rowan fed the other half of the sausage to Atlas before he replied. ‘We’re renting somewhere temporarily in the bay.’
Marcus’s heart shrivelled a little. ‘We?’
‘Me and Atlas.’ Marcus tried to hide the look of relief that washed over his features, but wasn’t sure he’d succeeded. ‘I followed a job contract to Yorkshire,’ Rowan continued, ‘It’s to do with being an animal behaviourist.’ He looked down at his pet. ‘But... I’m not doing great with Atlas, because he’s different.’
Marcus took a bite of his sandwich, and Rowan followed suit, the silence that fell over them was comfortable, yet, Marcus could feel the weight of the unspoken questions he wanted to ask. The gulls swooped down, a little too close for Atlas’s comfort. His shoulders squared off, his gaze following them intently.
Rowan fed him another half a sausage, in a bid to distract him, but Atlas refused the offering, and Rowan made a low gruff noise of frustration, putting the sausage back into the paper bag.
‘Have you always had him?’
Rowan licked his lips, before answering. ‘Not from a puppy, but from a young dog, yes... He’s actually a former police dog.’
Marcus gasped. ‘Wow. That sort of explains a lot, and I can take that on board now to change my behaviour to meet his needs, every time I meet him.’
Rowan nodded, and Marcus could see cogs turning behind his eyes. Silence lengthened out again as they finished their sandwiches and Marcus felt as though he needed to break it. As well as building a rapport with Atlas, he hoped to build one too with Rowan.
‘An annual dog competition is being held very soon in the bay, and this year, I’m organising and hosting it. I’m going to hold it on the beach. With your expertise in animal behaviour, would you consider advising me on the layout?’
Rowan’s brow pulled together. ‘That environment would be difficult for nervous dogs.’
Marcus chewed his bottom lip. Had he made a big mistake? ‘I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ve already started to advertise the new location.’
Rowan made the same low growl in the back of his throat as he shook his head. ‘It’s not a good idea, but if you’re already committed, then I guess I’d better help.’
Marcus brightened. ‘I really appreciate it, Rowan.’
‘I’m doing it for the dogs.’ Rowan looked towards the beach. ‘Can you show me exactly where you plan to hold the competition?’
Marcus grimaced. ‘Not right now I can’t. I’m already late for work, there’s only me in today and I’m fully booked. How about tomorrow?’
Rowan nodded. ‘Okay. Same time tomorrow? Here?’
Marcus chewed his bottom lip. ‘I know it’s already early, but any chance of making it thirty minutes earlier?’
Rowan nodded. ‘Sure.’
Just then, a small dog appeared, attached to an extended lead. Atlas, who had sat down halfway through Marcus and Rowan’s breakfast together, suddenly shot to his feet, his eyes focused on the Yorkshire Terrier. The Terrier began to yap at Atlas, but Atlas just stared at it.
Marcus followed the lead until he found the Terrier’s owner. Mrs Calloway did a double-take when she saw Marcus next to Rowan. Marcus pursed his lips, before fixing his most charming smile. He knew about Mrs Calloway’s gossiping, but as yet, he’d never had the misfortune to be on the other end of it. No one knew about his private life, and that’s exactly how he’d like to keep it—private.
‘Good morning, Mrs Calloway. You’re out early on a walk. Is ityourpet, you’re walking?’ Marcus didn’t even know Mrs Calloway had a dog. It appeared she knew everything about other people’s business, but not everyone knew hers.
‘More like, Beau here is takingmefor one.’ She blatantly stared at Rowan, but addressed her question towards Marcus. ‘Found yourself a helper, have you, for the dog competition?’ Marcus wasn’t surprised she already knew he was this year’s organiser. ‘And a handsome one at that, too!’ she added.
Unusually, Mrs Calloway didn’t wait for an answer from him, instead, she went on her way. Marcus had to fight for his cheeks to remain cool. He didn’t want Rowan knowing he agreed with Mrs Calloway’s last remark.
Keeping his features stoic, Rowan dipped his head at Marcus. ‘Thanks for breakfast.’
